Weaving Sustainability into Style: Introducing Freeweaver Studio
Next in our Meet the Maker series, we chat to Erna Janine from Freeweaver Studio in London. She shares insights into the studio, how it began, and the ethos behind everything that takes place at Freeweaver Studio.
Janine:
As an independent weaving studio, our mission is simple: to create handwoven textiles that are both beautiful and sustainable. Each length of cloth crafted at Freeweaver is a quiet rejection of fast fashion’s throwaway culture, and a celebration of mindful making, natural fibres, and small-batch, human-scale production. Apart from weaving, we also spin, dye and work with natural fibres where we can.
Our practice is rooted in sustainability:
— we work primarily with natural and ethically sourced fibres such as organic cotton, wool, linen, hemp and wild silks, all sourced directly from farmers and communities in the UK and India
— we teach the value of slowing down through our hands-on weaving workshops, where participants can learn to create their own cloth.
At Freeweaver Studio, weaving is not just about producing fabric — it’s about empowering people to design and make textiles that reflect their own aesthetic and values. Once woven, these fabrics can be transformed into wearable, functional garments, with our guidance and support at every step of the creative process.
Our newest initiative, Zanshi-Ori Bobbin Cloth, makes use of leftover yarns and offcuts from past projects to produce bold, textural striped fabric that can be purchased by the metre for anyone's own designs — from clothing to cushions, curtains to accessories.
We are proud to stand with makers and consumers who value creativity, durability, and ethical production. Whether you're a designer seeking responsible textiles, or simply curious about the world of weaving, you’re always welcome at the loom or as a visitor to one of our monthly Open Studio events.
Freeweaver Studio is founded by Dutch-born textile artist Erna Janine. With over 30 years of experience in weaving, she began her journey in 1994 with a two-year apprenticeship at a Steiner-based studio in Iceland. Erna has since studied contemporary textile design and undertaken residencies in India and Japan. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including in the United States, the Netherlands, India, and the United Kingdom.
At Freeweaver Studio, she is dedicated to fostering creative expression through sustainable textile practices and community engagement. She is the founder of the Japanese Textile and Craft Festival in London and the co-organisor of the Festival of Natural Fibres
Let’s reimagine fashion, one thread at a time.
You can learn more about Freeweaver Studio by visiting their website or their Instagram.