BENEAI means to sing in the Shipibo Conibo language.
To sing is to express oneself in verses of emotion. To sing is to make words prevail through time. To sing is to be united in harmony with others.
In our collaboration with a collective of Shipibo Conibo artists. We create Kene Textiles that speak for the preservation of ancestral craftsmanship through timeless fashion art pieces.
Empowering native women artists is our pathway for the preservation of ancestral craftsmanship. In 2020, we began a creative union alongside a collective of Shipibo Conibo artists to support and sustain Kene textiles through timeless pieces.
Kene is the design system created by the Shipibo Conibo Community of Ucayalli (Peru) to represent the healing properties and energetic vibrations of therapeutic plants of the Amazon Rainforest. Kene textiles are a medium to communicate this design language. It is an ancestral practice taught from mother to daughter. Our purpose in preserving this beautiful heritage is to encouraging the younger generations to continue to pursue their mother’s teachings.
We stand for products whose design practice is centered around three pillars: empowering women, sustainable practices, and a conscious system for production. These act as a guide of identity for our products and the way customers will experience Beneai.
Understanding the cultural beliefs and traditions of the artists is at the foundation of our project. The time spent learning the myths, legends and meanings of each symbol in Kene art - enhance our ability to honor the culture of the Shipibo Conibo when transforming their textiles into wearable art pieces. Sharing our knowledge of materiality with the artists communities, has instilled the practice of a harmonious development of design concepts in collaboration.
At our fashion house we have deep respect for the complexity of the craftsmanship process. We approach the development of each Kene textile through sustainable practices. We source Peruvian fabrics and threads and purchase only the material quantities required. The artists who specialize in hand painted techniques use natural dyes, made from plants, roots and tree barks from the Amazon Rainforest.We source every material locally and responsibly, providing each artist with the resources for a constant development of new work together.
Once we receive their artistic textiles in our studio in Lima, we transform them into garments that embrace their life stories preserving the ancestral messages of these symbols and motifs. We hope to create awareness and help more native women to transform their textiles into timeless pieces that will enrich many wardrobes and so invite the world to carry their stories and meanings, transcending onto new magical purposes in our lives.
