Poncho "Cola de Ñandú"

100% Hand-spun sheep wool
Undyed. Natural fleece colors only.
Woven on a traditional Mapuche loom (vertical, every thread passed by hand).
Minimum three months to spin and weave.
Size: 177 x 248 cm / 70 x 98 in
Weight: 1.780 kg / 3.9 lbs

Woven by hand on a Mapuche loom, the traditional vertical loom where every thread is passed by hand. No pedals, no mechanism. Hand-spun sheep wool, undyed. The colors come from the natural tones of the fleece itself. No two ponchos carry the same palette because no two fleeces carry the same light.

Designed by Alicia Trannack. She has been guiding artisans in this craft for over thirty years. She selects the wool, defines the color combinations, and oversees every step of the weave. Each poncho takes a minimum of three months to complete. What determines value is not the pattern but the weave itself: the relationship between size and weight. A larger poncho that falls with the flexibility of silk, light against the body, demands a finer thread, a tighter weave, and far more time on the loom.

The Cola de Ñandu. A Mapuche pattern with roots that reach back centuries. This design was not decoration. It was information. When this pattern appeared on a poncho, it meant the wearer came from land where the ñandu roamed. The South American rhea, not the African ostrich. An older bird, from an older land. Alicia recognized the design for what it has always been: a mark of territory, woven into wool.