I am Andrea Gonzales, a Textiles Design student specialising in Woven Design at Birmingham City University. Passionate in weaving, handcraftmanship and working with natural yarns and materials, my style combines traditional techniques with contemporary narratives. As an ambitious and hard-working individual, I’m always challenging myself to learn something new.
“Feel at home, the earth beneath your feet.”
Balikbayan is a collection of woven jacquard and printed fabrics for interiors aim to capture a sense of place and personal connection to my Filipino culture. Yearning for my homeland over the past year, this personal journey was an attempt to evoke the feeling of warmth and comfort that I was separated from.
With a particular focus on the textile traditions and wooden cut carvings that are distinctive within certain provinces, the ethnic patterns have been translated into woven jacquard designs and lino prints to create a coordinating series of fabrics that celebrate the craftsmanship of weaving that is still deeply rooted in the Filipino culture.
