Meet the Makers

We partner with independent artisans and cooperatives in Guatemala for the creation of all products. This means artisans aren’t our employees, they are our business partners. We collaborate on product design, they set their own prices, and choose where, when, and how to work. This partnership empowers them as entrepreneurs and allows them to grow their own businesses. Our aim is for artisans and cooperatives to grow with us, helping them establish financial stability for them and their families.

Long-Term Partnerships

We are committed to promoting generational wealth and long-term development for communities where we work. This is why we emphasize working consistently with the same artisans instead of one off partnerships.

Partners not Employees

We partner with artisans who specialize in different techniques to create exclusive designs for Woven. As partners, we purchase directly from them and support their small business. This partnership over employment allows them to have other clients and grow their craft.

Fair Pay

We pay artisans 50% of their payment to begin production and the remaining 50% when production is complete. Many larger companies do not pay until items sell. We do not believe in this model as it specifically disenfranchises artisan groups and is not sustainable for them. Artisans set their own wages, work from home, and set their own hours.

Voces Maya Cooperative

The Voces Maya Cooperative (Mayan Voices) is a group of 30+ artisans, primarily women who specialize in natural dyes and back-strap loom weaving. Juana (pictured here) is the leader of the cooperative and is our main artisan partner. Together, we bring designs from conceptual ideas to complete products in a process that takes several months. With every purchase, 30+ weavers are employed from this cooperative.

Juana

Juana is a member of the Voces Maya Cooperative and is an expert dye specialist. She has been weaving since she was a young girl and helps lead out all orders and ensures the dye process is completed properly in the cooperative.

Margarita

Candy is on of our first artisans in the Development Program which supports weaving education in smaller communities in Guatemala. She and her mother make our tassel accessories and are actively developing their weaving skills, something that has been in jeopardy of being lost in their village.

Makarios Family

The Makarios family is a multi-generational family of leather and textile crafsmen and women who specialize in creating high quality bags and accessories with traditional textiles. We've been partners with this family for over two years.