About Pithaya Swimsuits
Pitahaya Swimsuits started in 2005, when the designer’s search for expression lead her to the Cuna Indians that live in Necoclí, Antioquia. With the help of the Colombian government she has managed to create a work group of women that are mainly dedicated to stitching the designs on the fabric by appliqué technique.
This group consists of 11 women who are the head of their homes, in a rural area where people have many difficulties surviving, and providing their children the basic necessities of life. They are well paid for thier work with the intention of the designer, keeping them focused mainly on their family, and to maintain partnership with the brand.
Pitahaya Swimsuits has developed in Colombia, a new way of working with artisans by keeping them together as a group of people that can live off their skills, and by giving them the means to express their artistic qualities on different media, thus giving the pieces Fair Trade status in the fashion market as well as Fashion for Development.
About Our Swimsuits and Bikinis
WHAT IS A MOLA?
Mola is an art form that was created by the women of the Kuna Tribe, who live in the Darien Basin, shared by Colombia and Panama. They started out by tattooing their skin with geometrical designs; but after colonization in the 1500’s, the Cuna women transferred them on to fabric. First by painting on it, and secondly by putting layers of cotton fabric together and depicting their designs, using reverse appliqué technique.
Mola synthesizes Kuna culture, but, the influence of the modern world is a fact. Mola art developed majorly when Kuna women had access to store bought yard goods. In the past 50 years their designs evolved from geometric patterns to including modern graphics. New elements have been depicted in their Molas like birds, flowers, sea animals, and objects that represent important times such as posters, labels pictures from books and t.v. cartoons; as well as oral history themes within Kuna legends and culture. Dates are not certain as to when the Molas were created by reverse appliqué, but it is assumed that the oldest Molas are 150 to 170 years old.
The ability to make a good Mola is a status symbol for Kuna women. They have established quality through determined factors that include, number of layers, fineness of stitching, evenness and with of cutouts, addition of details such as zigzag borders, lattice work or embroidery, and general artistic merit of the design and color combination. They are not perfect, and they present imperfections and fading, as they are meant to be a part of the traditional dress the women wear. Molas are sold in pairs, as there are always two variations on the scene.