Sankofa is an exploration of textile, sustainability, and the transformative power of creating in community. Crafted using a rag knitting technique, the piece reflects Elise Mascia’s deep-rooted commitment to environmental care, cultural celebration, and her evolving artistic journey.
Mascia and her fiancé, Troy Hul-Arnold, collect textiles from around the world—each one layered with memory, meaning, and material history. These textiles have evolved into a record of their shared experience as artists. During her thesis at Parsons, The New School, Mascia developed zero-waste textile techniques that involved deconstructing used garments and deadstock fabric into yarn, then weaving, knitting, or collaging directly into form—eliminating waste and reimagining garments as both artifact and innovation.
In Sankofa, strips of fabric are tied by hand—a conscious rejection of machinery in favor of accessibility, tactile connection, and shared human processes. This approach invites participation and transforms craft into a tool for community building.
The centerpiece fabric was sourced by Hul-Arnold during a transformative trip to Africa to reconnect with his ancestral lineage. The piece is named after Sankofa—a Ghanaian symbol depicted as a bird flying forward while looking back, carrying an egg of potential. This symbol honors the legacy of women in textile-making and affirms the power of reflection as a path to progress.
With broad shoulders and voluminous sleeves that drape like wings, Sankofa embodies strength, transformation, and liberation. The garment becomes both protection and proclamation—a reclaiming of power through softness, story, and structure.
Through Sankofa, Mascia invites us to look backward with care and move forward with intention—building a future where the earth and its cultures are not only preserved, but celebrated through the act of collective creation.
