Akira Minagawa

Did you know that fairies live in Holland? I received a precious gift from one of them: a booklet from the exhibition at the Audax Textiel Museum in Tilburg - which gives you a glimpse into the world of Akira Minagawa.

"Indeed, Minagawa considers many industrial products unattractive because they lack the feeling of handicraft and workmanship. He believes that a product should have emotional value in addition to its functionality. A product and a design can only have emotional value if it has been paid loving attention and hence 'time' taken in its realisation.
For Minagawa this means that the hand of the designer or the fine, irregular, natural form is given expression in the fabric.
Only in this way can a product 'come to life', gain character and so contain 'a story'. According to Minagawa these elements are essential if a client is to build up an affectionate bond with the product."
from "mina perhonen fashion" by José Teunissen

This is an excerpt from one of the chapters - these words are so true when it comes to handweaving! - I know I am obviously partial to it, but Minagawa's vision sums up the beautiful process of weaving, from the time spent designing on a sketchbook to the hours of solitary concentration on warp and weft, until the moment you part from the finished object and the latter starts a new life in somebody else's hands.

Let's not talk about products. Let's talk about treasures.