About
Maria Sigma is an award-winning textile weaver specialising in ‘zero waste’ ethical hand-woven textiles. She studied at Chelsea College of Art & Design and since graduating in 2014, she has developed her own weaving practice in London. Maria is the author of Weaving: the Art of Sustainable Textile Creation and instructs a Weaving From Waste workshop.
By using exceptional natural materials Maria creates textiles and artworks for projects large and small, commercial and residential. So far, she has collaborated on projects with exceptional interior designers, architects, fashion designers, furniture makers, magazines, brands, and galleries such as Susie Atkinson Interior Design Studio, MAKE Hauser & Wirth, Hole & Corner Magazine, J.M. Szymanski | New York, Soho House, Selfridges and TOAST.
Inspired by her Greek heritage and nature, in combination with a love for maths and craftsmanship, she makes vibrant yet minimal, contemporary textiles. She strives to decrease to the minimum yarn waste and unnecessary cuts, carbon footprints, the use of machinery, water, and electricity. By adhering to a ‘zero waste’ philosophy, she aspires to make hand-weaving an even more sustainable craft. Through ‘zero waste’ design and craftsmanship and by emphasising the texture and the raw state of the cloth, and removing any superfluous elements, she aims at producing honest textiles designed to become timeless heirlooms.
“I strongly believe that the importance of weaving must be highlighted; fabrics reside in the everyday and inhabit almost every corner of a household; they create a boundary between us and nature, the culture of the body and the external world. They contribute in creating a sense of something familiar and beloved. The determinant role textiles play in our life, the power of colour, or the lack thereof, the achievement of high aesthetics through simplicity and the use of sustainable materials, are my sources of inspiration and motivation. This is reflected in my work and the use of natural shades, highlighted by creating different textures through different weave structures and yarn thicknesses.”
