About Little Journeys Chicago / TO•BE Chicago
As designers of ‘aesthetics,’ we are easily swayed by beautiful and clever things. We began with collecting Quechua and Aymara ceremonial weavings of Peru and Bolivia. Along the way we were enamored with Shipibo pottery from Peruvian amazonia and chicha jugs from altiplanos of Bolivia to name a couple. We designed our first bag mixing new and old fabrics. Sweaters and hats followed. We never stopped collecting.
Witnessing a woman making a cloth from her environment and images in her head was the turning point. Eventually we fell in stride with the artistry and ingenuity of knitting, followed by everything else textile.
These days our collaborations include people in Peru, Bolivia, and India, our latest immersion. Many languages, history, and people are found in our continuing collections, all dreamt up from Chicago. Our best ever again.
From lightweight cotton tops to fabulous crocheted scarves. Frazadas for the floor and ikat bedcovers for summer nights.
Our Mission
Our products are designed by us and manufactured in of Peru. We operate a women’s cooperative, employing women with limited opportunities. Our mission is to provide a job and a source of income for these rural women so that they can maintain their families. In most cases, the mother or father or both leave the village and has to travel far to a city to seek jobs as a domestic or as a laborer resulting in many children growing up without one or both parents. We are proud and feel privileged to provide such opportunities for these talented women so that they may keep their families intact.
EMBELLISHMENT
NATURAL FIBERS
ALPACA
PIMA COTTON
