About Us
Threads of Peru is a collaboration aimed at educating the world about the unique beauty and cultural significance of the Andean people and their textile traditions. Through the web, community tours, and international sales, we connect indigenous Andean weavers of Peru to a global market; contributing to the survival of this art form and to the health and well-being of the people that sustain it.
Threads of Peru began when Adam Foster Collins and his university design class started Project Peru in Nova Scotia, Canada and contacted Ariana Svenson and Apus Peru in Cusco.
“The question: How can we use our Design skills to benefit people who are struggling in another part of the world, while helping ourselves through educational experience?”
The resulting collaboration led to a fundraising campaign in Canada, eleven designers travelling to Peru for hands-on education in the realm of indigenous Andean culture and weaving, and the creation of this website.
Now Threads of Peru has been established as a Peruvian NGO, and is branching out to create more projects and foster collaborations with other organizations and individuals.
Founding Members of TOP Peru
In the summer of 2009, several members of theThreads of Peru project created an official
Peruvian NGO in Cusco, Peru.
The founding members are:
Ariana Svenson
West Australian, Ariana has been associated with Peru for 8 years and is a director of the responsible trekking company, Apus Peru Adventure Travel Specialists. Ariana has been involved in social projects in the Patacancha Valley since 2005, experiences that are forming the basis for a thesis in a Masters of Arts with a focus in Development in third world nations.
Apus Peru has been supporting the community of Chaullacocha since 2007, and in 2008 began to work in Rumira Sondormayo and Chupani. Their projects include revitalising weaving projects in all three communities, designed to revitalizing and rescue weaving traditions while also providing a source of alternative income for women. For detailed information in regard to their projects, click here.
Fely Callanaupa Gonzales
Fely Callanaupa Gonzales is originally from the high jungle town of Quillabamba, and grew up on a 'chakra', an experience which gives her much in common with the weaving women of the mountain regions. The mother of two children, Fely is the General Manager of Apus Peru Adventure Travel Specialists and is pleased by the benefits of working with tourism sustainably can bring to disadvantaged populations.
Adam Foster Collins
Adam is a Graphic and Communication Designer, living and working in Halifax, Canada. Besides working as a professional Designer, he has been a teacher of Design for almost ten years. He has taught Continuing Education and University courses in Design Theory and Practice. His fundamental belief is that Design is a social process, which can and should be employed in an effort to solve all kinds of human problems - not just in the making of beautiful consumer products. His interest in bringing Design thinking to bear on socioeconomic issues led to the creation of Project Peru, and to the collaborative development of Threads of Peru. Adam holds a Bachelor of Design and a Master of Fine Arts in Design from NSCAD University in Canada, and is a founder and Principal Designer for Violet Design and Communications in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also writes a blog on Design issues called Design Perspectives.
Angie Hodder
Angie is a Canadian, also living in Halifax. She is a professional Designer, who has focused much of her work on Design for Socially-oriented organizations, such as the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation. Angie has also worked for Progressive Choices Magazine, which is a publication aimed at empowering Canadian women in business. Angie holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Design Degree from NSCAD University, and her passion for Design and social issues was key to the development of Project Peru. That collaboration led to her joining Violet Design and Communications, at which she is a Partner and Principal Designer.