The two founders Anna Yona (Wildling Shoes) and Lisa Jaspers (FOLKDAYS) have joined forces to spotlight traditional handicrafts made by women: FOLKDAYS x Wildling is a three-piece mini-collection made of the same handmade cotton fabric in collaboration with the women's collective around Nomad Store in Kyrgyzstan. The collection consists of the Ay bag, the Gul belt and the limited-edition Aigul summer shoe. Each piece is absolutely unique due to the material used and the artisan production, which represents 100% craftwomanship. 

True to the credo "Made from tradition, dedication & cotton. 100% Craftswomanship", the collection was made by Kyrgyz artisans using the ikat weaving technique from locally grown organic cotton. For this, FOLKDAYS and Wilding partnered with Ysmaiylova Nasyikat and Begaiym Mamatova, the owners of Nomad Store, which specialises in Kyrgyz products and is based in the capital Bishkek. Two production sites were set up for the collaboration, where over the entire project period a total of 88 women were involved in the production process of the FOLKDAYS x Wildling collection – the fabric was produced in the Chon Alai district in the Osh region in the central south of Kyrgyzstan, the yarn in the Batken region in the extreme southwest of the country. 

All pieces in the collection are made in two phases using the ikat technique: In an elaborate process, the cotton threads are first hand-spun and then naturally dyed with turmeric. In the second phase, the yarns are then woven by hand. The result is a beautifully textured, vibrant surface made from this individual yarn in yellow and white, whose imperfect-perfect look tells of the manual production method. 

The Ay Bag and Gul Belt are now available online and in our Berlin store.

Photos: Subankulov Sanzhar