How Maria's Bags are helping the women of Guatemala

Former Miss Guatemala Alida Boer tells The Week Portfolio how her colourful accessory range is keeping a 1000-year-old tradition alive

Fashion Maria's bags

When I was traveling for Miss Guatemala, I wanted to spread my culture around the world. I wanted everyone in the world to know more about Guatemala and how much our textile influences fashion. I decided on handbags because it is a very important part of an outfit. Moreover, it represents each person's identity. I started Maria's Bags in 2011 – I worked with three ladies who happened to all be named Maria, which is how I came up with the name.

But Maria's is more than a luxury handbag. While all of our leather and hardware is imported from Italy, our bags are manufactured in Guatemala. Each brightly coloured textile on them is created by a female artist with a waist loom and can take up to six months to create, making each piece bespoke and very special. No bag can be reproduced. The fabric is called "huipil" and comes from the traditional embroidered blouses worn by Mayan women.

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