BIO

Colombian craft practitioner, researcher, and designer based in Stockholm

Master in Fashion Studies, Stockholm University

Master in Design, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Advanced studies in Craft Research Methodologies, Konstfack – University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden

Research Interests

Craft, Indigenous knowledge systems, material culture, decolonial museum practice, sustainability, and practice-based artistic research.

Craft Expertise

Accessory design • Upcycled leather bags • Traditional craftsmanship • Material experimentation

Founder

Castelblanco – Independent design studio founded in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2008.

I am a Colombian craft practitioner, designer, and researcher whose work has always begun with making. Since founding my brand, Castelblanco, in Bogotá in 2008, I have designed handbags that reinterpret traditional leatherworking techniques while reflecting on the environmental and social implications of fashion. My background in Political Science has shaped my understanding of design not simply as the creation of objects, but as a cultural and political practice capable of questioning dominant systems of production and knowledge.

Over time, my practice has expanded from design into research, driven by a desire to learn from Indigenous knowledge systems and to understand craft as a way of knowing, remembering, and sustaining cultural life. This path has led me from the workshop to museums and archives, where I investigate the relationships between material culture, heritage, and decolonial practice. Rather than separating making from research, I see craft as both my method and my way of thinking.

As a Latina researcher living between Colombia and Sweden, I work across different cultural contexts, connecting communities, collections, and institutions through collaborative and practice-based approaches. My research explores how craft can generate dialogue across geographies and histories, while contributing to more ethical relationships with Indigenous cultural heritage.

My work is grounded in three commitments: environmental responsibility through small-scale artisanal production and the use of reclaimed materials; slow fashion as an alternative to extractive models of consumption; and respect for traditional knowledge as a living source of creativity, resilience, and social transformation. Whether designing a bag, studying an ethnographic collection, or collaborating with Indigenous artisans, I am interested in how material practices carry memory, transmit knowledge, and create possibilities for more just and sustainable futures.

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

Department of Conservation, University of Gothenburg, and The Craft Laboratory. Gothenburg/Mariestad, Sweden. May 4–6, 2021.

Manifestations of Social Resistance in Craft Processes: Iku, Nasa and Sámi Indigenous Craft.

Cuarto Congreso Internacional de Investigación en Diseño Horizon+ (es)

Universidad Nacional de Colombia. October 4–6, 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.

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

International Seminar: “Decolonizing Futures: Transforming an Era of Environmental Catastrophe, Poverty, Hatred, Discrimination and Violence into an Era of Hope”

Meio University, Okinawa, Japan. July 12–15, 2024.

Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences 2025

Hybrid Bags: Identity, Ecology & Heritage – An Autoethnographic Journey in Traditional Craftsmanship and Threads of Continuity: Ethics, Materiality & the Future of Iku/Arhuaco Textile Heritage in Swedish Museum Archives. 

RESEARCH WORK AND PUBLICATIONS

 

Conference paper. Threads of continuity: Ethics, materiality, and the future of Iku/Arhuaco textile heritage in Swedish museum archives. Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences 2025. https://biccs.dh.gu.se/api/uploads/13_Castelblanco_Perez_Threads_of_Continuity_9623d60012.pdf

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

ORCID iD

0000-0003-4130-1953

 

CONTACT

castelb@gmail.com

Swe. +46 0729415649

Col. +57 3219698180

Meaning Containers (2020) Meaning Containers is a series of handcrafted bags created for the exhibition Renegotiating Material Culture at the Museum of Ethnography (Etnografiska Museet) in Stockholm. Made from raffia palm, the works draw inspiration from a Congolese initiation hat and amulet bags from the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), reflecting on African material culture and the African diaspora. The project reimagines the handbag as a contemporary container of memory, identity, and knowledge. Like the ethnographic objects that inspired it, the bag is understood not merely as a functional everyday object but as a vessel that carries stories, beliefs, and cultural meanings. By translating museum artifacts into contemporary craft, Meaning Containers creates a dialogue between past and present, questioning colonial interpretations of collections and exploring how making can reactivate material culture through new forms of use, care, and representation.

Full article:

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

CASTELBLANCO + Pindo (2018)

This collection is the result of an exchange of knowledge and techniques between Castelblanco and Pindo artisans from the municipality of Palermo, Huila, Colombia. Pindo is a natural fiber extracted from the endemic caña brava (Gynerium sagittatum), a plant traditionally used in basketry and weaving across the region.

Inspired by the landscapes, traditions, and cultural identity of Huila, the collection brings together local weaving techniques with contemporary handbag design. Each piece reflects a collaborative making process that values artisanal knowledge, celebrates the versatility of natural fibers, and contributes to the continuity of regional craft traditions through contemporary design.

Old & New (2016 - Ongoing)

A limited series of handbags handcrafted from reclaimed leather jackets. By transforming discarded garments into functional objects, the collection extends the life of high-quality materials while preserving the marks, textures, and histories embedded in the leather. Each piece is unique, reflecting a commitment to circular design, slow craftsmanship, and the creative potential of reuse as both an environmental and cultural practice.

Mini Marval Bag - The Black Collection- (2015)

Designed and handcrafted in Stockholm, The Black Collection explores the expressive potential of artisanal leatherworking through a series of minimalist handbags. Emphasizing handcraft, material quality, and timeless design, the collection highlights traditional techniques while celebrating the unique character of leather as a living material.

Photography by Marita Polner.

Flat Bags (2014)

Flat Bags explores the relationship between form, function, and material through a series of slim handcrafted bags designed to carry only what is essential. The collection asks a simple question: How much can fit into something flat? Rather than maximizing capacity, these bags celebrate restraint, inviting a more conscious relationship with the objects we choose to carry.

"Ornamental" Limited Collection 2012

Castelblanco Archive (2006)

This tower was the first visual identity created for Castelblanco in 2006, marking the beginning of the brand. Designed by artist Juan Peláez, the images reflect the project's early conceptual foundations and remains an important archival record of its visual history.