Pre Hispanic production and coloring of Manta.

Mural by Diego Riviera.

A peek into Ariane’s studio with her home built press

 

What is Manta?

A fusion of modern design and traditional Mexican culture that is unique

Our main resource is manta, a 100% cotton cloth that has been produced in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. While production has been adapted for the industrial age, manta remains a traditionally milled, lightly processed fabric. It is durable, easy to wash, and comes in many rich colors as well as its natural, unbleached creamy tone.

All our products are made with pre-washed cloth to prevent shrinkage. They are washed again after printing to ensure color fastness and quality.

Our printing techniques:

We use eco-friendly, waterbased inks for all our printing: Not only is it far better for the environment than the commercially used inks that are plastic based- It is soft to the touch and the image is wash fast without “cracking”.

We use two different printing techniques:

  1. For the placemats and napkins that are produced in larger numbers, we have found a small silkscreen studio in Guadalajara.

  2. The aprons are hand blockprinted in Ariane’s studio in Vermont and no two are exactly the same, creating unique pieces.