All images in this interview are a courtesy of Somos Mhuyscas.

While weaving is usually associated to ancient techniques of the native groups in the American continent, in fact this art can be found in many places around the world, ranging from tradicional textiles to contemporary versions adapted to modern sensibilities. According to Milcíades Estiven Castro, founder and creative director of the independent Colombian brand Somos Mhuyscas, “weaving isn’t a knowledge that you can only find in Colombia, it’s worldwide, and it’s interconnected to many other types of knowledge. There is science that comes from these creative processes, and thus we can bring attention to what’s going on in Latin America, not only as something exotic, but as what goes on behind the scenes with craftsmen and women and their communities.”

Castro, who belongs to the Muisca tribe and is a member of the Indigenous Reservation of Cota, founded Somos Mhuyscas in 2018 with the intention of giving value and recognition to the textile knowledge of his community, with an updated perspective that matches the needs of today’s customers. Since its very beginning, the project has higlighted the importance of the community standing behind it that makes it all happen. “It is so important to emphasize the skills of all craftspeople that we work with, because it’s people that has perfected this art for a very long time. Many of them have inherited their knowledge in weaving, embroidery, dyeing, spinning. Our technical strenghts come from them and that is crucial to me. We added all this knowledge that we got from our grandparents and we want to share it through our brand.”

This leads to one of Castro’s main intentions with his brand: connecting with the global scene while staying true to their local roots. “We are in this game of creating a bridge between tradition and modernity, open new perspectives and understand that ruanas or vests can be used in a variety of spaces, and that we want sophistication and elegance. It is said that we, the Muiscas, are very elegant, and I believe I have incorporated these concepts to create our collections.”

Another key concept for Somos Mhuyscas is self observation: the ability and willingness to look inwards for inspiration, without having to force yourself to follow what might be going on outside. “A grandpa told me that we are always looking outwards. When we look inwards, there are immense riches.” In a context like that of Latin America, and specifically Colombia, where the cultural influence of the global North has been historically more appreciated than local knowledge, this sort of statement is highly relevant, even vital.

In conclusion, and beyond being just another clothing brand in the market, the goal of Somos Mhuyscas implies the preservation of ancestral knowledge that are an inescapable part of regional cultural riches, using them to create very wearable garments for a variety of daily occassions. As Castro says: “We have a whole body of information that many designers work with. When we are in fashion spaces we can become a benchmark brand for students, and also for people who may or may not be a part of similar communities, so they can participate in today’s industry in Colombia and the rest of the world. We also aim to let people that we are among many indigenous groups that are rethinking a lot of things, and that we can become an example for young people who might be asking themselves if it’s possible to make a living out of crafts, so they know that yes, they can.”