Designers
Designers
Designers
aPunto
A hand-woven recipe
Designers
Juliana Hincapié Barrera
Key Words
SUMMARY
In Colombia, ever since colonial times, foreign codes have been adopted while native ways of creating are continuously devalued. Colombian chefs have pioneered a movement of identity rediscovery that dismantles this colonial mental model. They have reimagined our cuisine as one that is a product of miscegenation and acknowledge that this process of cultural entanglement is what nourishes our identity. I believe fashion holds the same potential to shape perceptions of value, stimulate cultural identity and strengthen a sense of belonging. aPunto traces a parallel between food and fashion. It is an alternative approximation to the creation of a fashion object inspired by chefs’ decolonizing recipe.
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challenge
Coming from a fashion background, I began standing closer to one side of the food/fashion two-lane road. I had no knowledge of food systems beyond my expansive sensorial experience as a foodie so I was eager to dive into this system. As I learned from Colombian chefs and food theorists, I developed a deep admiration for what they have accomplished. I decided I wanted to take an analogous approach within fashion to craft hand-woven socks—with zero weaving experience, may I note. Having a long distance relationship with my capstone was challenging so I flew to Colombia where I worked closely with a chef to absorb her creative process and learned the art of crochet from my mother with whom I developed the aPunto socks & bag prototypes.
Outcome
Decolonization is not about reinstating the past or about condemning external influences. Decolonization is about outgrowing a colonial mindset to embark on a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation with our identity. This is the goal of the aPunto hand-woven recipe. Wearing socks may seem routine, but they have an immense power worth unearthing. Socks go on your feet, so they can ground you if you allow them to. Our socks are intentionally packaged in a hand-woven crossbody bag and contain a set of cards carrying our brand narrative and our ritual, designed as an invitation to value your roots through a grounding experience.
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