Artisans
We produce using people, not machines. The stamps for our block-prints are carved by hand and each is applied individually. Our quilts are hand cut and hand stitched. Our woven goods are made one at a time by artisans working on looms. To find out more about each process, click on the map below.
New Bedford
Massachusetts
Once a thriving textile centre with over 70 mills, New Bedford is now home to our block-printing workshop.
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Oaxaca
Mexico
Teotitlan, a small weaving town outside Oaxaca City is famous for its' textiles. We work with traditional Zapotec weavers to make our wool rugs.
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Antigua
Guatemala
The weavers of the Guatemalan Highlands are internationally recognized for their craftsmanship—especially for their ikat weavings. We work with third generation weavers to make our cotton rugs.
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Ayacucho
Peru
In a tiny hill top village outside of Ayacucho lives a family of weavers known for back strap weaving.
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Exploration
Each collection is influenced by a new place, drawing inspiration from the colors, textures, patterns, and people Caroline discovers in her travels.
Experimentation
Having immersed herself in the culture of the places she visits, Caroline returns to her studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn to design her collections. She starts by looking over her photos and gathering images. She works across mediums within the color palette she's inspired by. She often uses mixed media and incorporates textured paper and other pieces into her work.
Creation
Once Caroline has decided on the colors and shapes of the new collection, she begins designing individual products. She uses the traditional techniques of her artisans to create original and unique pieces.
Collaboration
We consider our work with artisans to be an ongoing dialogue from inspiration to finished product. The process is iterative and we draw on the expertise of our artisans heavily for all of our designs.
Production
We produce our products with people, not machines. Each collection is a combination of block-printed & quilted products from New Bedford and woven rugs from Guatemala and Mexico. We also design original woven yardage to be made into products.
Our Footprint
Sustainable design
A core value of our business is minimizing our impact on the world. We actively look for sustainable alternatives in all aspects of our business.
Materials
Because we love simplicity and the earth, we only use 100% pure natural fibers at CZH. All of our products are both kind to the earth and long lasting.
Packaging
We keep plastic to a minimum, only using where absolutely necessary to protect the product.
Recycling
We reuse all our scrap fabric, either to make into swatches for our yardage, to create new products or for community art projects.
Materials
Our fabrics
At CZH we care about simplicity. That’s why we only use 100% natural products and zero blends. We work hard to source from the very best suppliers so that we feel confident about the product we are making.
Linen
Flax - the fibre used to make linen - is one of the oldest fabrics in the world and also one of the gentlest to the earth. Flax grows naturally and requires less water and fewer pesticides than cotton, making it a more eco-friendly fabric. Because it's a natural fiber, flax linen is recyclable and biodegrade.
Wool
First spun by the tribes of Mesopotamia in 10,000 BC, wool remains essential to many communities today. The natural properties of wool make it the ideal fibre for our rugs. Wool absorbs dye beautifully and uniformly, is extremely durable and naturally flame retardant.
Cotton
All of our cotton products are hand spun. We source our cotton from a fair trade supplier who use toxic-free dyes for all their yarn, treat their workers with respect and manage their environmental output carefully. Cotton is soft, breatheable and non-allergenic.