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In many ways, the rugged landscape of Chile’s Lake District is a home away from home for Angela Lindvall, who has always favored the earthy beauty of Topanga Canyon over the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood Hills. “I love the grandness of it,” says the California-based supermodel. “It also feels like there is a reverence for nature here and the traditions of the indigenous people reflect that.” Lindvall was a champion for green living long before it was trendy, and recently traveled to the South American country with Voz, a sustainable knitwear label that is putting the region’s centuries-old weaving techniques on the map.
As Lindvall discovered on her trip, the weaving practices of the Mapuche people are rich with symbolism and have been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. In fact, many of the women in the cooperative live in remote rural enclaves the same way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago, often with limited access to public transport and local amenities. In her first design session with the artisans, who traveled from far and wide to meet with her at the Voz headquarters in Temuco, she received a short course in the divine geometry of the craft. She learned that the diamond symbol represents community, for example, while the star motif represents womanhood—according to Mapuche legend, woman was born from the stars and the stars represent the divine. “I like the idea that this is a feminine tradition,” says Lindvall. “I think a lot of magic happens when women come together.” In the slideshow above, she documents the beginnings of her forthcoming collaboration with Voz and her travels across the Chilean countryside.