Lucia Lopez Polanco - SPAIN

“Lucía López is a textile dyer and color artisan based in Madrid, where she runs her studio and project Istak & Puma dedicated to the research and practice of natural dyes. Her work explores color through different material forms, dyeing yarns and fabrics as well as producing pigments and colored waxes.

Her journey began in Mexico more than ten years ago while researching the social and environmental impact of the fashion industry. During this research she encountered a lack of information about one of the most essential stages of textile production: the sourcing of color. This led her to explore natural dye traditions and to meet artisans working with plants and insects, experiences that transformed her understanding of color and its relationship to land and culture.

After several years working in strategic consulting for social innovation, she decided to dedicate herself fully to this field and founded Istak & Puma. The project later moved with her from Mexico to Spain and is now based in Madrid, where it functions as a space for creation, experimentation and the sharing of knowledge around natural color.

Her practice sits at the intersection of craft, research and education, rooted in slow processes, respect for materials and an ongoing dialogue with traditional dyeing knowledge.”