Koua-Studio’s path to support indigenous communities through ‘WomenEmpowerment’.
Koua Studio’s new collection is sharing its purpose with the world and leading the way towards sustainable development in urban fashion. Koua’s work is contributing to gender equality and women empowerment around Mexican indigenous communities.
On march the 8th, thousands of Mexican women are adding their voices to the Women's Day movement, also known as #8M. Through street protests to political lobbying and online activism, these diverse women are taking the lead on the ongoing conversation around Mexican activists: tackling machismo and the patriarchal culture that is deeply rooted within their families, relationships and organisations. #8M has been gaining immense popularity over the years, especially because more women are raising awareness about the relevance of creating their own career paths. The latter balances their social roles and allows them to empower themselves through job security, women support, mentoring and entrepreneurship.
For the company working with indigenous artisans in Zinacantán, Chiapas goes beyond an economic transaction: it considers social factors and sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well. According to Paulina Pezzat, Koua Studio’s associate, “It is crucial to have empathy with the community's context and challenges. This means learning about their culture, ambitions and worldviews. The brand is also aiming for a genuine win-win relationship instead of just focusing on the profits. It means creating jobs that besides being well paid also equip them with a fair living wage that meets their family’s needs and aspirations.”
For Koua’s team, it is also vital to respect their value chain standards. According to Koua Studio, artisanal handcrafts have estimated production time policies. However, it is also key to give them enough time to keep their creativity flowing organically. This will help them to meet their deadlines and to preserve their community's quality of life. Not doing so, can create major issues like those related to the fast-fashion industry, such as low wages, stressed workers and work overloads that lead workers to burnout, poor health and living conditions.
Koua’s Corporate Social Responsibility values are:
Women empowerment: Indigenous Women are Koua’s brand ambassadors.
Quality Living Wages: Fair-Trade transparency.
Ethical Brand: Honesty, empathy and respect with stakeholders’ communications and negotiations.
Culture preservation: Protecting and promoting indigenous heritage.
Consumer Education: Building social and environmental awareness through the company’s circular economy marketing strategy.
Circularity: following the circular economy’s principles and criteria established within the industry.
Through this collection, Erika and Paulina worked closely with Catalina and Susana, two skilled sisters from Zinacantan, to develop unique pieces along with their families. Koua’s design process considered deep knowledge about their heritage, family lifestyle and its state’s mysticism, all of which is imprinted within the collection’s indigenous textile designs. For Koua’s team, the most important aspect of the process has been: paying close attention, respecting and supporting their ideas. The collection was achieved through a respectful equality and inclusion focus.
The relationship between the artisans with their community and natural landscape also allowed Catalina and Susana to take ownership of their creations. From Catalina’s perspective as Koua’s model, taking part in the collection’s photo session at the BO Hotel in San Cristobal de las Casas was a dream come true. She imagined herself visiting the establishment since she was a little girl but she never imagined being the face of Koua’s 2022 collection. Catalina is now representing her community through a fashion platform strategy that is being launched from London to the world. Catalina is immensely grateful to Erika, Paulina and their team for choosing her to share Zinacantan and their family’s story with the world.
From her sister’s standpoint, Susana, collaborating with the brand has been a big challenge and an opportunity to share her life wisdom. Hers is a story about resilience and passion for learning. She grew up with a hard-working mindset she developed at 9 years old, when she was taught to sell her art on the streets with her grandmother, another skilled artisan in the village. Susana’s story aims to teach women that regardless of a person's age, gender or social status, women are equipped with infinite potential and are also able to achieve their goals through education, skill development and business mindset. She also suggests women should follow their dreams before and after building a family in order to learn from her challenging life story.
On our next blog posts, you’ll learn more about both of their stories. In PS21 Art and Sustainable Strategy, we celebrate Woman’s Day through sharing the inspirational journey of Erika, Paulina, Catalina, Susana and Koua’s diverse team towards sorority. We are convinced their stories will resonate beyond borders and will inspire other women to follow their goals and professional ambitions.
Work Cited
“THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development.” Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, https://sdgs.un.org/goals. Accessed 2 March 2022.