I met Angela Story, the Founder of One Loom Designs, last June via Skype. The Dean of Graduate Business studies from John Brown University (where I got my Master's) connected us and we hit it off immediately - Angela is energetic, oozes with creativity, & her kind heart shines through when she talks. Besides being super fun to work with, she has a killer eye for textiles & design.
Instead of going a more traditional apparel design route, she's chosen to work exclusively with weavers & sewers in a village in Guatemala called El Rosario alongside a Not-For-Profit educational program for young boys. They focus on tutoring, mentoring, and education for these boys.
The result has been exceptional.
Traditional Guatemalan weaving techniques mash with modern designs, leather accents, & adorable shapes to strike just the right one-of-a-kind vibe that we're always on the lookout for.
Because of the traditional weaving techniques used, it takes the One Loom weaver, Lesvia, one month to hand loom enough fabric for Sylvia & Kata to sew into 10 clutches (shown below).
We've put in two orders of 10 (one arriving in mid-March & one in early April), meaning that Purse & Clutch is able to support these three ladies for 2 months worth of work and that your purchases are directly creating work for these women in Guatemala - pretty amazing!
You may recognize these gorgeous Geometric Wristlets that sold out within a week right before Christmas. Yep. That's what these lovely ladies are working on for us right now as you read this! You can pre-order here if you want to make sure there's one with your name on it & support the work of these talented women.
Also in the works is a crossbody in the same gorgeous handwoven cobalt fabric with canvas & leather accents that you're going to swoon over!
In the mean time, we have a few wristlets & clutches available right now. Like this Marigold Clutch:
That you can snag here.
Or this Sunset Clutch that's guaranteed to make you smile it's so full of life & color!