Preserving ancient methods and motifs, Victoria Quispe Mamani and the Hilando Victoria association create magnificent textiles. This all-wool wristlet is woven on a traditional backstrap loom in shades of russet, spice, amber, brown and army green. Supple brown leather trims the top and forms the wrist strap.
Made in Peru
100% wool with leather trim; polyester lining
Features a zipper closure
Dry clean only
All natural dyes
Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
“We must maintain the ancestral tradition. Our products are handcrafted, natural works."
Victoria Quispe Mamani is the master weaver and founder of the Asociación Hilando Victoria, which specializes in the... most traditional techniques of ancestral and manual weaving in the use of backstrap looms. She is Quechua-speaking, a community leader, and a guardian of the textile culture of Canchis.
Victoria did not go to school and she learned everything she learned in the field. “I grew up in the Community of Osefina, in the heights of the District of Pitumarca, Canchis, Cusco, and I come from a family of alpaca farmers and ranchers. At 38 years old, I moved to the city of Sicuani about 2 hours from Cusco, where I now live with my family: I have 5 sons and 4 daughters. I cannot imagine my life without weaving, without shaping through my hands; it is a continuous learning experience. It is the pleasure of experimenting with new designs and techniques that are always more complex. Even when I am ill, my hands go on their own; they weave and weave.”
All of her children weave and learned the art from their mother. All without exception grew up next to her, became artisans and teachers, and also do things as wonderful as their mother. Her eldest daughter is Octavia Rafaela and she is the voice of her mother, since she translates everything into her language, Quechua.
Her inspiration comes from the beautiful landscapes that surround the community. Victoria greatly enjoys not only the passion she feels for textile art and weaving, but also caring for and herding her sheep in the mountains. She loves spending time with her animals, which are sacred to her. She considers them family; they are part of her day-to-day life.
One of the celebrations that she enjoys the most is the meeting of her 9 children on her birthday, sharing food and enjoying life and health. She always instilled in her children that union and love should be their pillars for everything in life.
To assemble her loom, she seeks a free and quiet place where she can concentrate. There she drives the four stakes into the ground to begin work. She practices waist loom weaving, also called pampahuay. She works with alpaca and baby alpaca fiber, all 100% natural fibers. On the four-stake loom, it can take her three days or a week to make a chullo hat. Each piece is a different and unique work.
In the words of Octavia, her eldest daughter:
“We must maintain the ancestral tradition. Our products are handcrafted, natural works. My mom learned it from her grandmother, and her grandmother learned from her mother. It is an art that we carry throughout our history. We need to highlight our tradition and craftsmanship more. My mother's dream has always been to reach people who value her work, not only for my mother or my brothers, but because my mother has an association that brings together around 15 people. We have created a website, thanks to the awards we have won in this art. That is how we support the community, and thanks to this many people continue to be inspired and think that there is still an opportunity.”
Victoria leads the conservation of the ancestral knowledge of the loom in the province of Canchis; various awards received in the last decade attest to it. And, at the same time, she is curious and attentive to what is happening in the contemporary world. She fuses the different traditional techniques to develop new designs along with the pallay (iconographic motifs).
Since the pandemic began last year, business for artisans has dropped significantly. Most of the public who value the work of artisans, of what is done by hand, are foreigners. And today their presence is very restricted. Although there is support among artisan groups, it has not been enough. Due to COVID-19, many men and women have had to abandon crafts and return to work on the farm to survive. The association's plans to grow have been set back a lot.
Faced with this reality, Victoria was able to make a dream come true. It's called Hilando Victoria. Last year the project won funding from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur). It is a platform whose objective is not only to disseminate the work that she does, but also to generate income for of all the women in her association. Victoria's idea is that with the platform the artisans can resume their creative activity.
“It is a dream that my mother has had. Her dream has been to reach clients who value her work. This award is supporting us to create our virtual platform and reach them,” says Octavia.
Only valid on the Normal shipping option for shipments to 48 Lower US states.
Discounted shipping price may not be applied to previous orders.
This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.
We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.
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This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.
Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.
If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.
In the unlikely even that we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will contact you and provide an updated delivery window.
This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
BUST
35 - 36
37 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
WAIST
27 - 28
29 - 30
31 - 33
34 - 36
38 - 40
HIPS
37 - 38
39 - 40
42 - 43
45 - 46
49 - 50
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
CHEST
36 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
50 - 52
WAIST
30 - 32
32 - 34
35 - 37
38 - 41
43 - 45
NECK
14 - 14.5
15 - 15.5
16 - 16.5
17 - 17.5
18 - 18.5
SLEEVE
32.5
33.5
34.5
35.5
36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE
Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.
BUST / CHEST
Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.
WAIST
Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.
LOW WAIST
Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.
HIPS
Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.
NECK
Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.
SLEEVE
Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.
INSEAM
Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.
Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.
For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.
For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.
See buckle/tie belt size standards below.
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
inches
26 - 30
28 - 32
31 - 35
34 - 38
38 - 42
cm
76 - 86
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
inches
30 - 34
32 - 36
35 - 39
39 - 43
43 - 47
cm
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
109 - 119
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
Sash tie length
Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.
Belt with buckle
Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.
Belt without buckle
Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.
Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!
We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.
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