Uplift with a Beautiful Summer Table Setting

This week, I thought we would look at my partner from Guatemala, offering some bright and uplifting textiles for the kitchen. The colors work perfectly for those outdoor summer, dinner parties. This collection is made using raw cotton, natural plant dyes, and recycled denim. Every step considers low impact, and environmentally friendly.

Tell me about the designs, colors, and inspiration behind?

The designs are a mixture of traditional Mayan weaving with a contemporary twist as many of our clients like, providing fair trade jobs to artists living in rural mountain communities, and all profits go back to fund social programs. The collection reflects the love for the people and environment.

Who are the artists making these items?

The back-strap loom textiles are handwoven by communities in the Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan area of the Western Highlands. The two main cooperatives make up no less than 42 skilled Mayan women weavers. The back-strap loom is personal and adjusted to the height of the weaver using it, meaning all weavers have their own back-strap loom and it is common to set it up in the kitchen area of your home, but it is easy to fold it up and take it with you. My partner visits artists on a regular basis, so we follow the progress of the weaving and we pick up the finished fabrics/embroideries directly from the weavers, whilst nurturing the wonderful relationship that we have developed with them in the last 15 years.

Are these products Fairtrade certified?

Yes!

Where are the raw materials from?

My partner buys naturally dyed cotton from a company called Lema and the wool comes from local sheep farms in Momostenango, Guatemala.

To see the full catalog and learn more about this line or other partners of AOW, be in touch!