California Apparel News

The Apparel Sourcing Show in Guatemala City is always a hub of booths that showcase the various knit and woven fabrics produced in Central America for things such as T-shirts, tops and activewear.

But this year there was a new participant. The Mayan Store had a colorful booth where Gonzalo Pertile was surrounding by bright pillows made from 35,000 glass beads arranged in a traditional Guatemalan Indian design.

There were tennis shoes and ballet slippers made from indigenous fabrics as well as hand-loomed woven cotton fabric that could be used for a number of things.

Pertile is the co-founder of The Mayan Store, which was launched five years ago and works with 500 Guatemalan Indians in the region around Lake Atitlan and beyond.

"We have a team of designers in-house that are always looking for trends and what the market is looking for," Pertile said. "Then they go to the communities and implement the designs."

Already, West Elm furniture store has signed up to buy two different styles of accent pillows that are delicately covered with glass beads formed in the shape of a traditional design that comes from the Nahuala region. The pillows, that take five days to hand bead, will probably retail for about $185.

The hand-loomed cotton fabric comes in colorful hues and has a minimum of 50 yards with a maximum capacity of more than 5,000 yards a month.

Also made by The Mayan Store associates are beaded bracelets, scarves, wool rugs and many other things that have a traditional element with a modern twist.

Many of the people employed by The Mayan Store are Indian women trying to make a better life for their children.