We live in a civilization where most of the production processes are industrialized, which means that the goods we use in our daily life are usually low quality, common, and made of materials of unknown sources.
For this reason and despite the challenges that may arise, since I started creating WARIMBA I promised myself that we would only sell handmade products. I chose to start with textile crafts from Yucatan since it seemed like the perfect excuse to travel the peninsula in search of my favorite artisans.
In Yucatan, artisanal labor is the basis of income of many families who live in rural areas. These communities struggle to preserve their art and traditions as a consequence of the industrialization that has caused many to abandon their craftman work for several reasons. First, it is very difficult to compete with the price of products that machines manufacture, their cost is notoriously lower and therefore the sale price is lower too. Another reason is that a machine-made product can be done much faster than a handmade product, so while an artisan in a month can do between one and two hammocks (depending on experience and the type of weaving technique), a machine can produce hundreds of same article even in less time.
In Warimba we create hammocks not only for the beauty and function of them, but also to help preserve the art and traditions of native communities in the Americas.
To get closer to fulfilling our mission, we decided to affiliate with "Weaving Dreams" (Urdiendo Esperanzas). This is a non-profit and self-employment program sponsored by the City of Merida in Yucatan, Mexico. The program consists of providing supplies and training for hammock weaving techniques to Meridian families from diverse parishes.
We want to inform you that since this August, for each hammock sold, WARIMBA will donate yarns to the apprentices of the Weaving Dreams program.
Join us!
