Anna & Juan
Sustainable Textiles and Natural Dyes
What we do:
“Anna & Juan” is a collective formed by the designers Josefina Eliggi and Luzius Schnellmann in 2011, dedicated to developing sustainable textiles based on the use of plant dyes.
Thrilled by how vibrant and varied natural colours can be, Josefina and Luzius have been doing an intense research on locally available materials, colour sources and old dyeing recipes for more than three years. The aim is not only to rediscover traditional textile techniques but also to apply them in a new and fashionable way. The project’s intention is to design responsibly, increase longevity of textiles, strengthen awareness and build community. As part of the brand’s philosophy, “Anna & Juan” are interested in working in collaboration with companies and people with related goals.
“Anna & Juan” offer workshops and events, naturally coloured wool and finished products.
Why:
Water pollution, waste generation and labour abuses are some of the effects of today’s industrial textile & fashion production. The dyeing process usually employs toxic substances that are often released into the environment without any treatment. This image shows the Jianhe river in China in December 2011, coloured by the effluents of two dye factories.
This situation made Josefina and Luzius reflect on their responsibility as designers and the consequences of the decisions they make.
The use of natural dyes is not only a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyeing but also an aesthetic resource full of potential and open to future design developments.
Who we are:
Josefina Eliggi is a textile and fashion designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She studied Fine Arts and Printmaking at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and fashion and textile design at FADU, Buenos Aires. Until 2011 she worked on limited editions of hand printed accessories and garments for her own label “Josefina Eliggi”. Between 2005 and 2011 she worked as an art and design teacher. Since 2010 she has been experimenting with natural dyes.
In February 2013 she completed her studies at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) in the Masters Degree programme in Design.
Josefina Eliggi was born in 1979 in La Plata, Argentina.
Luzius Schnellmann completed his diploma study in Visual Communication at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) in 2006. Since then he has been doing freelance work in Switzerland and abroad.
From 2008 to 2013 he was employed as an assistant in the Master of Arts in Design study course at HSLU, where he also teached in the fields of sustainability, animation and graphic design.
Since 2010 he directs international workshops in the field of sustainability and design, e.g., as part of the annual Sustainable Summer School.
Luzius Schnellmann was born in 1979 in Zurich, Switzerland.