Luxury Craftsmanship as an Alternative
to Building Social Fabric and Preserving
Ancestral Knowledge: A Look
at Colombia
Alejandra Ospina and Ana López
Abstract Colombia is a multicultural and biodiverse country, recognized for its
multiethnicity. This multiethnicity is in part communicated through handicrafts that
represent an exaltation to living memory and intercultural dialogue, which evokes
tradition and favors innovation as a sustainable and productive alternative. Craftsmanship must be understood as the cultural and material expressions of people with
rooted and plural identities. These have been taught through an oral tradition, which
has emphasized the union between nature and the human being. In contrast to industrial design and its rational connection to modernity, handicrafts maintain an indivisible line of connection between its creator and its creation, continually reflecting the
transformation of culture representation into colors, shapes, designs, and other traditional elements. These elements dignify the indigenous communities while making
them visible through craft-making. If we look carefully at the conceptualization of
handicrafts and luxury and its diverse characteristics, we understand that the basis of
each is the production of exclusive, authentic pieces or services, full of values and
stories of its creator. In that sense, a close link is created between the creator and his
creation throughout the process and manages to transmit it to the world, generating
products with significant symbolic value and durability over time. Sustainability, luxury, and ethics initiate a permanent and unalterable dialogue in the reconfiguration
of the fashion system. This dialogue allows addressing in a meaningful manner, the
creation of pieces aligned with responsible processes allowing environmental and
social balance in a society where luxury cannot exist without sustainability.
Keywords Colombia · Sustainable luxury · Crafts · Craftsmanship · Ancestral
knowledge · Indigenous communities · Tradition
A. Ospina (B)
Budapest, Hungary
e-mail: info@tribeco.co
A. López
Medellin, Colombia
e-mail: waliruu@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
M. Á. Gardetti and I. Coste-Manière (eds.), Sustainable Luxury and Craftsmanship,
Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3769-1_6
101
to Building Social Fabric and Preserving
Ancestral Knowledge: A Look
at Colombia
Alejandra Ospina and Ana López
Abstract Colombia is a multicultural and biodiverse country, recognized for its
multiethnicity. This multiethnicity is in part communicated through handicrafts that
represent an exaltation to living memory and intercultural dialogue, which evokes
tradition and favors innovation as a sustainable and productive alternative. Craftsmanship must be understood as the cultural and material expressions of people with
rooted and plural identities. These have been taught through an oral tradition, which
has emphasized the union between nature and the human being. In contrast to industrial design and its rational connection to modernity, handicrafts maintain an indivisible line of connection between its creator and its creation, continually reflecting the
transformation of culture representation into colors, shapes, designs, and other traditional elements. These elements dignify the indigenous communities while making
them visible through craft-making. If we look carefully at the conceptualization of
handicrafts and luxury and its diverse characteristics, we understand that the basis of
each is the production of exclusive, authentic pieces or services, full of values and
stories of its creator. In that sense, a close link is created between the creator and his
creation throughout the process and manages to transmit it to the world, generating
products with significant symbolic value and durability over time. Sustainability, luxury, and ethics initiate a permanent and unalterable dialogue in the reconfiguration
of the fashion system. This dialogue allows addressing in a meaningful manner, the
creation of pieces aligned with responsible processes allowing environmental and
social balance in a society where luxury cannot exist without sustainability.
Keywords Colombia · Sustainable luxury · Crafts · Craftsmanship · Ancestral
knowledge · Indigenous communities · Tradition
A. Ospina (B)
Budapest, Hungary
e-mail: info@tribeco.co
A. López
Medellin, Colombia
e-mail: waliruu@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
M. Á. Gardetti and I. Coste-Manière (eds.), Sustainable Luxury and Craftsmanship,
Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3769-1_6
101