While our customers show their individual style and fashion sense by wearing Aldea scarves, Aldea artisans express their creativity and individuality through their woven art. Every weaver imprints her unique talent for craftsmanship upon each item she creates.  All of our over 40 women artisans bring a unique passion to practicing their craft, succeeding as entrepreneurs, or carrying on the traditional textile techniques passed down through generations.

The creative talent of Aldea artisans is evident in their woven pieces, but the scarves cannot demonstrate the ambition that our weavers possess.  For example, Maria Sajvin owns her own shop on the shores of Lake Atitlán where she sells her woven pieces, as well as products from her local community.  Offering products from other artisans allows her to increase her profits. Like Maria, each weaver holds an amazing artistic talent, as well as an incredible work ethic and drive to grow her own business.

While Maria grew her business by selling other artisans’ pieces, Gertrude expanded her business through her determination to learn Spanish. When she began making her sales pitch in Spanish, rather than her native language, her earnings grew exponentially. Thanks to this business growth, Gertrude was able to secure a microcredit loan, which enabled her to buy materials in bulk. Buying materials at bulk rates allows Gertrude and other artisans to expand their businesses and support their families.  This ability to support themselves and their families gives our weavers a sense of empowerment. 

Our goal at Aldea is to empower our weavers but also to empower you, our customer, to act on your values.  We are providing you with the choice to purchase products that uphold your social values.  (And with our high standard for quality craftsmanship, you’ll look good while doing good!)

We want to be as transparent as possible with you about our business practices, so that you can feel confident in our mission and our products. Your confidence in us strengthens our ability to be an industry leader in combining fashion, socially responsible business, and sustainable development.  Thank you for joining us in this mission!

 

 

Christina : 23 years old. Guatemalan. Fluent in Kekchi and conversational in Spanish. Mother. Aspiring
nurse. Weaver. Aldea Artisan.

Christina: 22 years old. American. Fluent in English and conversational in Spanish. Student. Musician.
Aspiring nurse. Aldea customer.

Two young women with completely different lifestyles, yet as stakeholders in Aldea, they have common
ground. The scarves that Cristina weaves and Christina wears tangibly link these two women on
opposite sides of the globe.

Today’s apparel industry relies on multiple suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors, making the
supply chain complex and opaque. Besides the hat your mom knit you last holiday season, it’s hard
to know who actually stitched any of your clothing! At Aldea, we are creating a more transparent and
open supply chain by drawing back the curtain between the artisans who weave our scarves and the
customers who wear them. We are creating opportunities for our customers to know the women who
weave our products and for our artisans to access new markets. This is our mission – to connect our
customers with the movers and shakers of the developing world.

Since Aldea’s founding, we have passionately pursued this mission, by strengthening our partnerships
with our weavers and our customers. Aldea currently employs over 40 women weavers, and we sell
scarves at major national retailers like Whole Foods.

As we look forward to 2011, we are pleased to be adding new distribution channels to our customer
base. University bookstores now carry Aldea scarves in hues to match school colors! Currently, the
University of Texas at Austin is our highest volume customer for collegiate scarves. Many UT students
are wearing Aldea scarves to show their school spirit and embrace their campus community.

Given that aldea is the Spanish word for village, creating community is integral to our mission. Through
this blog, we will provide you with news and stories about Aldea, strengthening the connection
between Aldea customers and artisans. As the New Year approaches, we hope you will join the Aldea
community. Welcome to our village!

Friends new and old... 

The days ahead will require courage

The days ahead will bring joy and tears

The days ahead will put us to work

The days ahead will make us a family

The days ahead will teach us love

The days ahead will change the world in our own special little way.

Come with us...

Microcredit Film unveiled at Sundance.

By Jenelle Madrid.

Last week the Sundance Film Festival was host to the documentary To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America, produced and directed by Gayle Ferraro.

The movie focuses on the father of microcredit, Muhammad Yunus, and his journey of introduction of microlending to the boroughs of New York City.

Entreprenuers portrayed in the movie are the same women from Queens that were featured in the Times Magazine article “Can Microfinance make it in America?”

To Catch a Dollar covers the changes undergone by these women in one year, as they have started their own businesses and have seen their own economic potential. Much like the women at Aldea in Guatemala, they are given the chance to thrive in their communities and provide for their families.

Ferraro’s commentary on what she had hoped was accomplished by the movie:

“I really hope that this film helps obliterate prejudices against poor people. So many people believe there is no excuse to not make money and it is not that simple. To think poorly of kids from families who don’t have money or opportunities is so unjust. We think this film will really showcase the power and effectiveness of investing in the poor and creating entrepreneurs.”

Yunus’s establishment of the Grameen Bank and its successes, amounting to $4.3 million in loans to 2,002 borrowers and a 99% repayment rate, has definitely made its impact on not only the poor, but the economic world as well.

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Microcredit on the Agenda.

By Jenelle Madrid.

Around 250 decision makers around the world are expected to attend the 2nd annual Microfinance and New Technologies Summit 2010 to discuss advances and solutions in microfinance technologies.

Organized by PlaNet Finance, Banque Populaire Group and Sogeti, it will be held in Morocco on March 11th and 12th. Morocco was chosen because of its widespread success in microfinancing, with 1.24 million loans outstanding.

With the theme, “Which models are best placed to increase access to financial services for the unbanked?,” key players in the microfinancing spectrum are searching for innovative technology solutions to improve their efficiency in the competitive market.

One major advancement is the development of mobile banking, such as Village Phone by Grameen. The phone allows local entrepreneurs to rent phones to villagers for a small fee. Also, in partnership with Google, Grameen has developed AppLab that helps poor villages without Internet access to receive farming, health and trading information via SMS.

It will be interesting to see what innovations the international and national exhibitors will showcase at the summit, and how the new products and services will benefit microlenders and borrowers in the future.

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Aldea’s partner reaches out with Microcredit.

By Jenelle Madrid.

Whole Planet Foundation has doubled the amount of contributions from Whole Foods Market customers by providing Fonkoze, the foundation’s microlending partner in Haiti, with an additional $1 million dollars.

Fonkoze has directed its efforts into creating emergency control centers, securing diesel and stabilizing the staff and their households so they can focus on helping the earthquake victims.

They announced on Wednesday that 31 out of their 41 branches are open, including those in Port-au-Prince. But without the operation of commercial banks, they struggle to maintain cash reserves to meet the demands of borrowers.

Fokoze, an acronym for a phrase that translates into “Shoulder to Shoulder Foundation,” has been building economic foundations in Haiti through microlending for almost a decade, much like Banrural Grameen Guatemala for the artisans at Aldea.

Whole Foods Market, where Aldea scarves are sold, has taken pride in raising $1 million from customers throughout its 289 locations by driving donations at the register.

Contributions from Whole Planet Foundation have taken microlending to a new level of human and social welfare.

Fonkoze continues to update on their efforts via their website.

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Microfinance in America.

A Need for Economic Prosperity.

An article by Jenelle Madrid.

Microfinancing, used to help poor entrepreneurs living and working in developing countries, is slowly making its way into the urban-ruled cities of America.

Microcredit lending, in general, is a way for people to work themselves out of poverty, and why not include Americans?

Grameen, a Nobel Prize winning microfinancer that was once founded to help poor entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, has established microcredit sites in cities such as New York City, Omaha, San Francisco and Boston.

Time Magazine is one of several publications writing more frequently about microfinance. A more recent Time Magazine article about microcredit displays a scene of immigrant women borrowers, paying their monthly installments as a group. If one woman falls short, then the credit will be discontinued for the entire group. Peer pressure seems to be more effective, according to the article, thus leading to a 99% repayment rate in the U.S.

Whole Planet Foundation, in collaboration with Banrural Grameen Guatemala, funds the microcredit loans dispersed to the Guatemalan artisans of Aldea.

The difference between the entrepreneurs in America and those in Guatemala is that each Aldea artisan is given her own microcredit loan to invest in an artisan business, as opposed to a group loan that funds a variety of businesses, such as Altagracia Familia from the article, who runs an empanada business from a cart on the street.

Although it is an individual loan, the women at Aldea also face a degree of peer pressure from other group members. They are given loans as a group and the money is dispersed evenly. Each group leader collects on a biweekly bases, if an artisan falls short than the others will chip in to help. Also, the women are viewed as having a higher socioeconomic standing in the community.

Maintaining their status, while preventing others from falling short, could be factored into a repayment rate of 97%.

Government-funded social programs in America are more prevalent than in Guatemala. Every state in the U.S. has a health and human services department provides food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, etc.

Whether the need for microcredit is more important (or even just as important) in America than in other countries is a topic of hot debate, but in any case, it is important to provide a fighting chance for less fortunate entrepreneurs to participate in the economy.

Thank you. Contact Aldea if you have any questions.

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by new Aldea team member, Jenelle Madrid.

Learn how you can get involved in Micro-finance.

As an incoming intern at Aldea, the term microcredit loan is a bit intimidating. The word loan alone can strike fear in any student upon graduating college.

The purpose of these loans is to help artisans generate an income that they may not have been able to do before, due to their unfortunate circumstances.

I have never heard of a microfinancing institution before, but it is nice to know that such institutions exist.

According to Kiva, a micro-lending organization, microcredit loans are a means of alleviating poverty by providing small amounts of money, usually $300 or less, to help get less-fortunate clients a chance to participate in the economy.

Access to such funds helps low-income clients take advantage of economic opportunities, especially women clients. These funds allow for a sense of empowerment, as well as gender equality in the community and household. It is often said that most of the recipients are women, because they tend to be more dedicated to their families and financially responsible.

Formal banks do not offer the same services that the microfinancing institutions do because they will make more money holding savings accounts with more money in them, according to the Kiva website.

The artisans at Aldea invest their loans into production and sale of their handcrafted scarves. The videos that showcase the time and efforts that go into each scarf are amazing.

It is good to know that great efforts are being made to aid in social welfare.

Here are a few articles about microcredit that proved useful in helping understand what microcredit is and what form it might take in the future.

“Tiny loans make huge differences in lives of poor”

“Turning around the idea of student loans”

“Microcredit movement tackling poverty one tiny loan at a time”

Thank you.

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Both Fashionable and Traditional.

Aldea Shows You the Many Ways to Tie a Fair Trade Scarf.

Sure it keeps you warm, but a scarf can also be one of the best accessories you own – you just have to know how to use it!

Having talked with many customers as of late, I’ve been asked one question over and over… “How did you tie your scarf like that?” So, in the spirit of great fashion and multi-use products, here are some of our favorite ways to wear a scarf!

These are, in order from left to right, the Ascot Knot, the European Loop, the Fake Knot, Twice Around Ascot.

While it seems there are a thousand different names for the different styles, Texere Silk’s Scarf Styling Guide is the best I’ve found. You can check out their site for about forty other ways to wear a scarf with picture guides to show you how to replicate their look.

You can also see the above styles being created on this YouTube video:

If you’re still having trouble styling your cozy accessory, go to your local department store and ask a salesperson to give you the run down on how to wear your scarf and with what. Ask them to tie it for you.

More and more I see scarves paired with tank tops – another indication that they’re becoming more of an accessory than a winter wear item.

Here’s another video that addresses more than just how to wear your scarf, but with a whole different team of fashion advisors.

Send us any ideas you might want to share about tying a scarf.

~Cheyenne

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Aldea Artisan Weaves Beautiful Handmade Scarves and Runs a Coffee Tree Nursery.

A Microcredit Study.

The first time I met Micaela she was weaving on a straw mat outside of her house. Her daughter-in-law had led me nearly a mile away from the town, along a path that winded through lush coffee trees laden with fruit. Micaela greeted me and invited me for coffee. Her children came to see the gringo and gathered around, all of us sitting in the middle of their compound. Around their homes were two plots of cleared land, each the size of a half a basketball court. She told me how her husband had been planting more coffee, hoping to generate additional income from their land. She told me also how they wanted to start a tree nursery, selling coffee, pine, and cedar seedlings to farmers. She was hoping to access a microloan sufficient to cover start-up expenses for this enterprise.

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Fast forward 6 months and I follow her daughter-in-law up the same path with the coffee trees—this time, however, the fruit is gone, having been harvested and dried months before. As I we approach the compound, I notice that the two plots of land that were cleared the last time I visited were now covered with small, black plastic bags. The bags were housing hundreds of coffee, pine and cedar seedlings. Micaela approaches me, beaming, and asks me what I think. “Vendemos los pilones a gente del campo,” she tells me. "We sell the seedlings to people from countryside

I am full of pride for Micaela and her family. She told me that her loan came through. And that she was able to invest the capital from her microcredit loan into this venture. She and her husband had substantially increased their earning potential and were on their way to generating additional income for their family.

~Matteo

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Fair Trade Fashion For and By Women:

Promoting Sustainability through Conscious Consumerism

After doing some research on fair trade clothing, I realized that women are not only more amenable to buying fair trade clothing, but they are the most willing consumers when compared with men. On top of that, women as producers generally receive the majority of microfinance loans to fair trade cooperatives in developing nations. Thus, women rule fair trade fashion demand and supply!

To begin with, researchers show that women shop more than men, and also that women purchase slightly more clothes than men. According to one Gallup poll women are almost twice as likely as men to have recently shopped at a “specialty apparel store” in the last month, and were about 20% more likely than men to have bought clothing within the same month (82% to 61%).

Women are not only willing to buy more, they are willing to spend more on fair trade.

According to one study on sweatshop-free consumerism On average, women report higher “willingness-to-pay” for sweatshop-free clothing than men. For example, just over half of women (51%) report willingness to pay at least $6 more for the sweater, while only around 41% of men were so willing. Women are also more willing than men to pay some price premium, and on average are willing to pay a higher price premium," to ensure the product is sweatshop-free.

If you’re familiar with microfinance, you know that the majority of microloans for developing nations go to women to support their micro-businesses. I found a very fascinating report published on microcreditsummit.org on the empowerment of women through microfinance. It focuses on why women account for “74 percent of the 19.3 million of the world’s poorest people now being served by microfinance institutions.” This is for several reasons, often involving the perseverance of women in the face of gender inequity in financial, cultural, and legal matters in developing nations.

The study states that of 29 micro-finance organizations surveyed by the UN in 2001, 6 loaned exclusively to women. At the same time, the article mentions that arrears rates in all-male micro-finance programs of the Trust Bank in Ghana was 2.5 times that of all women programs. Men were also less likely to attend group meetings, and less reliable in general. Women on the other hand, are more likely to use the profit from their micro-businesses to support their children, thus using micro-loans to improve the livelihoods of their daughters. Empowering women through micro-finance facilitates their productive capacity to entire raise communities out poverty.

Here, we see connections being made between women through fair trade products.

On top of this, retail companies with a focus on sustainability, including fair trade, “outperform industry peers, particularly in the retail sector” according to a trend report on fair trade sales. Through the facilitation of micro-finance, and the demand by conscious consumers, women in developing nations around the world are organizing to receive loans, run their own businesses and finance their daughters’ educations. Women are helping women helping women, rise out of poverty around the world when they purchase fair trade, and it’s incredible!

~Patrick

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Fair Trade Chocolate:

Turning your guilty pleasure into the pleasure of helping others

We’ve passed the midpoint of October, and Halloween is just around the corner. That means retailers are double-timing on tempting you to buy chocolate—or more chocolate, for that matter. Sure it could be for those cute kids who ring your doorbell hoping for a hefty handful, but you know you can’t help but treat yourself to a bit of sweetness as well. As you take the first delicious bite out of that chocolate bar, does it every cross your mind who made that taste of heaven? Where they’re from? How they live their lives?

Over 30% of the world’s chocolate comes from Cote D’Ivore (Ivory Coast) in Africa. Many of the cocoa workers here are trafficked children who have been taken from their respective homes and put to work as slaves. In America, especially today, it may be hard to imagine or even believe that such cruelty and inequality still occurs in many places of the world. But it does. These children are as young as ten years old, working in harsh conditions for at least ten hours a day…with not a single cent of pay.

Okay, okay. There is no need to panic or feel guilty. You can still indulge without your conscience screaming at you in the back of your head. Fair trade and socially conscious brands are working together to better serve you, as well as provide cocoa farmers the fairness and pay they deserve.

Chocolate-lovers all over the world, I present to you a list of just a few finger-licking, guilt-free, fair trade chocolates:
Trader Joe’s Fair Trade Chocolate Truffles
Cadbury Fair Trade Chocolate

Wholesalers such as Central Market, Whole Foods Market, and World Market also carry a wide selection of fair trade chocolates.

While fair trade products in general are more expensive, one cannot put a price on the injustice that millions of people face today. Fair trade is here to help those people have better lives.

~Marie

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An Aldea Weaver’s Voice of Internet Protocol

handmade scarves aside

Patrick, our intern, asked to be introduced to one of Aldea weavers via Skype, so that he could conduct an interview. After arranging to speak with Angelica last week, Patrick and I huddled around my laptop in the conference room last Friday afternoon and proceeded to dial the cell phone number Angelica had given us. When Angelica answered, I introduced her to Patrick, whom I told her she could call “Patricio,” the literal translation of Patrick, or “Pato” meaning “Duck.”

She went with “Pato.”

“Pato” talked to her about the community of San Juan, where Angelica lives, and the volcanoes surrounding the lake. He asked if the possibility of the volcanoes erupting right next to where she lived scared her in any way and she said “no,” that when there were seismic tremors, the people of San Juan simply waited for them to pass and hoped for the best. Angelica was patient with Patrick as he referred to his dictionary for vocabulary.

Although I was hoping to encourage the two Aldea affiliates to forge the connection together without me, it was a challenge for me to stay out of the conversation, and I found myself butting in now and again. It took me several minutes to realize that these two individuals from worlds apart were actually connecting, they were finding common ground, things they both knew and could discuss, as if the great chasm between cultures was slowly disappearing. I smiled, and finally was able to remove myself and sit back listening to the two of them growing closer together.

I smiled because I knew that this is what Fair Trade is all about, this is why we started Aldea and why it is such a source of joy for us. And I knew that columnist Stephen Pollard from the Times online was in fact wrong in his declaration that Fair Trade was “nothing but a short-term diversion.” It was so much more than that, I realized, as I listened to Angelica and “Pato.”

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Newest Inductee to Fair Trade Federation celebrates

Changing Seasons, Changing Colors

October is a jam-packed (albeit wholesome) month. Autum has bestowed upon us a new season with changing colors, different sporting events and a peek at the holidays that are just around the corner.

October also encompasses a few special causes. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you’re in Austin, you may see our Pink Raspberry liso scarf around town at local businesses and events. Check out our Facebook Page to find us!

October is also host to Fair Trade Month. As one of the newest members of the Fair Trade Federation, we are excited to help spread the word about fair trade and its impact on the world.

So what is Fair Trade exactly?

Essentially, fair trade is trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries. Fair trade is also often referred to a social movement where the payment of fair prices to producers is promoted as much as it is practiced.

The reason behind fair trade as a social movement is the all-prevailing model of supply and demand. Once consumers become educated on where their products come from, hopefully they will come to demand that the products they buy be ethically sourced.

The growth in US and Canadian sales for Fair Trade between 2004 and 2007 was 102%! Click here to find more facts like this.

Fair trade goes a step further with a strategic intent to work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move towards economic self-sufficiency and stability.

As fair trade becomes more mainstream, organizations such as the Fair Trade Federation and the Fair Trade Foundation (based in the UK), will continue to provide accurate information and facts.

For instance, fair trade does not mean that developed world wages will be paid in developing countries.

To learn more about Fair Trade and how you can get involved this month click here

~Cheyenne

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Ethically-Sourced, Colorful Scarves and Wraps

Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break Our Stride (not even delays).

The shipper told me that cargo out of Guatemala was delayed due to a complication in Costa Rica (?). We lost one day. Shortly thereafter, Aldea’s customs broker called to say that our shipment had been put on hold by the USDA. Who knows why this happened, but what it meant was another delay.

So, it wasn’t until Friday when we first caught glimpse of the new scarves and wraps the artisans of Guatemala had created for Aldea’s fall line. Literally bursting forth from the containers they were held within, the handmade scarves and shawls were striking to behold and shivery-soft to touch. The boxes we unpacked carried with them the essence of the village where they had come from, a wafting aura unfurled from every colorful thread on those scarves. It was a feeling of joy mixed with nostalgia that filled us as we slowly assembled and took note of the contents of this cargo.

The colors of fall were there in the boxes, like the changing leaves in Virginia, they danced and flickered in the light. At last, after some waiting and some hoping, Aldea could begin shipping out to the scores of shops disposed to carry our line of handmade scarves and wraps.

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Handmade Scarves arrive from Guatemala

Conscious consumerism has never looked so good.

With our new Fall line in, we have been busy packing and shipping. The rich colors and craftsmanship alone have been enough to push interest over the edge hopefully meaning more packing and more shipping.

Thanks to our designer, Maura, we are learning more about colors, patterns and wear. Sites like Adaptive Reuse and Sassy Chic keep us up to date on new trends and unique ideas.

With big designer labels like BCBG saying bright colors are in, this Fall’s Chalinas will no doubt be a huge hit! They’ll also continue being a great accessory. Even in Texas, we’re seeing scarves paired with shorts…something we love.

Look for our new lines in a Whole Foods Market or university near you (and soon to be on this site!).

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Our Fair Trade Team Grows

Eager, Young, Socially-Conscious Minds Join Us

It’s that time of year again…Back to School! If you know me, you know I’ve always loved packing my back pack and heading out the door armed with freshly sharpened pencils, sticky-free glue sticks (later replaced by photoshop) and a list of new classes that would consume me for the next few months. The experience has of course been different the past few years, but nonetheless just as exhilarating.

What makes this year even better? Since hiring interns, academic education seems closer again. At Aldea we get the best of both worlds. On the one hand, we get the every day learning experience of running our own business. On the other hand, we are reconnected with the almost mandated exploratory thinking that is encouraged in a university setting.

We are happy to officially introduce you to our new interns.

Marie Libres
Marie is currently studying Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin, Class of 2011. She is a member of Texas Advertising Group and has had experience with multimedia and web design.

During the Spring and Summer 2009 semesters, she had the opportunity to study advertising abroad in Pamplona, Spain at Universidad de Navarra.

Thanks to her interest in artisan crafts and cultures, she is excited to be part of the Aldea Designs team!

Patrick Meaney
Patrick is a 22-year-old, government major at UT, also studying for a business foundations certificate and an environmental studies certificate.

Previously, Patrick has worked for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy/PIRG non-profit, through ReEnergize Texas. Patrick founded the UT chapter of ReEnergize Texas and helped organize the second Annual RTX summit, which brought about 180 students from colleges and high schools across Texas to Huston-Tillotson University.
Patrick also worked with W3LL PEOPLE, a start-up organic skincare and cosmetic company here in Austin. His passions lie in eco-friendly advancements and entrepreneurship.

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Maria Vasques, Aldea artisan

1947 – 2009

Maria Vasques, mother, grandmother, and Aldea artisan passed away the 26th of July, after suffering from what most of her community believed to be a form of stomach cancer. Doña Maria was truly an asset for Aldea, patiently sharing her wisdom at each group meeting and helping us establish and fortifying the artisan group in San Juan, la Laguna, Guatemala. Our best memory of Doña was from the filming of Aldea’s weaving video, during which time she tried to ‘teach’ us how to weave. She told us, “you know, weaving is really pretty easy… once you know how.”