Economic Growth Peru Project #6406

Empowering Women Through Design in Rural Peru

by Awamaki

Empowering Women Through Design in Rural Peru

Project Report | Sep 4, 2019
Weaving Trust

By Veronica Levy | Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Alejandra and two of our partner artisans

Once upon a time, in the early stages of Awamaki’s development, we sold only textiles; we carried none of the bags, pillowcases, or other finished products that line our shelves today. While the raw textiles were beautiful, we wondered if they could be better showcased with modern silhouettes created explicitly for traditional-style textiles. Enter Awamaki Lab, an experimental initiative begun in 2010 to connect artisans with different international designers to create modern pieces with our partner artisans.

These designers implemented their vision throughout a 4-12 month residency to create products that would resonate with a global market. Many of the donors to this project helped us get that project off the ground, providing funding for sewing machines, materials, design training and other startup essentials. We will be forever indebted to you for those contributions, as without them, and without you, we wouldn’t have been able to begin to transform traditional textiles into the contemporary Andean products that provide our artisans with their livelihood today.

However, while Awamaki Lab helped Awamaki get closer to our current style and state, the rapid turnover of designers left something wanting: consistency and time to build a strong relationship between designer and artisans.

Realizing the importance of a strong relationship to effective artisan collaboration, Awamaki decided to hire one head designer for a longer period of time in 2017: Alejandra Carrillo-Muñoz. Today, we can take volunteer designers who work with Alejandra under her vision, cultivating a stronger collaborative process, challenging our partner cooperatives with new techniques that will take them far, and better incorporating traditional Andean techniques and symbols into products. Alejandra has been working with us for 3 years now and we can see the expansion in our collections, the quality of the products, and the engagement of our partner artisans as they are now ever more able to sustain their families through the income earned with Awamaki.

For this report we wanted to share an interview we did with Alejandra, in which she expresses her passions, challenges and the design choices that take place in the realm of artisan collaboration. We hope to inform you about the current state of our project as we come close to being a self-sustaining project for which product sales can cover the cost of operation--as has been the goal all along.

Veronica: When you first began working with Awamaki, what were some of the challenges you encountered?

Alejandra: A very common challenge amongst this type of work is understanding that to respectfully approximate yourself to the communities, it takes time; time to learn from the women, to allow them to learn from you, for trust to be built, for a relationship to be formed.

Veronica: Please describe how your relationship with the artisans has grown over time. How important is it to develop a strong relationship, and how has that affected the design process?

Alejandra: I knew going in that not knowing Quechua would be a challenge when it came to communicating and exchanging ideas with the artisans. However, very human interactions of maybe even attempting the language, sharing a few laughs together, being present in the communities when it came time to crafting the textiles, or simply spending time together in general just builds strong bonds. In doing so, we really did create a shared space in which to experiment with creative techniques where we combined contemporary concepts using the extensive knowledge and experience they possess as weavers. We’re really proud of that and we think it shows in our designs!

Veronica: How do you think being able to work long-term with the artisans has affected the design process?

Alejandra: What has been revolutionary for our designs has been to involve the artisans in the creative process. Our most recent 2019 Kay Pacha collection is an example of this. The process began with a concept that originates in the artisan communities and it’s through the artisan communities that we then retrieved the design elements we chose to work with.

Veronica: What are some of the ways you’ve been able to incorporate traditional Andean symbols and techniques into modern designs? Could you expand a little about some of these designs and their significance?

Alejandra: We strive for a design process that starts and ends in the very communities we work with. I often find myself studying textiles that the artisans have woven and then inquire as to the significance of the symbols and the findings are amazing. My favorite was a piece that looked so modern and contemporary that I was surprised to find it represented steps or stairs. This ancient textile design inspired the concept for the 2018 Cielo y Tierra collection and was included in some of our key pieces.

Veronica: What are some of the most memorable things you have learned from the artisans while working with them?

Alejandra: I’m continually in awe of their innate talent. I enjoy nothing more than being in the communities and seeing the designs come to life; from a strand of yarn to a knitted product or a woven textile. These artisans are mathematicians, engineers, creators and makers! Seeing them in action is everything!

Veronica: What are some of the outcomes that emerged from a collaborative process in terms of design choices?

Alejandra: The best example is from the most recent Kay Pacha collection. In this case, the artisans were asked to interpret a prized symbol, the ‘chakana’. The interpretations varied from community to community and from artisan to artisan. This was a way of visually collecting information as to their perception of the symbol and also, a way of including their creative interpretations within our collection.

Veronica: Is there anything else you would like to add about the design process or working closely with the artisans?

Alejandra: I definitely think that our work is most successful when it is inclusive and collective. Acknowledging that each team member, whether in the office or in the artisan communities, possess certain strengths, allows us to work more efficiently. There have been instances where knitters have suggested particular finishes on product or other times that weavers have offered better approaches to composing a particular figure on a textile. Other times, it is us providing quality control or color theory workshop. It takes all of us to create beautiful and quality product.

Overall, hiring Alejandra has allowed for a stronger designer-artisan relationship, which translates to a more collaborative design process. Now, we take a look at how Alejandra’s relationship with our partner artisans has transformed both our style and Awamaki itself. We are currently in the making of our 2020 collection and we can see how the trust that has been built between Alejandra and our partner artinsas is reflected in their creations.

Thank you for all of your support!

Chakana design sample

Alejandra sketching for Kay Pacha collection

Looking through weavings from our partner artisans

Beautiful weavings from our partner artisans

Links:

Our Website!

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Jun 7, 2019
Crafting New Connections

By Veronica Levy | Marketing and Communications Coordinator

New Artisans from Ocongate knit samples.

As an indigenous artisan in the Cusco region, the farther you live from Machu Picchu and the city of Cusco, the fewer economic opportunities you have.

Until 2019, the furthest cooperative with which we worked was in the village of Kelkanka, three hours from Ollantaytambo. But as we’ve graduated our veteran cooperatives, and gained capacity as a staff to begin working with new cooperatives, we have begun working with three new cooperatives located in the region of Ocongate, four hours south of Ollantaytambo. By expanding our geographic reach to different regions of Cusco, we can not only bring our model to more artisans but also bring new techniques and skills into our work.

“We got in touch with the Ocongate cooperatives through a health NGO called Suyana.” Mercedes, our head of women’s cooperatives program, explained. Mercedes built the connection through a family member that works with Suyana, from there she was able to get in touch with the cooperatives located in the Ocongate region.

For the first visits both Mercedes, and Martha, our knitting coordinator, oversaw knitting and weaving samples from three separate local cooperatives. Since March the new artisans have demonstrated great skill with their handicrafts as well as professionalism in the way they conduct their organization. We are very excited to be working with such talented and motivated artisans and have already placed several orders for our export collection, Kay Pacha.

There are three separate groups of artisans in the region of Ocongate with which Awamaki is building partnerships. The first, Condor Pallay, is composed of 16 artisans, the second is located in the smaller community of Upis with 22 artisans, and the third, Ausangate, has 19 artisans. Ausangate specializes in knitting and crocheting and they are currently filling orders for Awamaki’s Muku baby collection, including the adorable Lamb Lovey and Llama Play Toy.

The cooperatives in Ocongate “understand the production process and are comfortable with texting us and sharing images of their work, which makes our collaboration smoother and faster, especially now that we have been getting more international orders than ever,” Martha said. She also explained that Awamaki does not currently collaborate with many highly trained crochet artisans and that establishing a relationship with these cooperatives is a great asset, because the crochet technique requires a lot more attention to detail as it is a more sophisticated craft.

Martha also mentioned that she enjoys the challenge of working with cooperatives that have less professional expertise, as it opens the door for more opportunity to train the artisans using Awamaki’s hallmark training program, the Impact Model. Mercedes explained that “the cooperatives in Ocongate are very skilled and have great work ethic, and we are planning on implementing workshops in color theory, and design, for them to push their abilities even further.”

The first step to begin a partnership with Awamaki, Mercedes explained, is for the cooperative to reflect a well organized and established working space and to have a designated president. In the case that they don’t have a work space of their own, Awamaki supports the cooperatives as they begin the process of securing a center in the near future. A final part of the first step-- and a very important one due to the percentage of informality in the labor sector of Peru-- is for the cooperative to register as a legal association with the Peruvian government so that they are able to generate their own legal receipts.

A cooperative reaches the second level of the Impact Model when it is able to execute designs and quality control expectations as well as maintain good standing of management over their payments from Awamaki. Ocongate cooperatives have demonstrated great expertise; we are inspired to expand our partnerships with them, along with conducting new and emerging workshops on design and color theory. The third level, which prepares the cooperatives for graduation, is reached when the artisans are able to secure their own clients and work independently. Here, the relationship with Awamaki transforms from training workshops to a mainly commercial one. However, as Mercedes explains, “Awamaki stays present in their journey and development and if the possibility arises, puts them in touch with other clients.” From here, the cooperatives can grow their own successful, independent businesses.

Here at Awamaki, we celebrate cooperatives at all stages of the Impact Model and beyond. We believe in continuing to reinforce their empowerment, and being creative about ways to help them grow and challenge their skills for the future.

Your donations have funded the development of our Impact Model, as well as the training that has allowed our veteran cooperatives to move towards graduation. You also help fund the start up costs associated with bringing on a new cooperatives just like the 57 women of Ocongate. Thank you for being with us on this journey!

Mercedes leads an intro with new cooperatives

Knitting New Partnerships

New Partner Artisan Knits Sample for Martha

Martha explains production methods

Links:

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Mar 12, 2019
A New Center for Kelkanka

By Emily Radek | Marketing and Communications

Women Inside the Center

Kelkanka, a small village high in the Andes, is an amazing place to be able to visit, not only for its views, but for its people. Our partner cooperative, Wakanquilla, has recently finished building their new artisan center in the center of the village. The center will be used for meetings, weaving, and workshops that will enable the cooperative to continue trainings with Awamaki as well as support their future as an independent business. The workshop covered how to build self esteem, strengthen confidence, and how to be a leader. It was amazing to see the women collaborating, learning, and getting out of their comfort zones as they worked through each activity as a group. Not only was the workshop helping empower them, but the space “gives them security and more [empowerment]” Mercedes, our head of the women’s cooperatives program, explained. They now have shared ownership of the center and can access it whenever they want, giving them a great place to gather and work as an independent business.

“The idea to build the center had been in the works for the past three years” Mercedes, described. Once the money was raised to build the center, the women got to work right away. Kennedy, our founder and executive director explained that the “artisan group [purchased] the land in the name of the [Wakanquilla] cooperative, and then [Awamaki] collaborated to build the center.” Awamaki helped them with the planning, designing, and fundraising of the center. Once construction finally began, it was completed in a speedy fifteen days, the whole community working together in a community-led initiative typically referred to as a faena, a traditional Quechua concept. Faena’s are usually projects that contribute to the overall growth and development of the community as a whole, bringing people together for a single purpose and goal; the idea being everyone could benefit mutually. “The artisans and their families supplied materials like adobe bricks, thatch for roofs, and stones,” Kennedy continued, “[Awamaki] supplied materials that needed to be purchased, like concrete and wood. Awamaki was able to purchase the supplies from the generous individual donations given in support of the Wakanquilla cooperative in Kelkanka.”

“Before the center was built, the women would meet in the open air or in the community schools, never having a permanent or reliable place to congregate,” Kennedy explained. These meetings were also dependent on the weather, which can be spotty far up the mountains in Kelkanka where rainy season often blocks transportation on the roads into town completely and snowfall is a common occurrence. The women needed a place to call their own to provide security for their meetings and trainings, as well as a place to store their inventory. In the future the center will help provide a safe, independent central meeting space, or even one day be used as a sales center.

While talking to Eustakia, one of the artisans of the Wakanquilla cooperative, she expressed her excitement for the new center, “It makes me feel very cheerful.” It was anything but difficult to tell that the women were excited to have a new center to use as their own. They all showed up for their first workshop in the center early, waiting outside its locked doors, eagerly awaiting to find a space to sit inside. During the workshop, the women were enthusiastic; activities like group presentations, acting, and ‘simon says’ got them all smiling and laughing. The impact of the center on the women is no doubt positive, and so is the impact on the community. The center is improving the small village, with strengthened economic opportunity for the women who live there.

The future of the center looks bright, and so does the artisans’ business now that they have a center to call their own. It is through the hard work of the women, Awamaki, and our supporters that allow goals like this to be made into reality. We cannott wait to see the progress the cooperative is able to make as a result of the center and the impact it will have on the artisans and their families.

The New Center in Kelkanka

Team Building Activities

View From Inside the Center

Links:

http://awamaki.org

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