From a ball of cotton, not dissimilar to what you may have under your bathroom sink, to a finer and finer thread, our cotton is processed into threads after it leaves the Gin. One of the worlds most ancient skills and technologies transformed into a highly refined, industrial process that enables the production of the fabrics we clothe our bodies with each day. Continue reading

From the Fields, we followed the cotton to the next stage of the process. Cotton Ginning is the process of separating the cotton fibers from the cotton seeds that they protect.
The 'Gin' is a massive complex where the the freshly picked cotton is taken by the sack for processing. As we approached the Gin, trucks and ox carts lined the road. Bulging and overflowing with cotton. 

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In November 2019 we set out to India to document the whakapapa and the journey of our cotton from seed to product. This is the story of the seed and the farmers and whānau where the journey begins.  Continue reading

A little about us, me, and how although I'd love to leave myself out of the AHO narrative, the journey and the fabric itself is interwoven and inextricable from my journey and the whakapapa of our whānau.  Here's a little about how we came to be where we are. Continue reading

We talk about whakapapa often as it relates to us as people, but all things have whakapapa.
This is cotton, ready to harvest. Like us, it too is defined by the whenua on which it stands, by which it is nourished. It is intertwined in the lives and whānau of the community who sow, grow, harvest and depend on it for their whanau's livelihood. Continue reading