Quantcast
Channel: » Travel | Lifestyle
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 5

Fridays Find | Faith Colectiva

0
0

Todays Friday Find | Faith Colectiva is a stunning little fair-trade boutique here in the heart of Puerto Vallarta.

I discovered Faith Colectiva’s magnificent work through roaming downtown’s Basilio Badillo one saturday afternoon yet never heard their story until recently and felt I just had to share it with you all in the hopes that when you visit Vallarta you’ll stop in and support this business and have a beautiful piece of jewelry to remember your special time in Vallarta.

I recently interviewed Sandra one of Faith Colectivas employees at our local Saturday Farmers Market,

See what Sandra had to say here…

The story behind Faith Colectiva aka Lady Faith

How it all began… in the words of Faith Colectiva’s visionary founder Katie Coleman…

Nine years ago, I went on a meditation intensive in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I knew no one. I had spoken with Bart Smit, the facilitator on the phone. I met many people from Canada, and became friends with a woman that had a similar background of design and fashion.

At the retreat, many wore mala beads. Mala beads consist of 108 seeds or beads that you wear around your neck during meditation. Your fingers turn 1 bead at a time, as you say a “mantra” (a gratitude word), or a prayer. Malas help to quiet the mind. This is the start of going into meditation. It is incredible to realize that malas came about in 400 BC. Rosary beads came after the mala. Even at that time, people were stressed, and needed to calm down. They used malas to help.

fafd5263f3b6fc7e1ee8de8c70737a2b

I saw some beautiful malas and loved that some were in the chakra colors and could heal you too. I thought “Wow, jewelry with a meaning and a purpose.” I bought my first blue “lapis” mala that I found out later represents your throat and speaking. It would help me speak my truth. “I love it!”

I was always fascinated with mexican textiles. I loved the colors, the embroideries, the craftsmanship. I decided to travel with my design friend throughout Mexico. I found beautiful fabrics, textiles, silver, and stones. I found stones in the shape of a heart: rose quartz, cultivated pearl, lapis, amethyst, tigers eye, and turquoise. I decided to have my own mala made, and packed up the stones to bring back to Puerto Vallarta.

a-faith

The US did a very good job of scaring people from the US so they would not go to Mexico. I, myself feel totally safe in Mexico. Women were walking the beach looking to braid tourists hair. There was not a lot of business. During my time in Puerto Vallarta, I met a young girl at a wedding. Her fiancée at the time was in the band. We struck up a conversation, she loved my vision, and offered to help me locate some women. She found 2, but one really resonated with the work. She has incredible fingers, and there was nothing she couldn’t do. Her appearance was quite beat, and tired. I actually thought she was in her 60′s. About 10 months later, many malas later, I hardly recognized her. She was young and vibrant. The work has changed her life. We pay a fare wage, and a lot of the work goes to her extended family, and friends of hers in the town. She excels in her production and keeps an eye on the quality of the Collective’s work.

10013822_674606125928855_1891314535_n10154349_685947918128009_5125593218513513_nIMG_8003

We decided to open a store in Puerto Vallarta, and named it “Faith Colectiva.” We sell products made by our women, as well as other products from Mexico and Latin America. Right away the people of Vallarta embraced our store, coming back again and again to our little corner store in the downtown. Many taxi cab drivers thank me for having a business in their town.

We now are in 5 stores in the US and one store in Canada. We have found our new location in Puerto Vallarta with a breeze way out back where we work with the women on new designs and production. It is on the bustling boutique shopping street -Basilio Badillo- where we can sell the Artisan Colective’s work with the doors wide open, allowing people walk in and take a mala home… to continue their journey with the energy of our beautiful hand crafts.

 

You can find Lady Faith (Faith Colectiva) on their Website | Facebook | Pinterest

 

 

Hope you enjoyed todays Friday find… leave me your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 



Jodie x

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 5

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images