BIO

Stefania Castelblanco Pérez

Colombian artisan - researcher- designer based in Bogotá / Stockholm

Master in Design – Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Master in Fashion Studies – Stockholm University

Educated in Craft Research methodologies- Konstfack. University of Arts, Crafts and Design

Craft expertise: Accessories design / Upcycled Bags

Founder of Castelblanco, established in Bogotá in 2008

I am a Colombian artisan with a deep-rooted passion for handbag design. Through my brand Castelblanco, founded in Bogotá in 2008, I have created numerous collections that revive and reinterpret traditional leatherworking techniques. My practice is shaped by my background in political science, which informs a socially and ecologically conscious approach to fashion.

As a Latina designer and researcher, I believe in the transformative power of craft and design to amplify diverse voices and foster social awareness. My work explores the intersections between sustainability, identity, traditional knowledge systems, and the role of collective, ecological, and cultural resistance in contemporary craft and design processes.

After years of practice and reflection, my work is now guided by the following principles:

Respect for the environment: I avoid mass production and prioritize artisanal methods over industrial ones. I deliberately avoid using conventionally sourced Colombian leather, as cattle ranching is one of the leading causes of Amazon deforestation.

Commitment to slow fashion: I produce limited, non-seasonal collections that resist the pressures of trend-driven cycles.

Circular material use: I minimize my environmental footprint by working with locally sourced and second-hand materials, including repurposed leather jackets and discarded textiles.

My journey is one of weaving together tradition and resistance, memory and innovation—always grounded in the belief that design is both a political and poetic act.

EDUCATION

 

2021-2023 Master in Fashion Studies, 120 credits, Stockholm University.

 

2019–2020 Research Lab Craft Post-MA Diploma, 60 credits, Konstfack University of Arts, Craft and Design. Stockholm, Sweden.

 

2018- 2020 Master in Design,  120 credits, National University of Colombia. Bogotá, Colombia.

 

2011 - 2012 Traditional Craft techniques for leather making. Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA). Bogotá, Colombia.

 

2010– 2011 Accessory design and production processes. Espacio Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

2002-2007 Bachelor in Political Science, 270 credits, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá, Colombia.

 

EXHIBITIONS

 

Exhibitions. Renegotiating Material Culture group exhibition. Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm in collaboration with Konstfack, University of arts, crafts and design. April 29 - August 22, 2020.

 

Stockholm Craftweek. Craftsight Exhibition and talk. Upcycled leather bags. Bio Tellus, October- November 2020.

 

CONFERENCES

Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences. May 4-6, 2021.  Department of Conservation at the University of Gothenburg and The Craft Laboratory, Gothemburg, Sweden.

Cuarto Congreso Internacional de Investigación en Diseño Horizon+ (es) 2023. Rehilando Cultura Material: Un estudio decolonial de la cultura material Iku-Arhuaca en los archivos del Museo Nacional de Culturas del Mundo en Gotemburgo-Suecia. 4-6 October, 2023. Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

International Seminar: Towards Decolonizing Futures - Languages, Culture, Art, and Nature Under and Against Settler Colonialism". November 11-12, 2023. Biimata, Okinawa, Japan.

International Seminar "Decolonizing Futures: Transforming an Era of Environmental Catastrophe, Poverty, Hatred, Discrimination and Violence into an Era of Hope". 12-15 July 2024. Meio University, Okinawa, Japan.

RESEARCH WORK AND PUBLICATIONS

 

Article. Rehilando Conocimientos textiles: un estudio decolonial de la cultura material iku/arhuaca en los archivos del Museo Nacional de Culturas del Mundo en Gotemburgo, Suecia (Världskulturmuseet). ACTIO Journal of Technology in Design Film Arts and Visual Communication. Vol. 8 Núm. 2 (2024). DOI: 10.15446/actio.v8n2.117116 

Article. Craft as resistance: A case study of three Indigenous craft traditions. Craft Research, Volume 13, Number 2, 1 September 2022. Intellect. https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00085_1  

Chapter. Manifestations of nonviolent resistance in the Iku mochila Women Crafted bag. Decolonizing Futures, Uppsala Multiethnic Papers 57. The Hugo Valentin Center, Uppsala University Kph,2022. ISBN 978-91-527-1997-8  

Paper. Manifestations of social resistance in Craft processes: Iku, Nasa and Sámi indigenous craft. May 2021FormAkademisk - forskningstidsskrift for design og designdidaktikk 14(2) DOI: 10.7577/formakademisk.4179  

Research report. Renegotiating Material Culture. Meaning Containers. Konstepidemin publishing house. August 2020 ISBN: 978-91-88691-13-2 

 

PRACTICAL WORK

2025 Amulet Bags. HDK- Valand

 

2019-2020 “The Meaning Containers”. Projects using natural materials (Raffia palm fibers) and recycled materials. Konstfack and the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm

2018-2019 “Upcycled Containers”, handbags made with recycled materials

 

2017-2018 “The Pindo Palm Collection”, Pindo palm Craft

 

2016-2017 “Old and new”, handbags made with recycled materials

 

2015-2016 “Protection Bags”, handbags

 

2013-2014 “The black collection”, handbags

 

2011–2012 “Hybrids”, handbags

 

2010-2011 “Artisanal, Ornamental”, handbags

 

2009-2010 “My favorite toy”, handbags

 

2008-2009 “The bags tale”, handbags

 

2007-2008 “The Castelblanco Project”, handbags

 

LINKS TO DOCUMENTATION  OF WORKS / PROJECTS

www.stefaniacastelblanco.com

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stefania-Castelblanco-Perez

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan%C3%ADa-castelblanco-p%C3%A9rez-b1240146/

ORCID iD

0000-0003-4130-1953

 

CONTACT

castelb@gmail.com

Swe. +46 0729415649

Col. +57 3219698180

The "Meaning Containers" son carteras que hice para el Museo Etnográfico en Estocolmo hechas con palma de Raffia e inspiradas en un sombrero de iniciación proveniente del Congo- Brazzaville y en la diáspora africana. La exposición “ Renegociando cultura material” en

Etnografiska museet

busca explorar el museo etnográfico a través de los objetos artesanales africanos y discutir sobre la decolonización de estos museos y sus colecciones así como el rol de éstos en la sociedad contemporánea. La exhibición va hasta el 22 de agosto.

The "Meaning Containers" are bags that I made for the museum of Ethnography in Stockholm made with raffia palm and inspired in a Congolese hat and amulet bags. “Renegotiating Material Culture” exhibition aimed to explore the museum and discuss current debates concerning decolonizing museums and the role of ethnographic collections in contemporary society.

Full article:

(1) (PDF) Meaning Containers (researchgate.net)

CASTELBLANCO + Pindo

This collection is the result of an exchange of knowledge and techniques between Castelblanco and the local Pindo artisans in a little town called Palermo in Huila- Colombia. Pindo is a natural fiber extracted from a endemic plant called the Pindo palmtree. The collection is inspired by the people and traditions from the Huila region in southern Colombia.

Esta colección es el resultado de un intercambio de saberes y técnicas entre Castelblanco y los artesanos de Pindo del municipio de Palermo en Huila- Colombia. Pindo es una fibra natural extraída de una planta endémica llamada palma de Pindo o Caña Brava. Esta colección está inspirada en personajes, tradiciones e idiosincrasia huilense.

Old & New

Upcycled Objects. Hechos con cuero reciclado de viejas chaquetas de cuero.
Old & New. Short series of bags made from upcycled leather jackets. (2016-2019)

Happy to present the Mini Marval Bag - The Black Collection-

CB 2014

"Ornamental" Limited Collection 2012

Handy Bag

Handmade Series

Exclusive Collection, CASTELBLANCO®

CASTELBLANCO ® 2012