Zuahaza’s New Collection from Colombia

This week, I am delighted to spotlight Zuahaza’s NEW collection launch called Buchua. For those that aren’t familiar, Zuahaza is an innovative brand working with artisans throughout Colombia.

This fresh line of home décor is perfect for summer and well into the fall. The colors, textures, and patterns found within this collection were inspired by the diverse landscapes of Colombia. All textiles are hand-woven, hand-dyed, and made using organic cotton and hand-spun wool. Within the collection, they also have a gorgeous line of wall art and hand-painted earthenware.

Zuahaza takes social and environmental responsibility seriously. They not only go the extra mile to source the finest organic cotton threads and natural, non-harmful dyes, but they also reinvest back into their community through a variety of team skills training, business tools and business development services. See the full email below!

For those new to your brand, could you tell us how you got started?

Tatiana: 

I am a textile artist from Bogota, Colombia and I studied fiber art in the USA. After working for different non-profits and social enterprises in the artisan sector, my goal was always to move back to Colombia to work with artisans. I was inspired by other women entrepreneurs for whom I got to work. I saw how merging creativity with social work was a way to put my creative skills to good use.

After seven years I moved back to Colombia and the first thing I did was travel to reintroduce myself to my home country. I grew up there in the 90s when traveling was dangerous. Travel was my first step to answering many questions about my Colombian identity and the type of career I wanted there.

After my travels, I purchased a floor loom from an artisan who had it abandoned in a basement. I started to weave textures and colors inspired by my journeys throughout Colombia. After a couple of months, those weaves turned into pillows and throws, and I started to post them on social media. I had various commissions during that year and made every item, marketed it, and sold it myself. It was a lot of work for one person, and I realized it was an opportunity to find people to form a team.

I met a group of artisans from Charala in Santander who had been working with heirloom cotton – spinning, naturally dyeing, and weaving it for decades. Their story inspired me. I was also very happy to be back in the region my grandparents were originally from; I felt a deep connection to the land and the people. The artisans shared that their biggest challenge was market access. Since they lived in a rural area, it was very difficult to get consistent sales and to price their products fairly. We decided to collaborate on a line of products where tradition and creativity would come together to bring woven home goods to the global market at fair prices.

This is when “Zuahaza”, which means “my sister” in the indigenous Muisca language, truly was born. Meeting women from different backgrounds with a shared love for craft and a common interest in preserving culture and tradition. We have slowly grown from being a team of one to having a core team of cotton artisans, bringing on Veelie, my co-founder, and now collaborating with different artisan communities across Colombia to share their craft and stories with the world. 

What is the main inspiration behind this collection? 

Tatiana: 

All of Zuahaza’s collections draw inspiration from Colombia, its history, biodiversity, and culture. One of our business objectives is to be innovative with design that highlights, enhances, and showcases the beauty of Colombia through craft.

Our newest collection, Buchua, is an ode to the indigenous Muisca language. The word itself means “dry,” which perfectly encapsulates the diverse arid landscapes of Colombia, from deserts to dry tropical forests. The Buchua Collection is an expression of our wonder at these resilient biomes. We wanted to explore the intricate relationships between flora, fauna, soils, and the communities that rely on these lands. 

In Colombia, landscapes and their ecosystems vary greatly depending on altitude. This collection is specifically dedicated to the drier regions, not only deserts but incredible ecosystems of dry forests where specific animals and plants have adapted to live and thrive. Unfortunately, these parts are among the most deforested regions on the planet. 95% of tropical dry forests have been lost due to human activity. It’s sad since these climate regions have an incredibly high concentration of endemic species.  

Our goal of drawing inspiration from these dry climate regions is to raise awareness and educate people about safeguarding these important drylands, planting trees, and preserving and restoring them. 

For buyers looking to place an opening order, what products do you suggest? 

Veelie: 

When people get to see and touch our products in person they immediately fall in love with their softness.

Our line of throw pillows has been our best-selling category. We have quite a versatile selection. The maximalists are drawn to the extra textures and color combinations, while others are drawn to the earth-toned pillows that showcase our signature weaves. Designs with greens have been very popular across all product lines. Based on what we’ve seen perform really well, I would suggest buyers pick either the Paramo or Cocuy pillows from our Hichu Collection. 

I think we would both agree that we would love for more homes to experience our throw blankets. They are truly divine. I would recommend the Lulo Orange and Feijoa Green throw from the Tyba Collection. You still get the soft textures and the subtle colors naturally go well with so many styles out there. For the buyer who wants a bit of fun and flair, I would highly recommend the Charala Oversized Throw from the Roots Collection. We’re also getting great feedback about the Lorita throw from our newest Buchua Collection.  

Can you tell us more about the artists you work with? 

Tatiana: 

Our organic cotton goods are handwoven in Charala, a small town located in the department of Santander, a central region of the Colombian Andes. The artisans are part of a cooperative of women who are the initial makers that helped launch Zuahaza. They are a group of women, many of whom are single mothers, who have been working together to preserve the traditions of cotton harvesting, spinning, dyeing, and weaving that come from their indigenous ancestors, the Guane. There is a main group of 10-15 women who work together in the town’s workshop and then there is a network of up to 35 families who work from home spinning cotton. The cooperative also provides part-time employment to the elderly and people with special needs who can perform simple tasks like spinning cotton.

The second group of artisans we work with is a cooperative of women from the town of Guacamayas, Boyaca. They preserve the tradition of hand-coiling baskets from their indigenous ancestors, the Laches. They work with the local Colombian fiber of fique, which is derived from a plant similar to the agave plant that is local to Colombia.

Our rugs are made by an artisan family of five from the town of Curiti, Santander. They have been making rugs almost their entire life. Initially, the husband and wife worked in Bogota for many years in a rug factory and later he decided to go back to his home village of Curiti. Here he and his wife decided to work independently and started to get their own clients making custom rugs. Today they work full time making rugs from small to very large scale projects. Their craftsmanship is incredible and they are well-known in town for their work. 

Every artisan group we work with creates with traditional techniques from their region and is strongly committed to preserving their craft. They use local materials as much as possible, such as wool, earthenware ceramics, and palm fiber. 

I appreciate your commitment to working with organic cotton. Can you tell us more about how you source this cotton, the journey behind the supply chain, and perhaps the challenges you have overcome? 

Tatiana: 

Historically, Santander was a cotton-producing region inhabited by the indigenous Guane people. With the Spanish conquest and later the Industrial Revolution, the importation of cotton fabric at a low cost caused the production of organic cotton in Santander to almost disappear.

Unfortunately, farms are struggling to grow cotton organically in Colombia because the return is not fast or profitable enough to sustain them. While we’re committed to working with Colombian organic cotton farms whenever possible, these challenges led us to seek other aligned partners to provide us with the necessary volume of cotton needed to provide sustainable employment for artisans.

We wanted to find a cotton provider that met a few key criteria. We wanted a provider that was as close as possible to Colombia to keep fibers as local as possible and to lower our carbon footprint. We needed a group that respects and understands small-batch production because we are not interested in producing in volumes for the sake of volume and we also want to be conscious of minimizing waste. We also wanted a team that had transparent processes and allowed us to visit so we could build a close and trusted relationship.

An experienced family-owned yarn company in Lima, Peru, checked all the boxes, and we’re pleased with this partnership. They work with an incredible group of artisans to provide us with high-quality cotton and they also can maintain our natural dye practices. This way, we can still work with cotton from the Andean region, which is naturally dyed and organic. Our goal, however, is to keep advocating for local Colombian farms to produce cotton organically and not have to defer to imported cotton.

What would you like to tell your customers who purchase your items, which might otherwise go unnoticed? 

Veelie: 

Our products are very resilient! Whether people choose to use our products seasonally, daily, or just on special occasions, these pieces were made to sustain regular use and essentially become heirlooms, so they prove their value. One customer said it best after buying our products for gifts, and exclaimed, “These will last forever!” 

Tatiana: 

I also want to add that photos don’t do justice. When Zuahaza originally launched, it was three months before the pandemic, and since then, we’ve been running this business almost entirely digitally. Investing in photography and videos has been helpful in reaching customers, yet we want people to know that while the pictures may be good, our pieces are even better in person! As shared earlier, one of the main comments we get when people finally receive their products is the quality of the texture and how soft the organic cotton is. We spent a lot of time finding organic cotton that is responsibly sourced. It must be high quality, comfortable, and become even softer with use. The essence of this commitment carries into everything we make. 

For more info, please visit: https://www.zuahaza.com/