True Partnership in Central America

True Partnership in Central America

In the ethical goods space, it can often take a little investigation to separate the authentic claims from the misleading. But, it didn’t take long to discover that home-goods brand, Hecho, is as genuine as they come. Founder and creative director, Ehren Seeland, is emphatic — Hecho is not in the business of making money off the backs of artisans — they are in it to support their backs.

Canadian-born Seeland studied and worked for eight years as a creative director and designer in New York and Scotland, but a move back home to Canada’s west coast led to a career change working in international development. During this time travelling through Asia, Europe and Central America, her interest and passion for locally-made goods, and the stories of the artisans behind them, began to grow. She set about turning this passion into a socially focused business where she could work directly with these artisans, and help share their goods and stories with the world.

Now based in Oxacia, Mexico, Seeland is able to work closely and transparently with teams of skilled artisans across Mexico and Guatemala. This small, and curated collective of artisans are knowledgable and creative — dedicated to their respective crafts, and to upholding cultural traditions. They receive fair wages and operate under fair, supportive working conditions. It’s important to note that Hecho does not run like a charity, and artisans are not living in poverty — they are savvy, professional and hardworking and are involved in a business relationship that is respected and valued on both ends.

At Okay, we love the way Hecho goods combine traditional methods with contemporary design. While Seeland provides some direction and feedback for different products in the range, artisans are also given freedom to develop designs as they see fit. The emphasis on quality over quantity is easy to see, and the detail, skill and workmanship involved means many of these pieces will be cherished as heirloom pieces for generations to come.

We also love the focus on natural materials, natural dyes and the neutral palette. Many of the materials have a lovely connection to place, adding another dimension to the story behind the product. For example there is a long history behind the cochineal insect in the Oaxaca Valley, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. And echoing a key value at Okay – ‘Good for Nature’ — Seeland does her best to work with what nature provides instead of introducing new plastics and chemicals into the world.

Over the past few months, Hecho have been hard at work on a new range of goods — and we’re excited to give you a sneak peak below of some of our favourites:

Nido Hanging Basket — An organic, portable, biodegradable basket, woven from tree bark using pre-hispanic processes. Reminiscent of a dilate swallow’s nest, the basket can be used for storage or as an art piece.

Picbil Hanging Loom — These intricate wall hangings are woven by a handful of artisan women from Northeastern Guatemala — a skill the women begin to learn from around 10 years of age. This particular process produces a delicate gauzy, lace-like material that is assembled with wood accents and handmade agave hanging string.

Jipi Palm Fan — Each of these gorgeous fans are individually woven by a small collective of artisans who work from caves in Southeastern Mexico. This ensures the artisans maintain the cool humidity to work on their projects year round. The fans are a stunning blend of jabin wood and the soft and flexible jipijapa palm – species very similar to the palm used in Ecuador to create their famed panama hats!

With disruption and uncertainly effecting communities across the globe due COVID-19, we are unable to say with certainty when the new Hecho pieces will be available in store, but stay tuned for more info on the Okay instagram. In times like these, we are thankful to support brands who practice true collaboration, and maintain close relationships with makers, designers, suppliers and vendors — they will undoubtably be able to navigate the difficult times with more support, understanding and transparency than larger, disjointed operations. And we hope you can continue to support them through this time.

Stay tuned for more stories, and in-depth features from our makers and collaborators on the blog and Instagram — let’s support the things that matter!

Check out the current Hecho range here.

xx Sheree