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The Story of Irma

The Story of Irma

July 10, 2019 by Jaclyn Dowdle
Tags: Apparel Artisan Artisan made Ethical Fashion Fair Trade Fair Wage Fashion Guatemala Small Business Weaver
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Artisan Spotlight | Meet Zenaida

meet
zenaida

Artisan Spotlight | Meet Zenaida

Meet Zenaida (pronounced Zen-ayda)!  She's the weaver behind the colorful tassels on our Bienvenido Collection! 
Guatemalan Weaver: Zenaida
Zenaida is 41 years old and a single mother to two sons, Wilmer (17 years) and Eleaza (14 years). She lives in San Antonio Palopó on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala with her sons. Raised in a family of artists who have their own unique talents like ceramics and beadwork, she comes by her craft naturally.  Zenaida was just eight years old, she was taught to back-strap weave by her mother.  
Guatemalan Weaver: Zenaida
As any creative would tell you, Zenaida gets joy from self expression. Finding new color combinations and creating new designs through her weaving gives her that satisfaction.  She supplements her weaving jobs by cleaning homes and washing clothes in order to help provide her children with opportunity and education.
Close-up shot of tassels
On top of a talented artist, Zenaida we hear she is also an incredible teacher! She teaches weaving classes through Maya Traditions Foundation.  Whether it’s working with visitors who want to learn how to backstrap weave or with other cooperatives who want to learn a new skill, Zenaida has proven to be a patient, kind, and thorough teacher. She’s taught countless visitors the art of backstrap weaving, explaining the intricate and complex process in a way that is more understandable. 
Guatemalan Weaver: Zenaida
(photo courtesy of Mayan Traditions Foundations)
We have not had the privilege of meeting Zenaida face-to-face yet, but we can already tell by the way she is described how hard working and wonderful she is. We want to
try and get Zenaida into more doing more of the work she loves - which is weaving. Your orders are instrumental to helping her get to do that.    
 
April 02, 2017 by Jaclyn Dowdle
Tags: Artisan Fair Trade Gautemala Sustainable Upcycled Weaver
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Meet Rachel and Averie

meet
Rachel &
Averie

Meet Rachel and Averie

 

We love the adventurous spirit of our go-to Guatemala Co-Designers and Project Managers, Rachel and Averie!  Both hailing from the United States, but now making Guatemala their home, these two best friends founded Casa Flor in 2016 to bring dignity and opportunity to local artisans.

 

 

Casa Flor literally means flower house, and we love their inspiration behind their business name.

 

Casa, meaning house, was included as they want to provide a sense of home, family, and environment to the artisans with which they partner.  They deeply desire to have a personal relationship with each person.

 

Flor, meaning flower, represents the colorful playfulness that their designs bring to the world.

 

Rachel and Averie ensure the textiles and garment pieces are ethically made, and we are so excited to celebrate the techniques passed down from generation to generation in Guatemala in our first collection.

 

“Here at Casa Flor, we believe that your clothes tell a story and we want that story to speak of honor and dignity.”  - Rachel 

 

(We agree!)

 

It has been so fun to see Rachel and Averie take our first round of patterns and transform them into designs that we know you’ll love for years to come.

April 01, 2017 by Emily Sexton
Tags: Artisan Fair Trade Fashion Gautemala Recycle Sustainable Upcycled Weaver
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