Related: Remembering Quino, creator of Latin America's beloved 'Mafalda' comic strip The fund ended up expanding to commission nearly half a million dollars worth of work from more than 1,600 artisans in 14 states. “At first, we thought the pandemic would last two or three months and this would give them work during that time,” said Eric Chávez, coordinator of the foundation’s Popular Arts Program. “At first, we thought the pandemic would last two or three months and this would give them work during that time.” Eric Chávez, Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation of Oaxaca Some Oaxacan artisans have been able to tap relatives in the US to help sell their masks online or through in-person contacts. That appears to be the case for many local textile stores, where handmade masks now tend to occupy the most prominent, street-facing displays. For now, mask sales have kept her shop doors open. Not knowing when the kinds of parties that sustained her business may resume has been nerve-wracking. She had to close her shop for two months, then move to a place with cheaper rent. The designer says what’s kept her business afloat are sales of handmade masks featuring the same traditional textiles and embroidery motifs used in her dress designs. “Now, with everything that’s happening, we haven’t been able to sell party gowns.” “They’re dresses for events like quince años balls, for parties, confirmations and weddings,” said Iturribarría inside of the retail space she rents in downtown Oaxaca City. Her designs incorporate traditional Oaxacan fabrics and embroidery styles on modern formal wear. Shifting to face masks has been a survival move for many textile businesses in Oaxaca, including that of fashion designer Gabriela Iturribarría. And face masks aren’t as profitable as their other goods, but they’re a stop-gap measure until inventory starts moving again. Losing out on in-person sales has been hard, he says, but they’re hoping to have an online store ready before the holiday season. Related: First-class swag, airplane meals, 'flights to nowhere': Airlines innovate amid pandemic Álvaro López Jimenez says those sales allowed his family to retain all 30 employees, though at reduced hours. Then, local hospital workers started buying them. They sold their first batch of masks to the state government. Some are plain, others machine-embroidered and they all feature a high thread count. “That’s when we started making prototypes and models for face masks and they’re what got us through the toughest months of May and June.” “There were news reports then of mask shortages and panic buys,” recalled Álvaro López Jiménez. It shifted to face mask production after Álvaro’s brother, José López Jiménez, returned from a major handicraft expo in mid-March without having sold a single item of the inventory he hauled to the state of Guanajuato.Īround the same time, clients that resell the workshop’s textiles in tourist hubs like Cancún and Puerto Vallarta suspended orders until further notice. The workshop typically manufactures 100% cotton bedspreads, tablecloths, curtains and shawls. Related: Mexico City tortilla shop provides free Wi-Fi for kids to access virtual school “Face masks have helped us to survive, maintain and provide support for the young men and women who work with us,” said Álvaro López Jiménez of the family-run El Manantial textile workshop in Pueblo Nuevo, which opened 25 years ago. “Face masks have helped us to survive, maintain and provide support for the young men and women who work with us.” Álvaro López Jiménez, El Manantial
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