Shared Vision
An Artisan Initiative
This year we launched an exciting initiative in partnership with Sunshades Eyewear distributing reading glasses throughout artisan communities across Mexico and Guatemala so that they can continue their culturally important and beautiful work.
We feel pretty darn lucky doing what we’re doing with Piece Collectors. It gives us the opportunity to connect with artisan communities, travel foreign lands and share unique cultures with you. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t bouts of self-doubt. In between those curated Instagram moments we question the choices we’ve made over the last five years; leaving successful careers and throwing away our ‘comfortable, secure’ lives, to chase an idealistic dream. In these moments, weighed down by the everyday struggles of running a small business, we return to our “why”. Why are we doing what we’re doing?
The answer is quite simply because we want to make a positive impact on the lives of everyone we collaborate with. This year, we had the chance to really reconnect with our ‘why’, the reason we began Piece Collectors five years ago.
Hiring a cleaner makes both Luke and I feel a little uncomfortable, but Juana was a non-negotiable when we signed the lease in San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala back in 2014. Each week Juana would come to the house to clean, but first, we would sit over tea and chat in our clumsy Spanish (a second language for the both of us). During our ‘chats’, I discovered that Juana was having trouble with her eyesight. Failing eyesight is common amongst weavers in Guatemala, as most of the weaving is done in the evenings after the day’s duties have been completed. The threads are fine and their eyes strain in the poor light of a bare bulb. If the women, often the sole income earners of the household, can’t weave, then they can’t put food on the table for their family.
This sparked an idea.
Before becoming a global nomad and building Piece Collectors, I was a designer for Australia’s leading eyewear manufacturer Sunshades Eyewear. I had always had the idea to distribute glasses amongst those in need, but I could never get around the logistics of requiring an optician and supplying the wide range of lenses required for the wide range of eye conditions. And then it hit me - reading glasses. Frames that had magnified lenses. Sure, they weren’t the ultimate solution, but it was an achievable solution and it would help to make a difference to lives like Juana’s.
I reached out to my good friend Hamish Tame, Creative Director at Sunshades, who immediately jumped on board and generously donated a bunch of reading glasses.
In addition to the artisans, we had built relationships with over the years, Luke and I teamed up with Casa Textil, a textile house employing over 120 weavers across Chiapas, Mexico, to distribute the reading glasses across Mexico and Guatemala.
Village: Yochib
Population: 25,000
Textile Style: Plain Stripes
Gloria’s family live in the picturesque village of Yochib, located in the luscious mountains surrounding San Cristobal de las Casas. We began our day early with a small team of four from Casa Textil, loaded into the back of the car. They were to be our tour guides, translators (as many of the villages speak dialects unique to each region) and hosts. We walked down a muddy trail to Gloria’s home, where her mother and three sisters greeted us. They unveiled their most prized weavings and we played dress-ups, ohhh-ing and ahh-ing at the intricacy of the work. We explained why we were there and began testing their eyes to determine who required glasses. Immediately everyone began to giggle. Most of these women had never tried glasses on before, so they laughed at how strange they looked and felt; sometimes putting them on upside down. After a special brunch that they had prepared specially, we said our farewells and continued on to the next home
Further up the road and down another luscious green path, we met Mary-Angelica’s family. Her mother and two sisters greet us shyly, but as always, giggling. They set up a backstrap loom outside so that we could see the magic of weaving. Luke and I both tried our hands at it, weaving the relevant rod in and out, pulling the “machete” down to compress the threads neatly and rocking forward on the small wooden chair to open up the warp threads… well, at least that’s what we were attempting to do. They make it look effortless after years and years of practice. In the background, phone calls were being made to neighbouring friends and family, as one by one, they come down the path and are fitted with reading glasses. We leave a box there with instructions, for the family members that weren’t unable to make it in time.
Village: Cancuc
Population: 29,000
Textile Style: Small Intricate Squares
The work produced in the region of Cancus is some of the most intricate and beautiful in Chiapas, perhaps even Mexico. We are greeted by a huge extended family; grandparents, children, babies, pets - there’s a buzz of excitement in the air. The grandparents are proud of their work and immediately present us with examples of their exquisite weavings. I’m in awe. They know how to put on a good show, dressing up in their most prized textiles and showing us how their work is done. I am mesmerised as individual threads are lifted, threading the weft yarn through, creating small neat iconic squares. We pull out the reading glasses; they seem as mesmerised by the glasses as I am with their work. Everyone wants to be tested. Even the kids want to try the glasses on for fun. Abuela (grandmother) immediately tries her new reading glasses on as she weaves and is amazed at how clearly she can see her work. They present us with freshly cooked corncobs and bottles of Pepsi. After multiple photoshoots we call it a day… a great day.
Village: Aguacatenango
Population: 3400
Textile Style: "‘Bullion’ Floral
Suzana’s family is blessed with the most beautiful smiles I’ve ever seen. Located in Aguacatenango, a breathtakingly beautiful hour drive outside of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. The embroidery from this region is pretty, consisting of lace, ribbon and floral designs using an array of embroidery techniques, notably the “bullion” stitch.
We begin with Suzana’s mother, the clear matriarch, testing her sight and explaining how the reading glasses work. After selecting a pair, she puts them on and holds up a needle and thread. Smiles and giggles erupt - she can thread the needle! Behind the scenes, the sisters are busy making phone calls as relatives begin to pour through the front gate, one by one shaking our hands. We run through the testing process with all of them and bag up their selected styles.
After more giggling and flashing of those beautiful smiles, they make us a lunch of tortillas, cheese and beans. I promise to send a pair for Suzana’s father as the only style we have left in his magnification is a bright purple catseye shape which he doesn’t seem to keen on.
What we found interesting about this visit was the feeling of remoteness. Even though geographically they were only an hour or so away, they would travel to the city only a couple of times a year. Remoteness isn’t just measured distance, but in the difficulty for an individual to reach somewhere. For us it was easy. We rented a car and drove out within an hour. But for a local, that more likely requires an hour walk to the bus stop; a one-two hour journey in the back of a pick-up truck followed by a second bus for another hour journey. Once arriving in town, there’s a 45-minute walk to the town centre and then having to pay a days wage to stay in a hotel. This is why the project is so important, even though the price of a pair of readers may actually be accessible for some of these people, the access to them is not.
Village: Nachig
Population: 3200
Textile Style: Brocade icons
It was surprising to discover the number of artisans we met that actually needed reading glasses for their work. At a guess, around 85% of people over forty-years-old needed a pair of readers but did not have access to them.
We had met the family of weavers from Nachig briefly at the Casa Textil workshop as they were making various textile samples for us. We visited them in their home, a short 20-minute drive from town. Their workroom contained three backstrap looms strung from the ceiling and bundles of thread stacked around the perimeter of the room. The room is poorly lit; the best spot for weaving is by the window. We fit out two of the women with reading glasses and leave instructions and paperwork for them to see if extended family friends or neighbours might need some also.
After visiting each of these villages, the importance of what we were doing became clear. So many of these artisans, whether because of remoteness or financial difficulties do not have access to reading aids, and as a result, their craft was suffering which in turn affects their livelihoods. Without an ability to weave and embroider, these talented individuals lose the ability to connect with their culture and their heritage. And of course, they lose the ability to support their families.
Piece Collectors was born from a desire to support artisan by sharing their unique work and in-time create sustainable incomes. This initiative gives our work an even deeper meaning
A huge thank-you to Sunshades Eyewear for generously donating the reading glasses and to Casa Textil who were instrumental in helping us distribute the frames. In our absence, the team at Casa Textil will take over the project of distributing frames.
We feel so proud of what we have accomplished together and I can’t wait to continue and grow this initiative.
