IT HONORS CULTURE AND PROVIDES A SENSE OF BELONGING
Craftmanship
For most of the womxn on the Neococo team, hand embroidery is not just an art form — it’s a family tradition that’s been passed down through generations. For the Neococo women, hand embroidery has served as a channel of self-expression, creativity, and autonomy. But it also serves as a token of respect for the people who took the time to teach them how to hand embroider themselves.
Now, as part of the Neococo team, these women remain a part of a new community of independent, talented artists. They have the opportunity to pass their hand-embroidery expertise on to new women while also gaining confidence and freedom.
It has therapeutic effects
Hand embroidery is the definition of slow fashion — it requires a calm, focused mind. The sharp, fine motor skills and concentration needed for hand embroidery leave little room for chaotic thoughts and worries. It acts as an opportunity for the Neococo women to slow down, reset their intentions, focus on the present moment, and revel in the beauty of their own work.
Through the work of Louisa Pesel (an embroidery expert and fiercely independent woman), hand embroidery has a history of occupational therapy. Since as early as World War I, it’s been used as a method of improving mental and emotional health. After returning from war, soldiers were encouraged to use hand embroidery to help them meditate, repair their fine motor skills, and relieve post-traumatic stress.
It allows for personal expression
Every single hand embroidery pattern represents the unique woman who crafted it. Every Neococo t-shirt serves as a medium of self-expression that transcends conflict, abuse, and hardship and shines a new light of hope. Every completed design tells a unique story and serves as a symbol of expression, independence, and pride for the woman behind it.
Your Neococo purchase is a gesture of feminine unity— contributing to equity, financial freedom, andhope for refugee women.