best friend gifts

It is time to add a modern and graceful touch to your days with this exquisite shopping bag. Guatemalan artisan Luisa Villavicencio works with cotton and recycled denim to create this convenient accessory, whose natural hue is beautifully accented with the recycled textile's blue hue. Charming tassels crown the design, which is also equipped with a magnetic snap closure.

Soft cotton yarns and recycled denim textiles create a marvelous design from Guatemala. Luisa Villavicencio works with traditional techniques to create this handle bag accented with a sweet striped pattern of azure and alabaster hues. In addition, a magnetic snap closure secures the lined interior, while two open pockets on the sides allow for handy use.

Ivania Ruiz of Guatemala invites the universe's protection energies through a palette of sapphire hues. Cotton and zamac accents compose four coasters and a cute hacky sack, part of this curated gift set with Ivania's best creations. Nazar glass beads and crystals unite their serene beauty in a suncatcher, completing the box with a fantasy-inspired accent.

Designer Luisa Villavicencio and her family maintain the last remaining cotton farm in Guatemala, where they produce the materials used in their natural fashions. This laid-back poncho is created using undyed cotton and reclaimed denim fibers in a striking asymmetrical design with fringe details.
Luisa's family cultivates cotton in several natural colors, and the family is involved in the entire process, from growing the cotton to transforming it into apparel. Says Luisa, "There are 80 artisans working with us. Some are civil war widows. Others always felt that they couldn't do anything, and we've been able to change that negative self image... A lot of families depend on us. I feel I have a great duty to them, to my parents and to my country, whose textile tradition should not be lost."