Hope, that you can wear — les enphants textile

“Hope, that you can wear” is a bilingual touch-and-feel picture book, written in celebration of les enphants’ 50th anniversary. It is inspired by century-old children’s textiles from Taiwan, China, and Southeast Asia and explains techniques and symbols, and is also filled with hands-on tactile experiences.

This book is a love letter to mothers everywhere, who, through their everyday devotion to the work of caring for children – and in particular, when those efforts result in clothing or textile that provide warmth and protection – create the foundation for one of the most primal ways of loving, and exemplify what it means to be human.

I grew up surrounded by textiles - among the clothing from the children’s apparel company my father started before I was born, as well as my mother’s collection of century-old, handmade children’s textiles from indigenous cultures in Taiwan, China, and Southeast Asia.

As a writer, texts are what I collect - words and stories and poems that describe moments, emotions, and ideas that bring us closer to an approximation of what it means to be here, right now. But lately, I often yearn for something tangible, something grounding.

I have been working with my mother on her textile collection for the last twenty years. But for the majority of that time, I was merely a conduit of information - helping translate her books into English, giving tours of her collection, archiving and cataloging the physical pieces. Although I admired my mother’s anthropologist’s understanding of culture through the study of artifacts, as well as her curator’s eye for beauty, I did not share her passion. I was told by more than a few textile lovers who attended my tours over the years that one day, I would.

Transformations don’t happen overnight, but one’s recognition of it can feel sudden. Surprising, even.

I think I finally get it.

Textiles need to be touched and worn, and imbued with warmth for their magic to work. This was the impetus for creating a touch-and-feel book, inspired by my mother’s collection.

get the book!