about

where we come from?

La Ciénaga was born from a fascination with objects that have character.

from materials that tell a story. from the hands that transform them. from the small imperfections that make each piece unique.

we work from Colombia to create objects that escape seasons and labels. pieces designed to be used, enjoyed, and to accompany you for a long time.

because we believe that what is special doesn't always have to be perfect.

interview with silvana bonfante g., founder and creative director of La Ciénaga, by the writer, editor and director of the magazine Mamagazine, victoria gabaldón.

I am Silvana Bonfante, a Colombian anthropologist and cultural consultant. You could say that crafts came to me through my profession; from my very first semesters of study, I became deeply interested in material culture and the way in which different societies, whether ancestral or contemporary, could create utilitarian artifacts through creativity and the unique materials of their environments, which, through diverse techniques and trades, ended up becoming objects not only distinctive and representative of their identity, but also of great aesthetic and cultural value.

La Ciénaga is a proposal that seeks to promote traditional market basketry from the Colombian Cundiboyacense highlands in Europe, crafted from "zuncho" or recycled PVC fiber. this project has lived in my head for over fifteen years, thanks to my personal interest in craftsmanship and my early academic curiosity toward weaving and structure, as well as my passion for woven containers or "artifacts" for carrying things: baskets, hampers, creels, panniers, tote baskets, market baskets... it was during that time, while visiting the market in Villa de Leyva, a municipality in this geographical area of the country, that I met a peasant woman who, in addition to weaving them and using them to carry her groceries home, decided to sell them at her fruit stand. Seeing them at that moment, not only did I fall in love with them and start using them daily, but I concluded that these utilitarian objects, which almost unintentionally ended up being beautiful as well, deserved to be known to the world.

unlike those made with natural fibers, La Ciénaga baskets are crafted from PVC fiber, which is the plastic material used for strapping heavy-duty shipping crates and the pallets that wrap the fruits and vegetables arriving at local markets (also known in Spain as "fleje" or strapping). its durability makes it the ideal raw material for our baskets to have a long life, keeping them intact despite use and the passage of time. they are washable, waterproof, and easily regain their shape, and in addition to being made entirely by hand, each basket has a unique design that sets it apart from the others, which is why we number them. thus, when you buy a La Ciénaga basket, you take home an object that will not only last you a lifetime but that no one else will have, all while participating in the upcycling and recycling cycle that marks our starting point.

although it began as a personal project, La Ciénaga involves a talented community of artisans in Colombia, working hand-in-hand with institutions such as the Fundación Gases del Caribe or Enzuncharte, a cooperative led by master artisan Yolanda Velázquez, on which many families of zuncho weavers depend. most of them are restarting their workshops after a long period of inactivity, and we work through mutual agreements that are established from the moment the artisans and I design the prototypes for our products, all the way to the quality control process where they select the best baskets one by one to be sent to Spain, crossing over 8,000 km of distance to our small studio in Madrid.

from its conception, for me La Ciénaga was born with the purpose of making Colombian zuncho visible and promoting it abroad, ensuring that we all win, from the person who collects plastic bottles or gathers scraps at the markets to upcycle the material, to the person who places the final rivet on the handles of each basket. I work with commitment and conviction to dignify and preserve the craft by hand, and to ensure that the one you choose for yourself is unique. apart from this, and due to its artisanal nature, La Ciénaga incorporates one of the fundamental pillars of slow fashion into its principles: not adhering to the traditional fashion calendar, carrying out our production in small capsules and collaborations throughout the year, with the intention of breaking the idea that baskets are only useful in summer, but also with the aim of avoiding overproduction and excess stock. Finally, through our no gender no season no age manifesto, I hope that these can be worn by anyone, in any season, without distinction of gender or age.

although terms like "handcrafted" or "sustainability" are used today by many brands without real substance or social backing, in the creation of our products our artisans use waste material that has reached the end of its useful life and transform it without industrial processes—through upcycling—into utilitarian and aesthetic artifacts, giving it a new use and avoiding the generation of waste. for me as a founder and for La Ciénaga as a brand, this means a true commitment to the transparency and traceability of the raw material from its origin until the finished basket reaches your hands. for the process of circularity and return to be completed, the entities we work with in Colombia support the development of training initiatives in zuncho weaving for new generations, working daily so that the craft is not lost, directly supporting the artisan families who sustain it, and which in many cases represents their only source of income. more than handmade, I would like to think of La Ciénaga as a human-made project.

after many experiences and against all commercial logic, at 49 years old, I live and build my business one day at a time. this does not mean that I do not want to see the brand grow; on the contrary, I would like it to transcend as a true benchmark, not only for fashion accessories, but as a slow fashion model in which circularity accompanies the object, contributing, even if minimally, to changing the current mentality of mass and seasonal consumption, by offering people unique objects created in Colombia to last and to accompany them for a long time. I would also like to diversify the production of the collections, incorporating lifestyle and decoration utensils into them, in addition to the baskets. my goal now is for many people to get to know us and for us to become bigger and better.