An exclusive homeware and lifestyle collaboration between global pattern pioneers PATTERNITY and Zambian Artisans TRIBAL TEXTILES. The collection launches in September 2018 exclusively at Selfridges and online for the London Design Festival.

About the collaboration:

United by a shared love of pattern, craft and community; PATTERNITY were invited to Zambia to meet the artisan makers of TRIBAL TEXTILES. The collaboration celebrates the traditional process of starch batik, where the crackle pattern has been reimagined through PATTERNITY’s lens, resulting in beautiful, bold, hand painted and made pieces.

About the designs:

Inspired by their research trip, PATTERNITY co-founders Anna and Grace found inspiration in the details and textures of nature of Zambia; the crackle pattern repeated in the skin of elephants, tree bark and hot earth, whilst the geometric shapes appeared on the chalk boards at the Malimba school and in the buckets taken to collect water from the local bore hole.

A modern approach to traditional techniques:

The starch batik process originated in Zimbabwe and Zambia, and TRIBAL TEXTILES have been using it since they began, 25 years ago. Learning the heritage and the technique from the team of artisans, PATTERNITY’s inspirations and experiments form the foundations of the collaboration.

Bringing together bold geometry with serendipitous crackle patterns, the range features homewares and lifestyle pieces in monochrome, dusk pink, blue dawn and elephant grey. The collection will be available online in the UK, US and Europe.

Patterns with purpose:

TRIBAL TEXTILES provides living wage jobs for over 100 makers, empowering artisans and supporting conservation, education and the local community. A percentage of Crackle Connections purchases will go to supporting rural education programmes in Zambia and local conservation initiatives.

All products are hand made in Zambia from 100% cotton sourced from southern Africa. The collaboration utilises traditional flour and water starch techniques, non-toxic paints and the heat of the African sun.