Pure Alpaca Wool Shawl from Peru, "Muse"

Raquel and Gregor are dedicated to preserving the traditions woven into Peruvian culture from pre-Incan times. Like many before them, they learned their textile craft from elders in the community and they pass their knowledge to the younger artisans who work with them. Each piece produced in their workshop is woven on a wooden floor loom and finished by hand. Created from natural fibers — alpaca, cotton and silk — their work echoes the natural colors of the Peruvian landscape, reverberating with the rich hues of the mountains, the jungle and the coast.

Raquel and Gregor are deeply committed to building a sustainable workshop that offers a flexible supportive environment for the people who collaborate with them, most of whom are women. They have a special room at the workshop for the women to breastfeed or otherwise care for their children. Many of these women work solely for the purpose of being able to educate their children. Raquel and Gregor also have a deep respect for the environment and have installed solar panels in their workshop, a rarity in Peru.

Among the quality control assistants at Raquel and Gregor's workshop is one who is profoundly deaf. The rest of the team takes great pride in the way they have learned to communicate with her. They treasure what she has taught them about communicating with her and with each other.

Raquel and Gregor has received 9 microcredit loans with 0% interest from Kiva and Novica, the first for $1400 and the most recent for $2850. Proceeds were used to buy more silk, cotton and alpaca wool for her shawls and accessories.

Raquel and Gregor are able to provide work for a number of people, 90 percent of them women.