There was a string.
Once upon a time, let's say way back to the stone age, early man found the way to make a string from plant fiber. Then strings were knotted, laced, finger woven, gradually improved with more tools, wooden frames appeared next, then looms followed.
Weaving is one of the oldest practices that is acknowledged to be born around Neolithic era in many great civilizations. It was essential skill for many civilizations and that connected family unit, society, a tradition that would endure for millennia in many countries.
In 18th, industrial revolution switched weaving from hand to machine. Weaving machines enabled to produce wider fabric, faster with more complicated patterns cheaply, on the other hand, hand weaving custom was lost from daily lives.
Hand woven textile called Tenun in Indonesia, that is also believed to be from around the Neolithic era at the earliest. Great news is, Tenun is not the lost tradition but it has still been closely connected to people's daily lives in Indonesia. Of course, Tenun costs much more than machine made fabrics, also hand weaving houses are disappearing fast.
HITOHA focuses on two of the weaving styles from central Java. Plain, neatly woven tenun, and Javanese striped cotton called Lurik. And yes. Our weaving house makes Lurik with 100% naturally dyed threads. Not to mention that this weaving house is dreamy. It has a beautiful garden in the middle with birds singing, workers dyeing threads. As soon as you enter the front building, you can hear the constant rhythm of wooden looms.
Harmony of birds, water and looms in the beautiful Sunlight from the ceiling make the weaving house look like enchanted. You can feel your heart beats faster for new ideas. It's magical.
I hope this story helps you picturing the beautiful 'enchanted' house of weavers in Java that has been passing the techniques since ancient times when you wear our hand-woven collection :)