Hellen Duque

The collection emerges from traditional textile practices, intertwining craftsmanship, gesture, and women’s manual labour, preserving knowledge, memories, and identities. It centres on manual techniques such as antique embroidery and other traditional techniques, reinterpreted within a contemporary context to express the quiet motion behind each piece and the resilience, experiences, and journeys of women, whether artists or not, as they find their own place in the world. Inspired by collective sewing circles and the subtle intimacy of stitching—echoed in As Costureiras by Tarsila do Amaral—The work materialises these movements into felted brushstrokes. Using wool, old needle lace fragments, and silk, it conveys delicacy and feminine singularity. The project emphasises sustainability through deadstock fabrics, reused materials, and natural fibres, celebrating each detail, tradition, and the renewed life they embody.