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shiringa shoes
We introduce you our first shoe.
The shiringa or rubber tree grows wild throughout the Amazon and has a milky liquid inside it called latex, which when extracted by hand is coagulated in the form of sheets. Formerly, at the time of rubber fever, the tree was cut and chopped to extract all the latex from its interior and then to coagulate was transported off the continent for various industries, thus generating large tracts of land swept by greed and the explotion.
But now there are communities that work latex harvesting of the Shiringa tree without cutting down the trees, which collect the latex from inside making incisions in the bark and extracting only what is necessary so that the tree can continue alive and regenerate. In other words, the trees are not cut down.
From these sheets MAQU has designed the first shoe for Maqu Store & Studio.
Lima-Arequipa
Last April, I visited my home town in Peru to research producers for our clothes. I came up with idea to develop a hand made sweater with natural dyes. My journey began with a visit to Arequipa, where my grandfather is from. It was my second time in the city and felt so exciting; I loved the vibe and the people.
My first adventure started with a 3 hour-long road trip, where I saw vicuñas and alpacas. Twenty minutes later we arrived in the farm at Patacollana-Arequipa. I could see how the alpacas were living, their conditions, and met the people in charge of them. It was an eye-opening experience and I loved every minute. Alex is the contact and the person in charge of bringing wool into the city, while his partner works in the office and farm. They work together in Arequipa city with a group of wonderful ladies, knitting and dying the wool for the sweaters, and knitting them by hand.
My visit inspired me, and I am proud to introduce Maqu’s first sweater made in Arequipa.
our Goal
One of the most heartwarming aspects of my visit was when we passed through a local school. We saw how small the area is, and how many families are living there. I remembered myself as a student and the big dreams that I had. At the time, these dreams seemed impossible. Now, I am in awe of how far I have come and my dreams seem closer to reality.
If you purchase one of our sweaters, you can help us make a change and bring a smile and hope to the school children in Condoroma. With every jumper ordered, we are donating 5% of the proceeds to the school. What will we do with this donation?
We will use it to purchase important school materials for the children.
Please show us some love and help us in reaching this very important goal. If you wish to donate more, that would be welcome and you will be contributing greatly to our cause.
