Daniela
I graduated with a Sustainable Tourism degree in my country, Guatemala, and had the opportunity to travel around for work and meet many talented local artisans along the way.
I’m not a fashion designer and I know little about the industry and its latest trends, but I do like to see fashion as a way of expressing ourselves through what we like to wear.
I am deeply passionate about Guatemalan indigenous textiles handcrafted by Maya women. Understanding the cultural value that textiles represent for the Maya community, I wanted to learn more about the traditional clothing of each region. Seeing these garments as pieces of art is how they must be seen! They are full of meaning where each woman weaves to represent and communicate her beliefs, thoughts and emotions. It takes time and patience to make them. The results are these beautiful, colorful fabrics with stories behind to tell.
I wanted to contribute to preserving and sharing a bit of Guatemalan handcrafted textiles with the world, so I came up with TRIPIco. I was thinking about creating an ethical local brand that uses traditional textiles and fuses them with modern fashion trends. A creative process then started in building up a brand that would not only sell clothes with textile details, but become a business model that would give back to the community by supporting local craftsmanship and generating job opportunities in rural areas. Living in a country where more than half of the population lives in poverty is what drives me to continue with the project and to be able to give more income to local artisans.
