Mercado Global

In October, we were delighted to host our first Design a Difference Fellow, Chrissie Lam.  Our Design a Difference Fellowship facilitates partnerships between women designers, rural artisans, and consumers to build a better world through design and sales collaboration.

Chrissie, a Senior Conceptual Designer for multi-billion dollar fashion companies including American Eagle Outfitters, has been successfully connecting designers with causes for philanthropic collaborations for the past three years.  Her new venture, The Supply Change, takes collaborations to the next level by connecting global fashion brands with artisans in developing economies to bring socially-conscious fashion to the mainstream consumer.  During her week with Mercado Global, Chrissie worked with our artisans and our Director of Design and Product Development, Courtney Hardt.  Here is her account:

Hola from Lake Atitlán!

This Guatemalan town is my home for the week. I’m very lucky to be here.  Torrential rains and landslides made the roads leading to Panajachel impassable for over 2 weeks, but the sun finally decided to come out two days before I arrived.
The view is breathtaking!  Courtney meets me at my hotel in Santa Catarina on Sunday and we have a very productive brainstorming session on the veranda overlooking the lake as the misty afternoon fog rolls in.

Panajachel

A sign embroidered with “Bienvendos a Mercado Global” welcomes visitors to the office.  Stacks of yarn and woven fabrics pile against the walls; glass jars filled with every colored bead imaginable line the shelves while samples and color swatches are scattered about the working tables.  Local artisans have come in for the day to work on new beaded accessory prototypes.

My week with Mercado Global consists of researching and sourcing materials and pattern inspiration at local markets, and pitching concepts for their private line and for one of their main clients.  In the mornings, I perch my laptop on their outdoor balcony and work with the lush green mountains as my backdrop.  The sound of roosters cock-a-doodling becomes my soundtrack. Needless to say, the working environment here is vastly different from my corporate design headquarters in NYC.

During the afternoons, I explore the different communities and local markets around Lake Atitlán via boat and photo-document unique weaving techniques, color use in textiles, and other types of inspiration.  These lakeside villages are very hilly– luckily I’m from San Francisco, so I’m no stranger to hills, but by the end of the day, my legs are sore from climbing and my arms are tired from carrying our loot.
My last day in Guatemala ends in Antigua, an atmospheric, cobblestoned, colonial town.  We visit a local workshop in which an artisan hand-makes matte porcelain beads for jewelry and coats them with a colorful pearl sheen.  I end up picking up a beaded wall hanging for my apartment.  We spend the rest of the day roaming the city’s markets and boutiques, scavenging for quirky and pretty objects.

Many thanks to the girls of Mercado Global for hosting me during my stay and showing me a fantastic time!

Click to read more about her visit.