Agroarte's organic silk comes from "La Muyunga," a farm located in El Tambo, Cauca, where the entire production process takes place.
For 32 years, the community has nurtured silkworms from incubation through their fifth stage, feeding them mulberry leaves also grown at the farm. At la Muyunga, the cocoons are reeled, the fiber is degummed, and the filament is twisted before being naturally dyed with local leaves and flowers.
Annually certified as organic, this process is led primarily by rural women. They not only master the craft but also pass down their knowledge of horizontal loom weaving and crochet, building the solidarity networks that sustain the social and environmental vitality of the region.
Color palette, natural dyeing with local plants
Over the course of two years, we at Ginger Blonde accompanied the Agroarte association through the transformation of their silk product portfolio. We worked together across three areas: weaving, natural dyeing and sales.
Production: Knack
Photography: Natalia Mustafá
Art direction: Sofía Restrepo and Juliana Reyes
During this time, we guided the evolution of a unique product and brought visibility to over 30 years of work by the Agroarte community. Our focus was on implementing natural dyeing using local plants, enhancing creations to increase their sale price and strengthening commercial channels, which also led to the establishment of new strategic alliances.
Photography and art direction: Santiago Zapata
Styling: Jorge Malavé
This project, which took place from 2021 to 2023, was funded by the Community Development and Licit Opportunities (CDLO) program, known locally as Territorios de Oportunidad, and was implemented by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID.
