QUE ONDA VOS

Introduction to: QUE ONDA VOS, collaboration between Belgian designer Hanne De Wyngaert and the Guatemalan World Fair Trade organisation Y'abal Handicrafts.

Hanne De Wyngaert graduated from fashion design at the Royal Academy Of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 2006. She was a co-founder and co-designer of the Belgian Designers Label ‘Ti+Hann’ from 2007 till 2012.
Following this, Hanne started thinking about designing and developing products that have a social impact on the community that produces them.

She travelled to Guatemala for 4 months in 2013 after coming into contact with the World Fair Trade Organization, ‘Y’abal Handicrafts’; an organization that offers support to Mayan women in the Guatemalan countryside by making weaving, a traditional part of their daily lives, a solid source of income. Y’abal Handicrafts has already been doing this for around 70 women who are living in four different communities. The majority of whom live in extreme poverty, yet due to their collaboration with Y’abal, the weavers receive a fair wage for the work. ‘Y’abal Handicrafts’ also preserves and promotes an ancient tradition that is threatened to disappear due to mass production.

After numerous discussions and preparations, Hanne founded the project ‘Que onda vos’ in cooperation with ‘Y’abal Handicrafts’. ‘Que onda vos’ is Guatemalan street slang for ‘Yo, what’s up?’. The label ‘Que onda vos’ stands for a combination of Mayan tradition and Western culture in a form of design and fair trade. ’Que onda vos’ develops products such as bags, scarfs and carpets, all 100% handmade by the Mayan weavers in Guatemala. The design of the products is a result of the dialogue, co-operation and interaction between the two cultures. The project’s goal is to develop an awareness about conscious consumption and to create jobs in indigenous communities ensuring fair wages.  

Check it out: http://queondavos.eu

*Images courstesy of QUE ONDA VOS