Countdown to Ecuador

Andean Collection's NYC team is heading to Ecuador in a week for a design workshop. We'll be collaborating on a fresh new spring line. Expect some awesome new looks! Here's a peak at our artisans in action...
Nancy and Cesar making the Brooklyn Necklace
Olga putting finishing touches on our Cloud Forest Choker.
Cesar, Olga and Jess at work designing our Antisana collection.

Patricia, Olga's sister smiling radiantly.
Cesar and Amanda posing for the camera.
So much more to come after our trip. Can't wait!

Ecuadorian Slang

The Andean Collection NYC team is heading to Ecuador next week and I have been busy practicing my Spanish for the trip. In an effort to sound like more of a local, I've started studying some Ecuadorian slang. I found these slang terms on the internet, so who knows! I could either sound really knowledgeable, or wind up being a laughing stock. I'll let you know how the artisans respond. Here are some of my favorites:

Buenaso-really good
Chachos- jokes
Farra- party
Tener leche- to be lucky; literally "to have milk"
Viela- beer
Chevere- cool
Prenda el foco-to think; literally "to turn the lightbulb on"
Chapudo- red cheeks and face
Cabeza de huevo- bald; literally means "egg head"
A precio de huevo- inexpensive; literally means "the price of an egg"
Estar con la leona- hungry
Melindrosa- picky eater
Chuchaqui- hungover

Lets hope I sound "chevere".

What October means for us at AC

It's hard to believe it's October as it's still as hot and humid in New York as ever...but the pace in the office is certainly picking up which means that it must be almost October! In October and April each year our NYC staff head down to Ecuador to work with the artisans and our Ecuador team to finalize designs for the next collection, and to just hang out and get to know all the new artisans we have started working with since our last visit.

I was doing a little reminiscing about our last trip and thought I'd share some photos, courtesy of my iPhone.

The view from one of our favorite dinner spots in Quito.

Cool shot I took from our tiny plane as we were flying from Quito to Manta, en route to visit tagua workshops. Amazing!

This is a cool house in Manta on the coast in Ecuador. It looks like it could actually be in New Orleans!

Stay tuned for more posts from Ecuador in mid-October!

Report from Ecuador: Back to school!

Like in the US and Europe, young people in Ecuador have been going back to school this month and as the Andean Collection is running a comprehensive scholarship program, we were also present for the madness. Buying school supplies, making sure the right uniform is chosen and talking to all the people involved in the students' life, from professors, to parents and employers (the lead artisans). We provide scholarships to youth and adults who are working at the artisan's workshops, but also youth from the community who would not be able to go to high school without our scholarship. We started this scholarship program to ensure that all the youth who work in our workshops receive an education while working for us part-time. Youth refers to anyone over the legal working age of 15 and under 19 years old.

One of the most important principles of our scholarship program is to jointly create a work, life and study balance for the students. To achieve this we are in constant communication with the above mentioned individuals. We go to the students' homes, their work place and schools on a regular basis to check on progress and see in what ways we can help achieve that essential life balance for everybody involved.

Here we are at this year's scholarship meeting to mark the beginning of term. At this meeting we set the ground rules for the coming year and talk about expectations, responsibilities and, very importantly, hopes.

Alicia and three of our scholarship recipients Anita, Andres and Hector trying to play it cool.

Not playing it too cool there : )

Hope you are having as much fun as we had going back to school, even if it just means buying new outfits for the school of life!

Family Time

It's been a busy week both personally and professionally here in NYC. Family, family, family! First off, my fabulous brother and his amazing wife have been visiting all week, and it's been a blast having them here. Secondly, Oriana (part of the AC family) was in the office and it was so fun getting to know her!

Living in NYC has definitely shaped my views of what family is. Now that I'm so far from home and my biological family, it's become more and more evident that my little social circles are my new family. Not that one replaces the other, but you get what I mean. Today I'm spending time with my sister in law, Alex and despite the wretched weather, we're doing what sisters do best: shopping!! I might even drop by the office so she can pick out a new piece from our Antisana Line (she's a huge fan). And then later Amanda will be joining us for some later in the day fun!

Here's some pics of me and my family (chosen and otherwise):

My brother, Alex.

My boo, Brandon.

My Amanda, Amanda.

Bro and Wife, Alex. Yep, Alex and Alex May.

Oh and speaking of families, we're currently looking for some new people to join our ACNYC team: Check out our note on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-andean-collection/work-with-andean-collection/10150299602166697

Friday Office Mix...

As the work week draws to a close, we let our hair down in the Andean Collection office. As the unofficial ACNYC office DJ, I'd like to celebrate this Friday (being Friday) and share a compilation of my favorite tunes of the week... a Friday mix, if you will. Nothing like some good tunes to pump up the creative juices! It basically comes down to the fact that I recently saw Drive, which as you all probably know, stars the one and only Ryan Gosling.

image courtesy of MS Magazine

While I relished each of those 100 minutes of his beautiful face on the big screen, I didn't anticipate how much I would enjoy the soundtrack as well. So here it is, the ACNYC Friday Mix - with highlights from Drive:

1. College feat. Electric Youth – A Real Hero
2. Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
3. Chromeo - J'ai Claqué La Porte
   
4. Portugal. The Man - The Sun
   
5. Cut Copy - Saturdays (Reprise)
6. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
   
7. Angus & Julia Stone - Just A Boy
   
8. Grouplove - Naked Kids
9. DESIRE / UNDER YOUR SPELL
10. Cults - Go Outside
    
11. Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait
12. Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal

This wear the party starts:

Countdown to Autumn

For some reason I thought fall officially began TODAY, but I did a little research and apparently it officially begins this Friday, September 23rd. I must say, even though I am a summer gal at heart, I love those early autumn days. The light changes, the temperature cools, the air smells crisper and for some reason everything feels fresh and new.
In celebration of the arrival of fall, I am pulling out some of my favorite Andean Collection autumn looks.

#1 La Palma in Periwinkle.
Here I am wearing it at Peter Luger's Steakhouse in Brooklyn. Seriously, I am in love with this necklace and can't wait to pair it with a snuggly sweater.

#2 Infinity Scarf in Leaf Green
(For the record, this is our gorgeous model Guadalupe, sadly I don't look like her)

This is a perfect transitional piece for fall. It's great to wear under a jacket, but light enough to wear indoors.

#3 And, it's time to switch to a new Classic Tagua/Riverbed bracelet combo. I know I said I was going to continue to wear this combo. Eh, I changed my mind! Now I'm all about earth tones.
Classic Tagua in Ivory Riverbed in Burnt Sugar

Andean Collection's Mediterranean Themed Dinner Party

All this week Andean Collection NYC has been hosting Oriana, our Production Manager in Ecuador. Having Oriana in our office has been a total blast. Sadly, Oriana is taking off today so last night we said goodbye with a Mediterranean themed potluck dinner at Amanda's casa.

Look at this beautiful table. We keep it classy! Love how Amanda color blocked the linens. And here's another burst of color; a beautiful Greek salad with fresh feta, cucumbers, olives AND tomatoes and dill straight from Amanda's patio garden. What Greek potluck would be complete without olive tapenade, tzaztiki and pita. Thanks Jess!

And I prepared one of my favorite dishes for the gals, homemade spanakopita.

Perhaps all of the vibrant Mediterranean colors inspired us, because after dinner we busted out some pambil, tagua and acai beads and played around with designs.

Or maybe it was the wine Jane brought...

Bienvenidos a Mirta!

Hi to all! This is my first blog post so allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Mirta Evi and I´m the Product Development Coordinator and Designer for Andean Collection in Ecuador. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and grew up in Ecuador. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in fashion and design. In fact, when I was just 6 years old I sewed a dress for my Barbie. Um, it wasn't quite this professional...

Since then I haven’t stopped, and even have a degree in design. I am constantly experimenting and designing with felt, embroidery, paint, recycled materials and silk. I also draw and paint on canvas. For me, fashion is imagination come to life. I love my position at Andean Collection because it allows me to apply my passion for art and design to sustainable fashion. I get to create new looks, play with color, meet new people and work in a team. So here, are a few of my personal favorite Andean Collection designs:

The Mariposa Necklace, I love how it combines different textures.

The simplicity of the Polished Tagua Bracelets

The mod Frida Earrings

The color combination of the Quarry Infinity Scarf

And the bold structural shapes of the Honeycomb Necklace. In NYC and Ecuador we are hard at work developing new and exciting designs. Can't wait to work on the next one!

Andean Collection is chic at ANY age

My dear college friend Jen is stopping by the Andean Collection office tonight to do a little birthday shopping for her mom and sister. Her mom is turning 60 and her sister is turning 39 next week. She selected the style and entrusted me to pick the colors. As I was choosing the colors I was struck by the realization that our pieces really appeal to women across the ages. I wear it, my mom wears it, my mother-in-law wears it, my sister wears it...even my 4-year old niece rocks an Andean necklace. Here are the colors I chose for Jen's mom and sister.
Jen's mom is a true New York fashionista. She is always decked out in the latest trends, so we decided to get her our fashion forward Honeycomb Necklace for her 60th birthday. I can totally imagine her hitting the NYC Opera in it. I've narrowed it down to the tomato and sea green. I'll let you know which one she picks!
Jen's sister is also a flawless dresser, but her style is a bit softer and more organic. We thought our Tagua Bib would be a perfect 39th birthday present. It's bold, yet feminine. I set aside the midnight teal and lavender.
And finally, Jen treated herself to La Palma necklace. Her 33rd birthday isn't until next July so this is a very early birthday gift.

Workshop improvements: Manabí

Andean Collection artisans Christian and Viviana of Manabí are very committed to growing their small business and offering jobs to people in their community. Just a few years ago their home was quite small, and all of the workshop equipment for processing, dyeing, and polishing tagua was literally inside their house. They have since invested their earnings in a major home remodel, moved the machine shop to a separate, enclosed workshop, and invested in materials and equipment to make their work safer and more efficient.


Christian & Vivi's house, nearly finished! The machine shop has been moved to the shed at the far right to keep tagua dust from entering their living space. The workshop is middle right, and the dyeing equipment is around the back with drying space on the roof.


Christian demonstrates use of his newest equipment investment: a tagua polishing machine. Dyed tagua pieces are put into the chambers--one for light colors and one for dark--with polishing paste imported from Italy.


The machine spins for several hours, producing beautifully polished tagua pieces for AC bracelets and necklaces!


Honeycomb necklace in berry


Polished tagua bracelet in pacific blue

Fashion's Night Out for Andean Collection

Fashion's Night Out took Manhattan by storm, but Andean Collection had its own agenda as we flitted off to Westchester to make a special appearance at Everything But Water at The Westchester in White Plains, New York. Our Tagua Bib Necklace, Riverbed Bracelet and Polished Tagua Bracelet are on sale at many Everything But Water stores across the country.


This particular store was doing a Fashion's Night Out event, with a special feature on our jewelry! Many people who came into the store to browse were very excited to find jewelry “that they would actually wear along with their beach and vacation apparel.” One man was walking past the store and our Tagua Bib Necklace in Teal caught his eye. He rushed in excited to learn all about the unique material and design.

As you can see in these pictures, our colorful jewelry fits right in with all of the fabulous patterns and styles of the swimsuits and cover-ups. We owe a huge thank you to Everything But Water for hosting such a fun event during such an exciting week in New York.

Now it’s just time to plan that trip to the Caribbean we have all been daydreaming about…

Diane von Furstenberg at FABB!

A special guest at Lucky FABB this year was the one and only Diane von Furstenberg. Her fabulously feminine designs and signature animal prints have made her one of the most sought after and successful designers of our time. DVF not only offered us the chance to feast our eyes on her perfectly put together ensemble, but she also shared her essential life mottos.

The captivated audiences listened carefully as she spoke phrases, such as “the most important relationship is the one you have with yourself.” She is the ultimate advocate for women entrepreneurship. She professed that her ultimate inspiration behind all of her designs is women and her motivation is to make women feel comfortable and beautiful.

With nearly 280,000 followers on Twitter she has also become quite the social media maverick. Her Facebook page is frequented by many, and what seems to drive much of the traffic is a promotion she offers, “Wrap of the Month”, available exclusively to her dedicated Facebook followers.

This month’s dress is bold and bright and I thought to myself, what would go better than our very own Polished Tagua Bracelet and Frida Earrings in Ivory? These two accessories are effortless and chic, a perfect punch of mod and understated sophistication. Who really says you can’t wear white after Labor Day?!