This handmade creation is offered in partnership with NOVICA, in association with National Geographic. The idea behind this men's pullover is to design an elegant, soft and light sweater to wear when practicing a sport, say golf, explains Luisa Villavicencio. Featuring a round neck with a decorative triangle, the sweater is knitted with two of the three natural cotton colors, raw and green, resulting in a handsome beige hue.
Product Features:
- Weight: 0.9 lbs
- Color: Brown
- Material: 100% cotton
- Neckline type: Round
- Sleeve type: Gathered
- Closure: Pullover
- Size: L, M, S, XL
- Care instructions: Machine wash in cold water, Lay flat to dry
- Model number: 232654
- Made in Guatemala
Story Behind the Art:
All our creations are 100% ecological, 100% natural undyed cotton that reveals the natural shades of the fiber. People are sometimes surprised to learn that we use no dying process at all. Nature gives the color and we give it shape…I'm a Guatemalan woman, born into a family where respect for the environment and for our country's culture have always been a part of our daily life. The story of why I'm here and do what I do is really the story of my whole family, beginning with my parents. My father was always passionate about growing cotton. No matter how small the harvest, no matter how bad the weather, he never wanted to raise coffee or corn or anything else. He was an agronomy engineer and was enthusiastic about cotton and with preserving the cultivation of a crop that originated with the Maya culture. Cotton used to be abundant in Guatemala but it's been slowly disappearing over the years. Today, our 17 acres of cotton fields are the only ones left in the country. We are the only cotton farm in Guatemala.
All our creations are 100% ecological, 100% natural undyed cotton that reveals the natural shades of the fiber. People are surprised to learn that we use no dying process at all, but it's true. What's more, the color becomes more intense when the garment is washed. We work with only three pure colors. Apart from the crude cotton color everyone is familiar with, we also use a seed known asixcaco in the Maya language. It originated in the mountains with the ancient Maya civilization and produces brown cotton. We call our third color jade. My father and brother researched a way to obtain it by modifying the brown cotton seed and they were able to! Some time ago, we began working with a company that recycles denim scraps and remnants on a large scale. Their process is free of chemicals and dyes and saves more than 5,000 gallons of water. This fiber is 100% natural and is biodegradable. Because we have a strong commitment to social responsibility and to the environment, we wanted to adapt this fabric to our apparel, using materials with an endless cycle of life.
All our crop is destined for our own designs except for a small portion that we donate to the Ixchel Museum in Guatemala City. This museum works to preserve Guatemala's native textiles and clothing, a cause we strongly identify with. Also, my mother collaborated with this museum for many, many years because she had the soul of an artist and loved our country's textiles. She helped the weavers and it was there that she learned to work with them and teach them quality, design, etc. The teaching went both ways, as she'd tell me how much she learned from the artisans. In 1995, my father and brother founded our fashion workshop.
Please allow 10 business days for the product to leave our warehouse and to receive tracking information. You should expect to receive this item within 15 business days.