I have been travelling, buying copious amounts of textiles and trying my hand at weaving, since December 2018. I have been working in the charity sector in the UK for the past seven years, and decided to take a break to explore my other passions of travel and textiles.
Through my travels, I have seen the transformative power of craft. Whether in Guatemala, Colombia or here in Peru, women are able to make their own income and work from home to run their households and raise their families. Research has shown that when a woman also earns an income at home, they are more likely to spend it on their children´s health and education, highlighting that craft goes beyond the individual, but benefitting their families and communities.
Witnessing the incredible skills and techniques of crafters has strengthened my dedication to buying fair trade products and ethical fashion. I firmly believe that women should be paid fairly for the time and skills they have. This is one of the many reasons why I wanted to volunteer with Threads of Peru. Threads are able to open up the market to women to show their incredible skills and ensure they are paid a fair wage for what they produce.
Over May, I will be supporting Threads with their social media accounts. May is the month of production over here, so there will be plenty of exciting news coming from us very soon!