Round Plaided Basket (squares)

Long live the generous banana tree in this plaided basket.

Looking back, it seems intuitive to us that bananas would be one of the most consumed foods in the world, but we had no idea that each banana plant only bears fruit once in its lifetime.

Once. A single. Time. That's right.

After giving us food products, most of the plant - the banana plant is a herbaceous plant of the Musa genus - is replaced and wasted. Fortunately, something different is happening in S. Miguel, Azores, Portugal. That's where Vanessa’s MUSAZ explores the artisanal uses of such a generous plant, which is also territory for ants, spiders, and caterpillars. It's all about fibre. Fibre from the plants, from Vanessa's arms, from her soul. She is an entire forest.

Her team is made up of a few family members and friends, with experienced hands in certain craft areas, who have been learning about the specificities of working with the banana plant. Together, they hand-weave this Round Plaided Basket, using fibres from the banana plant stalks, following a process of manual extraction, drying, and gentle cleaning of the fibre.

For the final product, they manage to obtain different colours and textures, depending on the properties of the banana plant used. This basket is finished with the application of a blend of beeswax and camellia oil, both produced in the Azores.