Welcome | The Embroidery Institute of Alagoas

Learning How To Do It By Doing It

Every handcrafted item embodies the skills and knowledge passed down from generation to generation. Old-world tradition meets new-world innovation as the craftsmen of today take their forerunners’ legacy of excellence to new heights. In this artisanal métier, industrious hands and inquisitive minds “Learn How to Do It by Doing it” — generally without consulting literature or manuals.

The objective of this site is to to demonstrate, step by step, how the Filé embroidery is made in the Mundaú and Manguaba lagoon region. This area is a major center of artisanal handicraft activity in the State of Alagoas.

MISSION

Preserve the Filé Embroidery tradition of the Mundaú and Manguaba lagoon region and increase public awareness of the distinct quality of Filé embroidery and its superiority over imitations made with inferior-quality materials and workmanship. This traditional craft is registered as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Alagoas (Brazil)”.

VISION

Facilitate, nurture and promote the success of Filé embroidery in the tourist area;

Increase public awareness of the traditional techniques used in the creation of Filé embroidery, and the skill set required to create it;

Increase the Embroidery Institute’s profile as the regulating body responsible for issuing the Indication of Origin Stamp after the approval process by the INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property).

Filé Embroidery Institute Challenges

The challenge is to increase public awareness of the difference between Filé embroidery and the lower-quality imitations often found in marketplaces and local pavilions, as well as in other areas of the country. In many venues these imitation products are sold side by side with legitimate and traditional embroideries from the Mundaú and Manguaba lagoon region. Public awareness of the differences is essential to ensure that genuine Filé embroidery prevails in the marketplace, which in turn will allow the discipline to survive and its practitioners to thrive.

LEFT PHOTO:

Filé Embroidery Institute Associated from the Lagoons Region.