Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge exchange projects bring our academic expertise into dialogue with LVMH. Using a design-led approach we prototype regenerative practices and explore new approaches to design, circularity, materials and ecosystem restoration.

Weaving Paths for Regenerative Crafts in the Bolivian Amazon

Maison/0 develops practice-led research projects to explore and advance knowledge in regenerative design, aligned with the LIFE 360 environment strategy at LVMH. This includes a key focus on biodiversity restoration.

Galilea community, Beni Biosphere Reserve

We first met the Galilea community in 2022. The village is near the Trinidad- La Paz main road, 1 hour drive from San Borja. Learn more about the Beni Biosphere reserve characteristics on UNESCO's website.

Local women produce woven artefacts such as fans and hats using Jipi Japa, a local palm dyed with synthetic colourants.

The local economy is very limited, with little tourism and no easy access to main urban centres to sell artefacts and generate income. The quality of the craft products is excellent, but they are sold sporadically via a third party with very small profits generated despite a labour-intense process.

Core challenges and opportunities

• Sourcing Jipi Japa had become challenging due to over harvesting, flooding and wildfires. Until then, the harvest was mainly done by hiring someone to forage young Jipi Japa leaves in the wild.
• The use of synthetic dyes: there are no safe ways to dispose of the waste water. There is little to no knowledge of natural dyes or their potential use with Jipi Japa in the community.
• Abundance of plastic pollution: There are no infrastructure for plastic waste collection locally. Some bottles are reused, but in the area most plastic waste is either burnt or left on the ground where it spreads in natural habitats and impacts on local biodiversity and human health.

Design proposal

Design to restore biodiversity
(ecological restoration)

• Increase the amount of Jipi Japa grown in the village in agroforestry system to halt over-foraging and provide easier access to the core raw material.
• Harvest local plastic waste to use as a coloured material and replace the need for synthetic dyes – this removes two toxic waste streams from natural habitats and benefits biodiversity as well as human health.

Design to drawdown Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(climate restoration)

• Plant Jipi Japa palms in agroforestry systems within the village bounds to add carbon capture capacity without impacting on the savannah and forest.
• Optimise the use of plastic waste for craft production to reduce the amount of waste burning and greenhouse gas emissions.

Design for communities and cultures to flourish
(social justice, cultural heritage and flourishment)

• Time and cost saving: a village-based agroforestry system for Jipi Japa means it is more convenient for women who can now directly harvest locally without relying on hiring someone to forage for palm leaves in the forest.
• Address the current low level of local economic activity by liaising with contemporary craft stores in Santa Cruz and La Paz to develop a more resilient business plan for the community as well as a brand positioning strategy.

A new craft collection

First prototypes for a new craft collection were developed by the Maison/0 design team for July 2025.

A parallel workshop facilitated by Maison/0 and the UNESCO MAB teams combined discussions around environmental challenges, the value of preserving biodiversity, the challenges of selling craft artefacts locally and the potential to use plastic waste with Jipi Japa weaving.

The workshop introduced new practices such as making a yarn from plastic waste. The key objective was to prototype ideas for a new craft collection made with agroforestry-grown Jipi Japa and plastic waste recovered from local ecosystems.

Impact and next steps

• Working with the community to develop a business plan.
• Agroforestry planting continues to progress.
• Out of the workshop, villagers have brought back local plant species that can be used for natural dyes

San Jose de Canaan community, Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve

The Pilón Lajas biosphere is located on the far eastern side of the Andes, where the village of San Jose de Canaan is home to an indigenous Tsimane community.

Impacted by wildfires, illegal expansion of cattle ranching, the community lives off agroforestry products: cacao, avocado, banana and oranges. Local women produce traditional woven craft products including bags using syntheticically dyed fibres.

Discover more about the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve characteristics on UNESCO's website.

Specific challenges and opportunities

In a first field visit in July 2022 we identified these characteristics:

• Heritage: Whilst traditional Tsimane weaving is still practiced, the use of natural dye has disappeared. The traditional use of village-grown white cotton is replaced by the use of synthetic dyed wool purchased on markets.
• Agroforestry: there is a strong commitment to agroforestry production for food, and a clear potential to develop agroforestry practices for textile fibres and colours.
• Species: The Tsimane literature refers to a brown-coloured cotton, but the plant has disappeared from the community.
• Economy: The closest market town (2 hours by car) is Rurrenabaque, where imported ‘made in China’ products prevail, with little promotion or interest for traditional Tsimane weaving. Women produce a few bags sporadically at very low price despite a labour-intensive process.

Design proposal

Design proposal co-developed with the community using a regenerative design framework:

1. Design to restore biodiversity
(ecological restoration)

• Source seeds of brown cotton from neighbourhood communities and expand agroforestry plots in the village to include brown cotton. This will promote genetic biodiversity
• Explore the introduction of local plants species for natural dyes and fibres as part of the agroforestry system.
• Introduce the community to new ways of using food waste as a resource for textile dyes and fibre production (with waste avocado skin for dye and pineapple leaves for fibre)

2. Design to drawdown Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(climate restoration)

Agroforestry systems within the village bounds contribute to carbon capture capacity and can be developed where land has been impacted by wildfires.

3. Design for communities and cultures to flourish
(social justice, cultural heritage and flourishment)

• Address the current low level of local economic activity by liaising with contemporary craft stores in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and La Paz to develop a more resilient business plan for the community
• Promote the value of Tsimane heritage by exploring the potential for textile teaching tours, publications and exhibitions
• Promote an intergenerational knowledge exchange within the community to preserve the Tsimane textile heritage
• Liaise with the Tsimane’ Mosetene Regional Council (CRTM) and the Tsimane’ Grand Council (GCT) to develop the project further.

Regenerative craft collection

First prototypes for a new regenerative craft collection were developed by the Maison/0 design team to explore the use of Tsimane weaving techniques for contemporary products. Using organic white and brown cotton, as well as natural dyes, a series of artefacts were developed in preparation for a 2-day workshop with the community in July 2025, they include bags, water bottle holders, phone straps.

These prototypes were introduced at the beginning of the workshop and used as a prompt for discussion around the value of traditional Tsimane weaving and how to cost a product for a contemporary craft market. We discussed the potential development of agroforestry plots for brown and white cotton as well as for natural dyes plants.

Impact and next steps

• The community has replanted brown cotton seeds for a first harvest in July 2026.
• They continue to explore new ideas for craft artefacts that valorise traditional Tsimane weaving but relate to a contemporary market.
• The local UNESCO team is liaising with craft stores in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and La Paz to evaluate and price the products.
• The first collection fully made from agroforestry-grown white and brown cotton will be developed in July 2026.