November 21, 2008

The Fabric of Our Lives

Alejandra Dunphy Sustainable Textiles and Design Services

You’re fired. And ugly. And you smell.

Now that we’ve pulled the rug from under you, allow us to suggest someone to set things right.

Meet Alejandra Dunphy, a Peruvian textiles guru specializing in green fabrics and sustainable interior design.

She fair trades with weavers in Ayacucho, guaranteeing her bright, simple patterns are woven (sans machinery) using the ancient techniques she’s known since childhood.

Loomed merino, baby alpaca, and llama wool are dyed with plants and vegetables; knits are colored with water-based inks.

Dunphy encourages clients to care for and dispose of old rugs and carpets responsibly instead of chucking them into the nearest dumpster. (She loves Carpet America Recovery Effort, a nonprofit devoted to reducing landfill volumes all over the world.)

That’s good news to us.

Textiles available at Beehive Co-Op, 1831a Peachtree Road (404-351-1166). Alejandra Dunphy (404-455-5812 or alejandradunphy.com).