A transnational family business
a fusion of modern design and traditional Mexican culture that is unique.
Ariane González van Wageningen (director)
Ariane was born and educated in the Netherlands, Ariane lives with her wife in Vermont, USA since 2015.
She is best described as a Maker.
Ariane studied printmaking and sculpture in Breda. Later she also trained as a wooden boatbuilder and cabinet maker and made wood her profession for 40 years while staying active with her art. With Flor de Manta, Ariane has returned to art and design full time. Her designs are inspired in her love for Mexican culture and the natural world.
Enrique González Zenteno (manager)
Ariane’s brother in law, Enrique, was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. A born networker, and extremely sociable. Enrique has a vast web of contacts in this beautiful and sprawling city.
He is a man of many talents, has a great can-do attitude and is a wonderful problem solver. Enrique guides our entire production process. He shops for quality materials and enlists talented artisans to execute our designs. He lends us his nuanced understanding of Mexican culture and is our contact for quality control and shipping.
Pre Hispanic production and coloring of Manta.
Mural by Diego Rivera
What is Manta?
Our main resource is manta, a 100% cotton cloth that has been produced in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. While production has been adapted for the industrial age, manta remains a traditionally milled, lightly processed fabric. It is durable, easy to wash, and comes in many rich colors as well as its natural, unbleached creamy tone.
All our products are made with pre-washed cloth to prevent shrinkage. They are washed again after printing to ensure color fastness and quality.
The process
We use eco-friendly, water based inks for all our printing: Not only is it far better for the environment than the commercially used inks that are plastic based- It is soft to the touch and the image is wash fast without “cracking”.
All our products are hand block printed in Ariane’s studio in Vermont and no two are exactly the same, creating unique pieces.
