My Story
I started designing clothes again, but found myself fascinated by the qualities of the handwoven fabrics that I saw so many of here in Guatemala; in particular the incredible intricacy achieved by the Mayan handwoven techniques. So little by little my small business morphed into home goods; pillows, bedspreads, napkins and place-mats. I was working with my first weaver back then, Doña Paulina. Together we pushed the boundaries of the loom. I would think up a design and together we would try to make it work, using only traditional handmade methods she had learned from her mother.
​
Since then we continue in very much the same way, but on a bigger scale. While my business has grown significantly over the years, Doña Paulina and I still do what we have been doing for over two decades.
I am Carmen Giuliani della Rosa, and I have been sewing since I was a child. My mother owned a small fashion atelier in downtown Modena. My sisters and I often would help out, and so we learned all the tricks of the trade. When I was in my twenties I began a small fashion design studio with my best friend. While we never made it very far, it taught me a lot, but most importantly it earned me enough to embrace my other passion for travel.
​
When I moved to Guatemala my husband and I didn't have very much. He was an American writer I had met in Antigua on my second trip here. We were in love; as much with each-other as with this beautiful city we now call home. We decided to start our little family here. While he wrote at home and looked after our son, I set out to begin a business again; this time inspired by the incredible weaving I saw so much of here in Guatemala.
​
My designs are not the typical Guatemalan fabrics you will find. Those traditional designs rightfully belong to the Mayan people, and I have no business replicating them. No, my designs are something different. They are the expression of what can be achieved with these techniques, and proof the Mayan weaving tradition can still find a place in our modern world.
​
My designs are the merging of two worlds; they are a vision of a united global community, working together in art.
