Li’s Forecast #3

Earth Matters

Column

August 2025

is one of the world’s most beloved and influential forecasters. Each month, she writes a column for See All This titled The Future is Handmade, where she shares her views on a handmade future and spotlights unique handmade objects. For Edelkoort, these objects are more than just beautiful — they represent a quiet form of resistance against an increasingly artificial future.

Column

August 2025

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Our soil is under attack: overworked, overexploited, depleted, exhausted by humanity’s endless appetite for more – more food, more fashion, more buildings, ceramics, and outdoor pleasures. No time to rest, no time to restore – an unceasing assault upon its generous earth. It is time to turn the tide. Steps are being taken towards responsible farming and restoration, returning vital energy and essential nutrients to this precious matter, indispensable for human survival.

Returning to the earth is also a craft in itself, a way to renew and reframe our relationship with soil, which acts as a second skin, both touching and protecting our own. It is here that the story of Noir begins, and where mudcloth emerges as a gift of memory. Centuries ago, fishermen along the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong discovered that their yam-coated nets blackened when dragged through the river. The encounter of yam, water, and sand revealed remarkable properties, inspiring curious artisans to experiment with hand-spun silk. The results were extraordinary: a double-faced textile, matte on one side, lacquered on the other – a perfect alternative to leather.

This endangered yet enduring craft is recognised as part of China’s cultural heritage. Silk treated with yam acquires a warm ochre beauty and antibacterial qualities. Coated silk is laid under the sun, layered with river mud, forming a dual identity: a glossy black-brown, water-resistant outer surface that seals the textile like ceramic, and a breathable inner side that soothes the skin.

These silks are revered for their natural properties, admired for the purity of their elemental aesthetic and the alchemy of yam, sunlight, and river mud. People return to Noir time and again, drawn by its ancient resonance, under the spell of its energy. Here, the earth is honoured for its qualities, treated with care and longevity, and used sparingly.

Lidewij Edelkoort

‘Wearing these silks is like inhabiting a living, breathing piece of craft’