Rainbow baby

Do you know where the cotton in your everyday products are coming from?

We take pride in only using the most natural and raw materials whether it’s for our shoes, jewelry, clothing, etc. To launch our newest addition to our Home Goods collection, pillow covers, we recently stumbled upon an amazing cotton farm that has the most exquisite materials and artisan’s craft to showcase.

Picture a quiet, secluded field in the hills of Guatemala. Planted lanes of cotton sway in the wind in bushes of white, tan and jade. This cotton farm is the epitome of all things natural. Away from the busyness of the world, this farm is quiet and soothing. Surrounded by bundles of cotton exquisitely soft to the touch, it’s almost like being in a cloud. The dream continues as this cotton is picked and manufactured with other authentic materials to produce genuine quality products. We are lucky enough to have found the business that runs this incredible natural oasis and are thrilled to showcase their amazing artisans!

Let's start at the beginning. Cotton.

Before the artisans are able to turn cotton into thread to be loomed, one must understand the natural cotton variety that is available in Guatemala.

The first step in any product development process from this farm is the nourishing and growing of this native color cotton. Did you know that not all cotton is white/cream colored? At this Guatemalan farm, there are three types of cotton that are grown. The first being native Ixcaco, sometimes called Cuyuscate. In Ixcaco, the “Ix” means “woman” and the “Caco” reflects the beautiful brown skin color of many of the Guatemalan women. As many Guatemalan women are the center of the cotton industry, the name of this cotton pays a beautiful homage to their hard work and incredible technical skill.

The next color of cotton that is gathered is Jade cotton

This cotton is a light green color, almost sage-like looking, that reflects the color of the Guatemalan famous stone, Jade. This green cotton has a natural tint and is very popular.

The last cotton is your typical creamy off-white cotton. This cotton can be used on it’s own, but is typically combined with other natural materials to create new colors. Any additional colors for the cotton come from collaborations with artisans that use up-cycled* denim to give blue and black hues to the cotton, after it’s made into thread. This keeps all of the materials natural and away from harmful chemicals and dyes. Plus, since sustainable measures are actively being taken, this process is slowing down the fast-fashion industry, one step at a time. So cool!

After the cotton has been gathered and prepped

The farm then works with a team of artisans around Guatemala to craft this colored cotton, fashion accessories and home decor using authentic “traditional patterns and techniques.” One of the main techniques is the intricate use of the backstrap loom. This tool helps the artisans weave the cotton threads into beautiful fabrics for the pillows.

From all-natural cotton gathered, then sometimes up-cycled into blue or black shades of thread if needed, then onto the team of incredible artisans that backstrap loom the thread into products, this group is a sustainable treat. At Mikoleon, we value using materials that are authentic and aren’t saturated with chemicals or synthetic dyes. We also are always thrilled to support other hard working artisan’s to help showcase their amazing efforts and talents.

Read more about these artisan’s stories in our Artisan Directory.

Miko Marketplace is now dropping a new collection of Home Goods!

We are beginning with unique and soft pillow covers for your couch or bed. Coming in a variety of sizes, patterns and colors, these pillows are bound to bring a refreshing detail of natural materials into your home.

When we found this cotton farm and the skill of its incredible artisans and what they could create ethically, we knew that we had to work with them! For our Miko Marketplace Home Goods collection, we’ve selected 43 different gorgeous pillows to offer. All of these pillows, from idea-to-cotton-to-final product, are made by natural cotton from the farm and their collaborative weavers and artisans. We’re so excited to have them available on our website for you to enjoy!

Check out some of these incredible pillow covers that we are dropping Friday, January 15th at 6 p.m. PST. With unique designs and materials as soft as the cotton picked from the farm, these pillow covers are the perfect conversation starter piece for your couch.

Sources


Grooters, S. G. (n.d.). Cotton [Photograph]. Novica: The Impact Marketplace.
https://www.novica.com/blog/last-remaining-cotton-farm-guatemala/
Vargas, N. V. (2019, November 5). HOW CASA FLOR IXCACO CHAMPIONS WOMEN IN GUATEMALA. Unearth Women.
https://www.unearthwomen.com/2019/11/05/how-casa-flor-ixcaco-champions-women-in-guatemala/


*Upcycle
Definition: reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original.
- The New Denim Project