We are celebrating our birthday and we are very pleased with all the achievements we have made.

Without a doubt, each follower who joins this tribe fills us with pride, as well as, each purchase we receive; but above all each bag that we manufacture together with the indigenous people in La Guajira.

Here we will tell you about those triumphs of which you have also been part of, but first a bit of history 🤓


Meaning of Ekiitaya

Ekiitaya is a union between 2 words of Wayuunaiki, the language of the indigenous Wayuu.

Ekii: center, origin, roots

Taya: me

Ana Karina Lazaro & Ekiitaya

Ana Karina Lazaro with an Ekiitaya

Ekiitaya was a response to what I was looking for to undertake: a brand that generated the best and greatest social impact, that was connected to my roots and that had all the potential to achieve worldwide recognition.


Why Wayuu bags?

The Wayuu bags have always been present in my life. 

Even though there is already international consumption, I feel that their authors are not being recognized. This is why a large part of our work in Ekiitaya is precisely to show Wayuu artisans, who mostly live from this manual art, with its seal of quality, passed from generation to generation.


Experiences acquired

There have been many experiences acquired in Ekiitaya. Undoubtedly the path of the entrepreneur is "long and winding" as we say in Colombia, however the path must be enjoyed.

Some achievements to be highlighted are:

#HandmadeTalks

#HandmadeTalks is a platform within our brand that allows us to publicize brands whose products are handmade. 

It is a space that I particularly love to do, which allows us to raise awareness of artisan work and support for our certified artisans and the environment.


#FashionRevolution

We had the honor of participating in Fashion Revolution Week. It is an event held every year around the world, which seeks to raise awareness of the negative environmental impact generated by fashion and all its variants. 

Ekiitaya featured by Fashion Revolution Colombia

We participate with a series of interviews in the best #HandmadeTalks style, where we select precisely brands and people linked to the movement of the Fashion Revolution.

In addition to this, one of our publications was selected by Fashion Revolution Colombia, which made us very happy!


It is an experience that filled us with great satisfaction and that we plan to repeat every year 😃


Numerous brands interested in acquiring Ekiitaya bags

Our brand, despite being in the process of initiation, has attracted a lot of attention. 

Numerous boutiques from different countries such as Canada, Spain, and the United States; have contacted us to represent our brand or market it in their respective cities, which makes us infinitely happy!


Our values ​​are still latent, now more than ever

 

 

If we are proud of anything among everything we have mentioned so far, we generate a social impact.

For each bag, we donate a percentage to the Mareiwa Foundation with which we have worked since our inception. 

This foundation welcomes Wayuu women who in many cases support their family nucleus with the backpacks and crafts they make.

These donations touch different aspects of the life of Wayuu women, which are primarily education and recreation for them and their children.

In addition to the above, we remain firm in the environmental impact, since we are linked to handmade products and rational use of our resources.

All of these aspects are deeply rooted in our brand. 

They play and will continue to play an important role in our development and evolution as a brand and we are of course going for more for this new year that begins for Ekiitaya.

Thank you for being part of our brand!