Braided Detail Brown Alpaca Blend Poncho from Peru - Natural Sepia

Artisan Organization: Martin Lazarte

Country: Andes

"My name is Martin Lazarte; I was born in 1972 in Lima, Peru. I consider myself an entrepreneur, a creative and very responsible man in all aspects of my life, which has allowed me to maintain discipline and order.

"Since I started working in knitting I realized that it was a very wide world—a very creative place where you can develop and combine colors, textures and at the same time create forms and play with tensions. I was fascinated by everything. I love it, and when I discovered it I knew that I always wanted to dedicate myself to this.

"I was lucky enough to work in a fabric export company where they developed fashion. We had a product development area in fabric, where I saw the process of programming fabric development, steamed finish plating, etc.

"In life there are always difficult moments. The important thing and the redemption of everything is the education that each difficulty has given me, and getting to overcome them. In my case it was starting from scratch, from nothing. When I decided to be independent, to leave my comfort zone to begin and dedicate myself to this textile craft against all odds dare to dream big without giving up.

"The biggest challenge without a doubt is to make a path with my own and differentiated style. The beginnings are always complex. I remember that making a portfolio of clients who trust my products was one of the most difficult tasks that I have had. I had everything against me, but developed my technique working in the workshop, designing and preparing my technical sheets, making my own patterns and personally conducting quality control.

"What I like the most is being able to have the freedom to create, and I think that in textile art there is a lot to explore. Inspiration comes from everywhere; from my day to day, from sunrise to the end of the day, aromas, textures, and life itself. There is always something new to discover.

"One of my great dreams is to achieve more scope with my art and my products and to grow in my workshop, and to get to position it as much as possible both locally and internationally.

"Currently I work for a non-governmental organization in the Andes of Peru, in Huaraz, where we develop a collection with a variety of models and shapes. This allows residents to train and develop their own technical sheets and a variety of silhouettes. I am happy sharing knowledge and education, as it is the basis for getting ahead." "