A Day in the Life of Diana: The Heartbeat of Killa Natural Ancestral
Share
At Killa Natural, the vibrant colors and intricate designs of the fabrics are brought to life by artisans like Diana. Diana is a single mother of four children, and her role as the fabric dyer is just one of the many hats she wears daily. Balancing the responsibilities of motherhood, household chores, and her passion for sustainable fashion, Diana’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and unwavering commitment to her craft and her family.
Diana’s day begins early, as she cooks breakfast and gets her children ready for school. Despite her busy schedule, Diana never stops being a mother. She seamlessly transitions from finishing her fabric printing to preparing meals for her family without taking a break.
Diana's artistry is deeply connected to nature. She collects Hibiscus, Eucalyptus, Castor, and Peruvian Peppertree leaves from local parks and near the river, ensuring no waste by using fallen leaves and flowers. Using natural ingredients like Purple Corn, Turmeric, Matcha Tea, Pepper, and Alfalfa for pigmentation, Diana continuously innovates, creating new designs and recycling materials. She is well known for her work, so much so that even nearby market vendors save wastes like cardboard and onion peels for her, knowing she will transform them into something beautiful.
When asked what inspired her to join Killa Natural, Diana explains that it allows her to be herself and express her creativity through painting, drawing, and sewing. Working with Killa also enables her to provide for her children while staying involved in their lives, something other jobs do not allow.
“I can do many things, but if I’m not being part of their lives, it doesn’t make sense and is not worth it,” she says.
Diana values taking care of her passion, her family, and our planet. Her children now love and respect nature, embodying the good values she instills in them. She considers herself an artist and expresses herself in many ways through her work—an opportunity not many people have in today’s age. Diana cannot see herself doing anything else and leaving her children again; they are her muse. As they grow, she grows with them.
Her children not only inspire her designs but also help by modeling the clothes and providing their opinions, further strengthening the bond within her family and helping her creatively. Her colleagues remarked that they can often tell her mood through her expressive work, highlighting the deep connection between her emotions and the artistry.
Diana says, “Killa restores the artisan in the women and makes us feel proud of our work. I’m able to bring the work home and stay with my kids. It doesn’t feel like work, but like art, passion, and fun!”
Diana’s work is heavily influenced by the traditional techniques of indigenous women in the Amazon rainforests, using natural methods like boiling plants in water and applying natural dyes. She learned these techniques from the native people of Lo Malinda, who consider artisan work vital for their family’s sustenance. Elizabeth, another artist at Killa, has lived with the Malinda artisans and guided Diana. This mentorship, combined with her children’s inspiration, fuels Diana’s creativity.
Diana’s journey into sustainable fashion was further solidified by her experience volunteering to clean up a petrol spill in the Central Peruvian jungle. Witnessing the devastation of pollution firsthand, she realized the importance of her work at Killa Natural. The process Killa uses is different from bigger industries, which rely on heavy pollutants and petrol, making cleanup very complicated. In contrast, Killa uses water to submerge plants and flowers, and used the leftover waste as compost. She believes that if more people shifted to sustainable and slow fashion, pollution would decrease, leading to cleaner rivers and jungles for the generations to come. In the future, Diana sees herself teaching these practices to other women and her grandchildren, learning more, creating, and innovating endlessly. She hopes to help others find meaning and purpose in their lives, just as she has found in hers.
One of the main challenges Diana faced was figuring out what to do with excess fabric so as to the optimize usage of resources. She and her team creatively used it to make pockets for t-shirts, demonstrating their commitment to minimizing waste, decrease their carbon footprint, and solve problems through teamwork and innovation.
Diana’s advice to other women interested in sustainable practices can be summed up in three words:
persistence, love, and dedication. She encourages others to persist despite undervaluation, as many don’t see the significance of these efforts. Expressing love permeates this process and is the main inspiration behind her art. Dedication is essential because one needs to commit to the time required for the lengthy but rewarding process.
Diana emphasizes the importance of valuing nature and respecting our planet. She believes that educating children about sustainability from a young age is crucial, and she hopes more schools will incorporate these values. To support Killa Natural, she urges people to appreciate the hard work behind each piece of fabric and recognize the significance of eco-friendly practices.
Diana’s empowering story is a testament to the transformative power of sustainable fashion. Through her work at Killa Natural Ancestral, she not only supports her family and fuels her passion, but also contributes to a larger movement aimed at preserving our planet for future generations.