Awamaki Journal: A Blog About Textiles, Travel and the Sacred Valley – tagged "Awamaki Staff"

May 09, 2019

Meet Fie!

Meet Fie! We have brought to you many artisan profiles, now it’s our staff’s turn to get a little spotlight. We want you to learn more about the amazing women who work on the ground in Ollantaytambo. Take a few minutes today to learn about our Sales and Production Coordinator, Fie. Tell me a bit about yourself. I am from London, England. I’m from a small village outside of London and I went to university in Northern England, University of Huddersfield where I studied Fashion and Textile buying, management and retail. During my time studying I became interested in sustainability...

Feb 27, 2019

A Big Thank You For Your GlobalGiving Help

A Big Thank You To Your GlobalGiving HelpBy Allegra Bundy, Marketing and Communications Intern As the new year begins, we would like to take the time to thank all our supporters and donors who have helped us achieve our goals through GlobalGiving. Our partnership with GlobalGiving has allowed us to...

Jan 30, 2019

A Trip to Marcapata

By Brianna Griesinger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator It was a Monday, like any other Monday here in Ollanta. Everyone was busy at work, coming and going from the market and the shops. But it wasn’t just any day for the 26 artisans of our partner cooperative Puskariy Tika,...

Jan 30, 2019

Our Compañera: Marcelina

Our Compañera: MarcelinaBy Brianna Griesinger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator Marcelina is a weaver in the Wakanquilla cooperative from the remote community of Kelkanka. She is 24 years old and has 4 children whom she supports with her income from her weavings. Marcelina loves weaving the designs of condors and alpacas...

Oct 28, 2018

Ollanta Withdrawal

Ollanta Withdrawal By Abby Hollis, Design Intern During my time in Peru, I spent a weekend by myself in the jungle. This was when I realized that Ollanta had become my home. I attribute part of this realization to my unprecedented ease breathing but most of it to how much...

Oct 14, 2018

Congratulations Songuillay!

Congratulations Songuillay!By Kennedy Leavens, Executive Director, & Brianna Griesinger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator The highlight of our year is the graduation of Songuillay, a cooperative of 42 women in the community of Patacancha. This is a major milestone for Awamaki. Songuillay was the first group of artisans with whom we...

Oct 11, 2018

Stepping Up to the Challenge

Stepping Up to the ChallengeBy Brianna Griesinger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator Over the course of the past year, we have realized that the development of our 2019 line, Kay Pacha, would be a year of change and growth for many of our artisans. A few months ago, our team led...

Oct 07, 2018

Our Compañera: Exaltación

Our Compañera: Exaltación!By Brianna Griesinger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator “Allianchu compañera,” we greet each other in Quechua as we meet in her home community of Huilloc. Exaltación isn’t shy, she may only speak a limited amount of Spanish, but she is eager to answer my questions, as eager as I...

Jul 13, 2018

A New Natural

A New NaturalBy Brianna Griesinger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator Natural dyes are an art form that can be traced back 6,000 years here in Peru. While synthetic dyes have threatened this tradition, some Andean artisans along with the global community are fighting for its resurgence. It is because of this...

Jun 27, 2018

Posed to Empower

Posed to EmpowerBy Elizabeth Salley, Marketing and Communications Intern “Okay, it´s time for affirmations! Find a partner!” Ginette Collin announces. The room becomes a flurry of movement as the artisans pair up and giggle. At first, some of the women are quiet, but within the next few minutes, the meeting...

Jan 09, 2018

On the Horizon

On the HorizonBy Meaghan Bogart, Tourism intern As 2017 drew to a close, buzz of graduation increased within the Songuillay cooperative. Over the past year, this cooperative, made up of forty two women, has been taking steps towards their independence from Awamaki. In September of 2017, Awamaki celebrated the first...

Jan 07, 2018

Launching into Something New

Launching into Something NewBy Isabel Strebe, Marketing and Communications intern We are getting closer and closer to being able to share our 2018 line with you, and we couldn’t be more excited! After bidding a bittersweet goodbye to this year’s head designer, Alejandra Carrillo-Muñoz, at the end of November, our...

Dec 27, 2017

Setbacks that Launch Us Forward

“You’ll have to get out and walk from here the rest of the way,” our driver announced to the passengers on our small tour bus. Carrying all of our belongings for the weekend ahead, we began the near vertical hike up to the community of Huilloc Alto, tucked in a...

Dec 18, 2017

Cielo y Tierra

As many of you know, when Awamaki started, we were only selling raw textiles. It has been a long journey since those early days. Over the course of the past six years we have been working on growing the abilities of our women to produce high quality and fashionable textile...

Mar 08, 2016

Voices of International Women’s Day

As another International Women’s Day approaches, we at Awamaki asked ourselves: What makes International Women’s Day worth celebrating? As a non-profit working for rural women’s empowerment in Peru with a staff made up of Peruvian and international women, sometimes it feels like every day is International Women’s Day. ...

Jun 24, 2015

#WomanCrushWednesday: Mercedes

by Christina Parodi, Marketing & Communications Intern Going on her fourth year at Awamaki, our woman crush this Wednesday is Mercedes Durand, who works directly with our women’s cooperatives. Through the long-term relationships she has established with the women, Mercedes coordinates the work each woman does and helps order...

Experience the Sacred Valley