These holidays we had what we call in Guatemala a “convivio” which is a gathering of people to celebrate, give thanks, or close a cycle.
For the Wakami Convivio, to celebrate the end of the year we did a group dynamic to learn more about each other. We all shared where we came from, what changed us along the way, and where we see ourselves in the future.
To start, we all sat down to write or think about our own Wakami story. As soon as I picked the pencil my story was so clear to me, and I would like to share it with you.
My mom is Maria Pacheco, one of the founders of Wakami, and I remember, when I was a child, my mom always came back late from the rural communities where she was working with women that had very little. I remember wondering why she would go all day with these women instead of spending the afternoon with me and my siblings. As I grew up I better understood that this was her life’s work and began to appreciate the value of it. She sacrificed so much for her work and so did we in our own way.
So when I think of where I come from, I would say first that I come from a hard working family.
As I grew older, I came to realize that my mom wasn’t just working, but that my mom was in fact chasing her dreams and dreaming together with other women. She showed me that through work we can achieve our dreams, but more importantly that while our individual dreams are powerful, collective dreams are unstoppable.
For me, Wakami became a part of how I saw the world and saw how important it would be for me to chase my own dreams.
I have always loved fashion design and textiles, and the creative process. That love led me to ultimately obtain a Masters Degree from the Savannah College for Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia in textiles. I discovered that through my own hands with the things I could make, I could transform and change realities. I now work for Wakami as a fashion designer, and my goal is to bring to life designs that combine the ancestral weaving techniques of the Mayan women with modern design possibilities.
When you purchase Wakami fashion, you are purchasing a part of my dream coming to life for modern fashion to serve as a bridge to these rural women and their ancient way of life.You are also purchasing a part of my mom’s dream for these women, and a part of their dreams for themselves and their children.
As mom shared in her story of Rocío, miracles happen as a result of these dreams. In the convivio, we all realized that Wakami is an agent of change. It is a tipping point in the lives of all people who are part of it and a place where we can see ourselves now and in the future, dreaming together and working together to transform our lives and the lives of others.
