00:02Hi, I'm Alida Boer and I'm the founder of Maria's Bag. I was Miss Guatemala in
00:072007 so I had the opportunity to travel inside my country and that's when I
00:11noticed the amazing craftsmanship that there is in Guatemala. I called it like
00:16artisanal couture because what they do is art. That's when I started thinking
00:20like how can we showcase this beautiful art around the world. Slowly, slowly, it
00:24took me like almost two years to decide that the way to showcase this beautiful
00:29pieces was through handbags. The name Maria's comes because I am called Alida
00:34Maria and also when we started the brand it was me and three artisans that all
00:39had Maria's as a name and it represents the women in Latin America not just the
00:44women that are behind our brand that do all the craftsmanship and the textiles
00:48but also the women that wear it. Each handbag is one of a kind as you will see
00:53each textile is a piece of art and it has a story behind. A textile can take up from
00:58two months to eight months depending on the complexity. It was important for me
01:03to work with women from my country not just because because I believe that
01:06women are the center of society and families but also because I want to
01:11preserve the legacy and give them an opportunity to get an income to you know
01:16send the kids to school to give them better foods to eat and by preserving this
01:21legacy we're also doing an amazing thing for our country and for Latin America
01:25because it's getting lost so to encourage them to keep on doing their art from their
01:30homes and showcasing that art is something that is very point-through.
01:34All our bags have a story and have a meaning so for example this clutch bag
01:39it's full of worry dolls and the legend says that back on the day
01:43parents would give this to the kids so at night when they were scared or they
01:48would have worries they will tell the worry to one of these dolls and put it under the pillow
01:52so the doll will take it away and they will wake up with no worries.
01:56This one it has a textile throne in Chichicastenango in Guatemala so you can
02:02see this zigzag this represents cuckoo mats which is the feather serpent
02:08and it's a symbol of fertility in the woman and also it's a symbol of life
02:12because life is never stable it always has ups and downs
02:16and the color red is always a very important color in the Mayan culture because it represents
02:23the life the blood that you know the beginning of life. There's so much story behind each bag
02:29and that's why it makes it very unique and one of a kind. We are very very happy to have
02:34won the FGI
02:35Rising Star award this is not an award for me it's an award for the 600 women that are part
02:41of our network
02:42and they work hard and they keep our culture alive.
