Embroidered Laurel Green Cotton Skirt from Peru - Andean Fields

Artisan Organization: Antonio Cajahuanca

Country: Andes

"I'm Antonio Cajahuanca Barreto. I was born in a beautiful district of the central sierra named San Pedro de Cajas Tarma Junin, a placed blessed by natural beauty and extraordinary textile art and culture. I strive to be a respectable, attentive, and honest man in all aspects of life. I am loyal, committing myself not only professionally, but in daily life, as well.

"One of the most difficult moments that I lived through was, without a doubt, the loss of my father in 2002. I believe that it's very tough to lose someone so close. Adapting to his absence hasn't been easy, but he left me and my family with life-long lessons. He taught us to always be together, and that we can achieve anything we set our minds to. My dad was the man who inspired everything that we have achieved so far.

"From a young age, I was surrounded by the textile arts. As time went by, we decided to make this something much bigger. My sisters and I combined our knowledge, and, together, we promoted our vision and projects. We decided to work with a style and materials that would differentiate us from the rest of the market. We had a teacher who shared his knowledge with us, but, after that, the ball was in our court. We had to create new ideas based on everything that we learned, and in this way I became a textile artist alongside my sister and friends.

"Everything that we know about apparel and embroidery was learned by investigating and being very curious and observant. We put all our effort into it and achieved the best experience. We fail a lot but, more often that not, we pick ourselves up and follow our objectives and dreams.

"My plans, hopes, and dreams are to achieve excellence in our textile art styles and seek local and international marketing relationships. Because of this, I focus day to day achieving the best results possible. I believe that dreams are the essence of man. Without dreams, I couldn't have achieved what I have. My idea is to grow professionally, not only for myself, but also for my family and team. Together we are a single force.

"What I love the most about this art is the ability to involve myself in the design. But above all, I love working with one of my favorite materials. I really like to see the processes that result in each finished design. My main source of inspiration is Peruvian culture. I am very fortunate to have been born in a land rich in art, natural textures, flora, and fauna. This fills our hearts with inspiration and happiness as we develop our designs.

"As a family dedicated to textile arts, we take care of our community and collaborate with the local government to support taking care of the environment. We incentivize the care of gardens and pathways, teaching our community the importance of preserving our beautiful village so that, together, we can make a difference. I am very thankful to you for allowing me to share my art.""