I am delighted to circle back with a longtime colleague and friend Sara Berks of MINNA this month. I've worked with Sara over the years, and during that time, I’ve watched her company grow leaps and bounds. She started with just a few small lines of rugs and pillows from Guatemala and has since opened up a brick-and-mortar shop in Upstate New York and developed one of the leading artisan brands in the US. What sets MINNA apart – beyond the soulfulness of its art direction, the quality of its products, and the fantastic storytelling – is the cohesiveness of her brand. Sara and her team have developed a signature style that is seen all the way through, from conception to execution, from product designs to how each new collection is thoughtfully photographed. As I work with brands, I always stress the value of strong photography. I am delighted to feature Sara this week as a primary example of someone who has built a strong brand identity through design, photography, and storytelling. Dive into our interview here - I hope you enjoy it. 

This week, I am excited to continue my promotion of talented enterprises exhibiting at the New World Crafts online fair, a wonderful sourcing opportunity for those interested in working with artists from Guatemala and throughout Central America. The work of these two vendors – La Casa Cotzal and Topis Ceramica – really stands out to me so I wanted to share a bit more about each of them.

As many of you know, I have partnered up with New World Crafts, an online fair and sourcing platform featuring the work of artisan producers and brands from Guatemala and throughout Central America. This week, I’d like to share the work of Itza Wood, an enterprise that is featured on the New World Crafts online platform and that I am very proud to represent personally.

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.

I am delighted to share that I’ve recently partnered up with the New World Crafts fair, a wonderful sourcing trade show in Antigua, Guatemala. The fair offers a truly unique chance to connect directly with talented artists from Guatemala and throughout Central America. Over the next few months, I’ll be highlighting some of the unique products and export-ready artisan enterprises that exhibit at the annual show. It’s so inspiring and beautifully curated. While normally it happens in person in one of the most beautiful settings you could imagine (ahem – I definitely recommend saving the date in your travel calendar for next year!), because so much of our lives and our businesses are being conducted online this year, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the exhibitors that stood out to me.

This month, I sat down for an interview with Amira Marion of Archive New York, a designer, and friend I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for years. She offered her insights on how she’s seen the industry change, for the good and for the bad. She sheds light on the role social media has played in instigating some of those changes, as well as what's working best for her business, where she’s struggled, and how to stay competitive in what has become a very saturated market.