The "Faja"

designer belt

The “faja” is one the most ancestral and timeless textile tradition from the Andean regionand from other regions around the world. It’s a very old tradition transmitted from one generation to another.  Nowadays it is becoming one of those traditions in danger of disappearing. Youths are no longer interested in preserving old traditions, especially if they don’t see actual benefits around them.

The main function of the Faja is to hold and decorate garments, but depending on the design it also denotes status, power, beauty, and superiority, they are even used for medical purposes.

The faja is a craft handmade by women of small communities.   Girls start to learn how to make them at the age of 8.  The most common ways for making fajas are wood and waist looms.  The designs and elements of each one depend on the ethnic,mythic , religion, believes and community. The fajas are a way to identify the group or community and protect its members from bad energies.The dying techniques are also transmitted from one generation to another.

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