At Andean Collective we strongly believe in supporting women in all our home countries and do so everywhere we can.
We draw inspiration from our beautiful surroundings in the Byron Hinterland, as well as the Andean Mountains. Both birth places of Andean Collective. Our aim is to give back to both of these beautiful places and help keeping traditions alive.
Andean Collective is an ode to the strong women that inspire us. Those are the mothers, the artists, the artisans & makers in Peru and the powerful creative community around us in Byron Bay.
Our pieces are made for these strong women that inspire us.
We are supporting our Artisans, Dressmakers and Seamstresses with fair wages and enabling these beautiful ladies to work from home and be with their families as opposed to commuting through the big city of Lima for hours every day.
At the same time we are supporting the tradition of handmade embroidery in Peru and want to share this art with all of you around the world.
We’re hoping to empower the women who wear our pieces, as much as we feel empowered to see you dressed in our creations.
We believe that when women supporting each other magic happens.
Below we are introducing you to our Makers and Artisans at Andean Collective :
Marina is our main seamstress. She has been with us from the start. She’s a seamstress and knows pattern making as well. She’s been to our home in Lima and became a friend over time.
She is 60 years old, has two daughters and a son and six grandchildren. Sewing has enabled her to support her family. She lives with her husband in the district of Chorillos in Lima.
We are so grateful she is part of our Andean Collective family and that we get to support Marina with work through our collections.
Dressmaking has provided her with the means to raise her three children and for them to become successful professionals themselves.
Elenit is one of our two seamstresses - she’s 42 years old and has two sons.
She was born in the Amazon region of Peru and has moved to Lima in order to find work. She now lives in the district of Chorillos in Lima.
She lives with her husband and contributing to their bills.
Working with us has enabled her to save up and set up her workshop at home. That means she can work from home now and be with her children.
Eladia is one of our two embroidery artists. She is originally from Ayacucho.
Her father was in the textile industry and her family has been practicing traditional Peruvian embroidery for many generations.
She has two sons and a daughter.
Working with us enables her to freelance from home and be with her children after school.
She lives with her husband in the district of Nueva Esperanza in Lima. They are sharing the house hold bills.
One of our two embroidery artisans. She’s originally from Huancayo in the Peruvian Sierra. She now lives in the district of Pamplona Alta in Lima.
She’s 41 years old and has got two daughters and a son.
Her and her husband are saving up to open their own little wine cellar. Working with us had brought them a fair bit closer to their goal and enables her to be with her children as she works from home.
We went to visit her when we started working with The NGO Buckner Peru - you can check it out via our highlighted stories in Instagram.
