The latest Summer 2021 collection at Casa de los Gigantes includes handcrafted women’s accessories that show off pieces of marvelous “huipils,” which are traditional blouses worn by indigenous women in Guatemala. Huipils are usually woven on a backstrap loom. These accessories are crafted by a group of artisan women from the Xiquin village.
Huipils are particularly durable due to the close weaving mechanism between the threads that pull the piece together. This technique makes the fabric of a huipil very long-lasting and they therefore don’t require much maintenance. For that reason, we love to use these patterns on other products to upcycle them - for example, with handmade cosmetic bags or clutches like those in our newest collection from Xiquin.
Unfortunately, despite the wisdom and deep knowledge of these talented women artisans, Siggy (the founder of Casa de los Gigantes), discovered that the artisan women from the Xiquin region and their families were facing significant challenges, including chronic child malnutrition. When Siggy became aware of this situation thanks to a close collaboration with the ALDEA NGO, she quickly decided to offer her help by incorporating the handwoven huipil patterns into Casa de los Gigantes’ products.
Consequently, this newest collection of leather clutch purses incorporates the vibrant colors and overlapping flowered patterns of the hupil weavings exquisitely crafted by the women artisans of Xiquin.
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