Paz Pierrestegui, an Argentinian fashion and textiles designer, is founder of Latin American Textiles. Works with the traditional handmade lace technique called Ñandutí, which she learnt from the native women of the Itauguá people in Paraguay, one of the few people in the world that still make this distinctive embroidered lace.
The textile name Ñandutí, means “spider web” and comes from the ancient Guarani language, which is the official, indigenous language of Paraguay.
Some say the inspiration of the technique derived from Spanish weaving learnt during the “Conquistadores Era” but according to folk legend, an Indian artisan started the technique, inspired by the denser webs of the tropical Paraguayan rainforests. Whether fantasy or history, either Ñandutí story can be combined, to form the origin of this beautiful handmade lace technique.
Paz is one of few artisans today, who believe the Ñandutí technique must not die and she continues the legacy of this skill, which has been handed down, from generation to generation, by the beautiful hands of the women from Itauguá.
Paz Pierrestegui, an Argentinian fashion and textiles designer, is founder of Latin American Textiles. Works with the traditional handmade lace technique called Ñandutí, which she learnt from the native women of the Itauguá people in Paraguay, one of the few people in the world that still make this distinctive embroidered lace.
The textile name Ñandutí, means “spider web” and comes from the ancient Guarani language, which is the official, indigenous language of Paraguay.
Some say the inspiration of the technique derived from Spanish weaving learnt during the “Conquistadores Era” but according to folk legend, an Indian artisan started the technique, inspired by the denser webs of the tropical Paraguayan rainforests. Whether fantasy or history, either Ñandutí story can be combined, to form the origin of this beautiful handmade lace technique.
Paz is one of few artisans today, who believe the Ñandutí technique must not die and she continues the legacy of this skill, which has been handed down, from generation to generation, by the beautiful hands of the women from Itauguá.
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