Woven in Collaboration: The Story Behind the Big Stripe Bag
Our relationship with Elisiana, one of the founders of Bathen, goes back to when Casa Flor Designs started in 2016. Elisiana and our Director, Flory, worked together at a non-profit that supported backstrap weavers, the same non-profit where Flory and Averie met in 2014.
Elisiana brought her business partners, Hannah and Emily, to visit Guatemala when they first started their brand, and since then, they have partnered with backstrap weavers to create their Medium Stripe Bag.
How It’s Made
The Big Stripe Bag is woven on the traditional backstrap loom with the Waqxaqi’ Kan Cooperative. If you would like to learn more about each step involved in the backstrap weaving process, you can read more about that in a previous Woven in Collaboration blog. Here, instead of speaking to the steps involved, we will be speaking to the nature of backstrap weaving in Guatemalan culture.
tEXTILES ARE WOVEN IN cOMMUNITY
Here, you can see Carmen, Matea, and Micaela preparing warp threads and weaving together in the same room. This is not to make it easier for us to photograph each part of the process, it is simply the way women weave. In community.
The beauty of the backstrap loom is that it can be easily transported. These women mostly work from their homes, surrounded by their families, weaving in and around the rhythms of daily life. On this particular day, they brought their textiles to their shared cooperative center. While they worked, there were moments of quiet as they focused on counting threads, and moments of laughter as they chatted in Kaqchikel. Weaving in Guatemala is not only a way to earn income or produce utilitarian textiles, it is a deeply ingrained part of the culture. A way to mark a new stage in life, to pass time with intention, to express creativity, to find a moment of stillness.
THE WORK IS SHARED
Like many weaving communities, the Waqxaqi' Kan Cooperative ensures that orders are distributed evenly among their members. Cooperatives like this one are often organized to provide supplemental income for families, structured so that the work is shared equally.
That spirit of sharing extends into the home. Children observe their mothers weaving from a young age, absorbing the craft long before they ever sit at a loom themselves. As women get older, they may step back from the weaving itself if it becomes too strenuous, but they remain involved by preparing threads and contributing what they are able. Sometimes a single textile is a team effort, with tools and tasks passed between family members. The work is shared in the truest sense.
weaving is never rushed
That would be against the point. Weaving is an art, a craft that requires time, patience, and sustained focus. There is no "improving efficiency" when it comes to the backstrap loom. Each row of thread is placed by hand, each pattern counted, not programmed. We have honest conversations with each cooperative to provide timelines for our clients. Our clients understand that they need to adjust their launch calendars to accommodate the requirements of the weavers.
If you're curious about what it looks like to start a partnership like Bathen's, you can learn more about working with us here.
Behind the Brand
Color Mood Board for the Medium Stripe Bag in Burst Colorway
What brought you to Guatemala for the first time?
My (Elisiana) sisters and I went to Guatemala together in 2014 after visiting our family in El Salvador. We visited Lake Atitlán and I knew once that trip ended, that I would come back again. Two years later, I moved there.
How did your perspective on Guatemalan textiles change once you started working at the NGO that partnered with backstrap weavers?
When I learned about Guatemalan textiles my perspective broadened beyond just the technical aspects of weaving. I learned how these textiles tell stories, preserve history, and how impactful it is when the weavers are paid fairly. Working at the NGO completely shifted my understanding of not only how products are made in Guatemala, but how all products, regardless of where or who makes them, matters.
Why was it important to you to include a backstrap woven product in your product line for Bathen?
After our first brand founder trip to Guatemala, we felt that incorporating backstrap woven products was an integral and beautiful aspect of our catalog. We absolutely fell in love with the technique, the community, and the artistry involved in the process.
What is your inspiration when you design a new color palette?
We draw inspiration from many different elements. Our main source of inspiration is travel, and we also frequently draw on colors and themes seen in interior design, art, and photography.
Shop More Bathen Bags Woven on the Backstrap Loom
