When we started Ixchel Triangle about 10 years ago, there wasn't such a scarcity of Huipils. There weren't so many other businesses taking Huipils and deconstructing them into bags and other products. And so, we felt comfortable doing this too. However, as this is something we no longer do -- I wanted to take a moment to share why we no longer repurpose Huipils into bags.

As the years have gone on, we have seen how scare the Huipils have become. We've seen several vintage weavings that aren't in production anymore, some of which are essentially extinct because so many Huipils have been deconstructed. We no longer felt comfortable taking these beautiful weavings and deconstructing them and turning them into bags. Instead, we want to leave them the way that they are culturally intended to be, which is a blouse. 

Instead, we've started creating custom weavings. These weavings are a combination of a traditional weaving from our artisans and the villages they live in, and new designs which we've come up with and created together. Every weaving we use on a bags was woven with the intention of becoming a piece of a bag. 

This is also another way for us to guarantee how it was made and who it was made by. We only use organic cottons and natural dyes as these are what is best for our bodies and our planet. 

Lastly, repurposing Huipils does not support a sustainable lasting source of income for Mayan weavers. If they are using old weavings repeatedly and the demand for new weavings is not there, this beautiful art form would become much more scarce. 

For these reasons and many more it was not a hard decision for us to make from an ethical standpoint. We are so thankful for the love our community has for them but now we choose to honor them and the weavers we work with in a more symbiotic and whole way. Thank you for your support and understanding!