Your Cart is Empty
Coutume’s collections are designed in our studio in Oaxaca, Mexico and ethically made from sampling to finish by talented craftsmen from all over Central America.
Our connections were mainly established through traveling and working in the field for several years. Our collaborations are gradually expanding through time and network. We regularly visit the workshops in Guatemala & Mexico, where the makers proudly share the beauty of their process, and where we choose premium quality materials and textile techniques.
Our brand partners with 8 artisan groups that represent around 80 artisans. Our priority is given to women: 80% of the weavers, tailors and cooperative leaders we work with are female. We collaborate with associations, small producers and families who work in healthy conditions and receive a fair wage.
These exclusive textiles are produced without machines, at a human pace. Behind each product are several artisans working several weeks, using heritage techniques to complete the process.
Every piece we craft is 100% handmade. The production is fascinating as our textiles are embroidered, woven or hand-dyed. Each weave bears the trace, culture and heritage of its community, resulting in high quality, and original pieces.
Our studio uses eco-friendly materials, natural fibers such as cotton and wool, and plant-based dyes whenever possible. We are consistently working on the development of new pieces.
Nahualá is a small village located in the highlands of Guatemala. The K'iche women artisans preserve their heritage through weaving their traditional garb and speaking their Maya language. The graphic motifs utilized in their textiles represent the sky, stars, and focus on illustrating the strength of women. We have partnered with a local design studio to ensure Fair-Trade practices within their cooperative.
The back-strap loom weaving technique is a Mayan art that is still alive in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. We collaborate with an NGO that represents the artisans and their families, and ensures Fair-Trade certified practices. Our partners are committed to preserving the local textile traditions and creating employment for 35 talented women weavers.
We partner with a Mayan K'iche artisan group in Quiejel, situated in the highlands of Guatemala, where women still produce their own traditional blouse called huipil, featuring local plants, landscapes or animal motifs. Since the 1980’s, these weavers have carried out the tradition of their ancestors, now through a cooperative, where they may continue their textiles made with fair trade standards.
Coutume works with 2 family workshops in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico where the flat weaving technique originated in pre-hispanic times and prevailed for hundreds of years. The artisans use virgin sheep wool and plant-based dyes in their work based on: cochineal, indigo, nutshells and fruits, flowers and barks or other minerals...
Our cotton throws are handmade by a family of Zinacantan, a small village in the mountains of Chiapas. The motifs blend modern graphics and Mayan geometric brocades. Our partner Marco works from his home, surrounded by his wife and children where he shares stories of the region. Ethical work practices and fair wages are framed by a local cooperative.
We partner with a Mexican cooperative who includes a group of women embroiderers from Chenahló, Chiapas, Mexico. The artisans weave a cotton base with a back-strap loom technique followed by embroidering the textile with a mix of cotton & wool. The cooperative ensures the weavers are paid fairly, as all textiles are made by hand, in the highest of quality.
