Awamaki Journal: A Blog About Textiles, Travel and the Sacred Valley

Dec 12, 2024

Our Winter 2024 Gift Guide is Here

Winter 2024 Gift Guide: Thoughtful Handcrafted Gifts by Awamaki Discover the perfect gift for everyone on your list with Awamaki's handcrafted gifts. Each piece is thoughtfully designed, ethically sourced, and made with care by Quechua women artisans in Peru. Whether you’re seeking gifts that make a meaningful impact or treasures that celebrate tradition, our guide offers thoughtful options for everyone on your list. We hold a commitment to cultivating and supporting the traditional art of textiles. Each of our fair trade pieces is made by hand, slowly and intentionally, one thread at a time. Inspired by Andean design, we believe in...

Dec 03, 2024

A 2025 Project in the Pipeline!

“When we have the opportunity to export the yarn, we’ll have a greater income to invest in our children and maintain our families. Through the training, we are improving our professional skills.” The Puskariy Tika Spinners create beautiful handspun alpaca yarn. We’ve recently seen an increased interest in yarn...

Oct 18, 2024

Climate Change Focus Group

“Everything has changed. Rain and sun. The weather is not like before,” Juana, an artisan from the rural Kellkana cooperative, explained. “The sun is very strong, it burns the skin.” Awamaki is looking to understand how climate change has affected the lives and agricultural experiences of our artisan partners. Fine...

Oct 08, 2024

Meet Sammy

Meet Sammy, Awamaki’s Sustainable Design Intern At Awamaki, we are committed to ensuring our products not only offer our artisan partners a better life, but care for our planet too. We recently shifted our yearly design residency to focus on helping us create and improve climate-friendly production practices. This year,...

Sep 18, 2024

Babywearing

The babies of our partner artisans spend no time in strollers or expensive baby carriers. It would be unheard of. So how do these mothers keep their children safe in the most vulnerable time of their lives? Simple. The same woven cloth they use to carry their groceries. The concept...

Sep 10, 2024

Trenzas

Trenzas. Braids. An essential element of identity for our artisan partners. “You almost never see a Quechua woman without braids…it’s something that comes from within,” says Merecdes, Awamaki’s Head of Women’s Artisan Cooperatives. It’s also the theme for our 2024 collection, which launches today! Check out our new line on Instagram! Braids...

May 31, 2024

Knit and Crochet Workshops with Awac Phuna

Last year, our partners the Awac Phuna knitting cooperative came to us requesting more orders. Upon evaluation, we found that they didn't have the knit or crochet skills or equipment to make some of our bestselling products. Thanks to generous donations we were able to plan a series of workshops....

Jan 23, 2024

Weaving Stories of Animals, Culture, and Quechua Wisdom

This manta was made by compañera Justina’s mother Maria in Huilloc Alto. Its color palette is typical of works from older generations. In this manta, you can see a llama, condors, lizards and other natural elements like lagoons on the outside borders and eyes (like those of a puma) on...

Sep 07, 2023

Announcing our Journeysmiths Partnership

New partnership with tourism agency to support responsible tourism practices.

Aug 27, 2023

Launching Amazonia, our 2023-24 Collection

Vast, teeming with life, and magnificently vibrant, the Peruvian Amazon rainforest is unlike anywhere else on the planet. Deep in the jungle, we find the inspiration for this season’s new Awamaki collection: Amazonia.A beacon of light and resiliency– and one of the most biologically diverse places in the world– the...

Jul 20, 2023

A Day in the Life of a Volunteer: Salome

Jun 14, 2023

Celebrating Motherhood: Insights from Andean Communities

For Mother’s Day, we chatted with some of the moms in our artisan cooperatives. We asked them about their experiences and beliefs to gain a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and joys they face in their roles as mothers. Community Celebrations and Values: In Patacancha, families celebrate Mother's Day...

Dec 04, 2022

Awamaki's Gift Guide 2022!

Shop sustainable for everyone on your list with Awamaki's gift guide!

Jan 06, 2022

Our Compañera: Juliana

By Brianna Griesinger, Marketing and Communications Coordinator and Allegra Bundy, Marketing and Communications Intern During the production of our 2019 Kay Pacha line, we connected with Juliana at her cooperative of Awac Phuña in the community of Patacancha after she participated in a workshop about quality control. Patacancha is located...

Mar 17, 2021

Awamaki Founder Talks Sustainable Tourism with Peru for Less

With picturesque landscapes and a vibrant array of cultural traditions, Peru is a destination that keeps you moving from one incredible vista to the next. We believe in the importance of empowering rural Peruvian women and their communities through responsible travel. This is why we work with responsible travel agencies...

Aug 04, 2020

Huilloc Alto Chronicles

Written by Volunteer Photographer Doriana Westerman during her visit last November 2019. All Images taken by her. The air smells sweet. There’s definitely a hint of mint but it’s more complex than that. It’s a vivid smell that you might only have here in this particular place. Herbs and...

Experience the Sacred Valley