There’s no better way to gear up for travel season than by picking up the perfect gear. And when you shop Handmade by Friendship Bridge®, you’re doing so much more than just stocking up for a getaway. You’ll showcase Guatemalan artisan techniques wherever you go, and can travel with confidence knowing that the items you carry are helping foster empowerment and resilience for women living in a country with an extremely high poverty rate. Before you hit the road, the skies, or the water, consider the following items for your trip:
For the weekend
If you’re committed to traveling light for a quick weekend getaway, you can get just about everything you need in a spacious Huipil Travel Bag. It’s accented with sturdy leather straps, includes an 8-inch outside pocket for stashing necessities along with an interior zippered pocket.
The name comes from a traditional Guatemalan blouse known as a huipil—a common garment worn by women that is an integral part of the identity of the Indigenous Mayan people. Each region in Guatemala has a specific huipil with unique embroidery and symbolism that represent that region—many Guatemalan women will only wear the huipil from the place where they live.
To create these bags, our artisan Erika purchases secondhand huipiles from other Indigenous members of her community in local markets, paying them a fair price, based on the embroidery work and the condition of the textile. Normal length of wear for a huipil is 2 to 6 years; after that amount of time, many women then want to sell them in order to get back some money to save for a new one. Reselling their older garments gives them a chance to do just that.
The secondhand huipiles are then washed, repaired as needed, and repurposed into a sturdy bag, which becomes another way to preserve and carry forth Guatemalan culture. Because they are made from repurposed Guatemalan textiles, every handmade Huipil Travel Bag is unique and will never be mistaken for another person’s bag while traveling.
For shopping during your trip
Tuck one of our Jardín Totes into your travel bag or purse, and you’ll have a stylish eco-friendly shopping bag everywhere you travel. These bags, handwoven and hand dyed by our artisan Santos, incorporate an age-old elaborate technique known as Ikat or Jaspe in Spanish, which is well known among the Indigenous Maya as a method for creating patterns on textiles. While Ikat is known and created among textile communities around the world, Guatemala’s specific technique is thought to be one of the more complicated, according to textile experts.
To create Ikat patterns, yarn used for weaving is first wrapped tightly and tied with thread before it is dyed and woven into fabric. After the dyed yarn dries, the threads are untied and unbundled. The dye won’t have penetrated the places in which the bundles are tied—this is where the patterns form. It’s similar to tie-dying a T-shirt using rubber bands, only much more elaborate.
For an evening out
For many active travelers, vacation means packing comfortable clothes and easy accessories. If you’re planning for an elegant night out but still want to keep it simple, bring along a Sparkling Nights Silver Coin Purse to add a bit of glamour in the form of an affordable, practical accessory. Hand stitched by María with glass beads and lined with traditional Guatemalan textiles, the same purse is great for keeping smaller items organized while traveling.
For your cosmetics
Also made from repurposed Guatemalan textiles and handmade by Martina, our Large Huipil Zippered Bags make great travel accessories for organizing make up or toiletries, and they are large enough for specific hair care products that are important to bring from home. Available in a variety of sizes, you can select a size that works best in your suitcase. You’ll have a piece of Guatemala with you wherever you go, as a reminder to preserve the culture of the Indigenous Maya and shop for sustainable products.
For your friends
Vibrant and always handmade with Guatemalan textiles, our Luggage Tags make the perfect pre-trip gift for a group of friends or family traveling together. The tags are consistently one of our most popular products, handmade by our award-winning artisan, Jacinta. They are affordable enough to purchase for everyone, and you’ll always be able to find your bags when these are attached!
Wherever you travel this year with Handmade items in tow, let us know! Tag us at @handmadefriendshipbridge on Instagram or @Handmade by Friendship Bridge on Facebook to show how you travel with Handmade, or send us a picture: handmade@friendshipbridge.org. We can’t wait to see where our artisans’ products go next!
----------------
Handmade by Friendship Bridge® is a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation, an association dedicated to supporting members that value the health of the planet, and the labor, dignity, and equality of all people. Shop with confidence, knowing that we are fully committed to FTF’s principles to: 1. Cultivate new market opportunities; 2. Develop transparent and accountable relationships 3. Build capacity 4. Promote fair trade 5. Pay promptly and fairly 6. Support safe and empowering working conditions 7. Ensure the rights of children 8. Cultivate environmental stewardship 9. Respect cultural, racial, and ethnic identity.
