Rende Village, South Sumba

One of the most technically demanding textile traditions in the world, woven into every seat

Sumba ikat is a resist-dye weaving technique where the pattern is bound into the thread before it ever touches a loom. A single panel can take weeks. Wungu integrates this craft directly into chair and bench seats.

The dyeing happens before a single thread touches the loom.

Patterns are created by binding sections of the warp thread before it enters the dye bath — a resist-dye process that can take weeks for a single piece. The results are geometric, precise, and irreproducibly individual.

Wungu seat panels are woven by Marta Lende Hamu and her family in Rende, a village on the south coast known for its indigo work. We commission each panel as a specific piece, to specific dimensions, and integrate it into the frame in our workshop.

No two ikat panels are the same. This is not a selling point — it is just true.

Ask about ikat options

From dyed thread to finished seat

01 — Bind

Pattern binding

Sections of the warp thread are bound tightly with fiber to resist dye penetration, building the pattern before any color is applied.

02 — Dye

Natural indigo dyeing

Bound thread is dipped in natural indigo, sometimes repeated across multiple sessions to build depth of color in the unbound sections.

03 — Weave

Backstrap loom weaving

Dyed thread is woven on a traditional backstrap loom by hand, a process that can take one to three weeks depending on panel size and pattern complexity.

04 — Integrate

Frame integration

The finished panel is delivered to the Wungu workshop and integrated into the chair or bench frame by hand, tensioned and secured without adhesives.

See ikat seats in the collection

Several Wungu pieces are available with ikat-woven seats as standard, and most others can be specified with one on request.

Browse the collection

Curious about the timber side of the process — selection, milling, and joinery?

See our process