Threads from the loom

Storytelling is our forte. Each fibre a value, each thread a principle, each warp and weft a layer of heritage. Our unique culture embellished in woven design, creating a body of curated and crafted work here in New Zealand. A story to be shared with the world.

"Threads from the loom" is a memoir that reveals the intricacies and insights of our story, as we weave it. Just like that, the autumn equinox signals the season of Ngāhuru. The vibrant energy of summer is fading as the earth begins to cool beneath our feet. We pull our wool blankets higher in the evening as we glimpse above at star movements that hail the coming winter.

We’ve found our feet in this woollen blanket trade over our first two (quick) years of business, and the year to come is about exploring.  Delving deeper into our blanket making process, researching new weaving and production opportunities and searching for new spaces to share our stories with other visionaries.

Our explorations already include venturing into and sharing new spaces with other creative natives. ‘Paraikete Threads’ is an exhibition at Pātaka Art & Museum in Porirua where our blankets feature beside works from Janine Clarkin & Mataaho Collective. We’re huge fans of these creative powerhouses and honoured to share our perspectives in an intimate artist talk with some of the local art community. E rere tonu ana ngā mihi kia Pātaka, our acknowledgements to Pātaka are unending. 

Back at Noa Design Studio, our hub has come alive! We’re eager to create and weave as we witness the world responding to various challenges. Now, more than ever, our calling to realise our collective values is needed.

Our creative expression is inspired by our community's response to the world around us, reflecting upon our past to inform our future. How can we continue to sustain our core human values in the face of adversity and oppression? Succession requires a collective effort so we’re exploring what the recovery and restoration of our values looks like in this current season. How can we review our approach to be better individually and clearly articulate our values to work together collectively? These questions sit at the forefront of our creative drive as we look to weave design stories that exhibit and support our succession efforts in our upcoming releases.

Kawea te kuranui, kia kuraroa, kei kura tawhiti - Take up our treasured values that they may continue, lest they become obscured.

Whilst we continue our campaign for cause and expand ever-outward, we’re reinforcing our internal capability and capacity to maintain steady and solid growth. As we grow our reach across home decor, art and fashion we naturally gravitate towards research and development of new techniques, hardware and software potential. We’re led to new weave structures and methods, the creation of new colour combinations, textures, weights and finishes opens pathways of possibility to new textile creations and products. We feel the pull to travel abroad to gain expert insights from those with a wealth of weaving experience and knowledge.

The upcoming season looks promising, as we continue to weave together  the threads of our story.

Nāku noa,

Josh

Noa Blanket Co Creative Director & Co-founder