Sámi makers at Original México
A textile and fashion event dedicated to create awareness about the value of artisanal work and collective creative rights
Designer and artist Ramona Salo took part in Original's 2023 edition.
Norwegian Crafts and the Norwegian Embassy in Mexico will support Sámi designer Ann-Sofie Kallok to participate in the 2024 edition of the textile and fashion event Original México 14–17 November.
Ann-Sofie Kallok is a duodjár (craftswoman) and designer who makes unique products with a modern Sámi expression, e.g. jewellery, prints and interiors. With deep respect and extensive knowledge of duodje, she creates products that in different ways capture attributes from Sámi culture and presents them in an innovative way. In this way, she allows tradition, knowledge, soul and heart to find new ways into new contexts. Ann-Sofie grew up in the Stockholm area, but after high school she moved back to her ancestors land in Jåhkåmåhkke and today she lives in Guovdageaidnu.
Ramona Salo at Original in 2023
Sámi artist and designer Ramona Salo participated in Original México in 2023. Her designs were presented on the event's runway. Norwegian Crafts and the Norwegian Embassy in Mexico supported Ramona Salo's participation.
Ramona Salo is a textile artist and clothing designer based in Gáivoutna, Sápmi. Her works are rooted in Sámi culture, where thoughts about time, connection to nature and Indigenous philosophies are tools for navigating in different landscapes. Her practice focuses on textile work in contact with the body and landscape, and tells stories across time and space. She also explores her objects as storytellers through performance art, and has produced several performances in collaboration with other artists.
Learn more about Ramona Salo's practice in the essay Moving Away as Moving Towards by Adam Curtis in the second issue of The Vessel, Re-Acting Fibres.
About Original
Original is a cultural movement produced by Mexico’s Government, dedicated to create awareness about the value of artisanal work and collective creative rights.
It seeks to promote the development of a new ethic in the relationships between artisan people, and their communities with the national and international design industry.
Original is a response to the recurring plagiary from national and international labels to traditional symbols and designs from indigenous and mixed communities from Mexico. Each piece represents the cultural heritage that the communities have preserved for generations.
