After working in the fastpaced fashion industry in Paris, Hong Kong and Amsterdam, the photographer, designer and artist Birgitta de Vos decided to take some time out to travel. What initially started as a one year plan soon turned into a decade-long endeavour to capture the endless ways in which time is used and treasured by different makers the world over.

Venturing far away from the ‘more-for-less’ attitudes of the fashion highway, Birgitta met artisans who embrace time as a gift. Materials made from natural fibres are her focus: they age with dignity acting as a gentle marker by which to recognise – and appreciate – the passing of time.