Laced with the richness of global artisanal craft and grounded in a bold palette, ANDEAN COLLECTIVES latest collection offers refined, casual romance that you will love for seasons to come. Countless hours and generations of experience have been woven together in each piece, handcrafted by our incredible network of women in Peru. No big machinery, no chemicals - just beautiful hands, a wealth of talent, an abundance of history and endless love. The ancient craft of knitting is an Andean tradition, many of our artisans learnt it from their mothers, and their grandmothers before them, passed down from generation to generation.
Community is at the heart of who we are, built on the foundation of creating garments ‘made by women, for women’. Our artisans are a strong community of women. Through their work with ANDEAN COLLECTIVE, they are able to support their families, work towards their financial goals, and do so locally without having to travel long distances to earn an income. Knitting blends seamlessly with daily life in the Andes, allowing women to work multiple jobs, watch over their children or manage family farms. Our artisans may gather in their village for two hours each day to work together, supporting each other in creating the highest quality pieces. During the pandemic, however, this has been done from the comfort of their own homes. One of our jumpers will take around 12 hours to knit and two hours for the finishing touches, there is a great deal of care and quality in every piece we make. Once complete, our amazing business partner in Lima, Lucia will meet our team to collect the garments and discuss the samples. As our women live in very remote regions with no access to computers or emails, all of our communication occurs via WhatsApp with the incredible Alison (one of our lead artisans) or in person.
At ANDEAN COLLECTIVE we believe in the power of economic opportunity for marginalised people, especially as a tool for female empowerment. We work with such talented women to create an ethical business that will improve their lives and preserve this ancient craft, ensuring it is not lost to industrialised production methods. We are so blessed to be able to share the amazing art and culture of hand embroidery and knitting from the Andes and we hope that you feel as empowered by wearing our designs as we do seeing you in them.
