Today we’d like to introduce you to Ainara Ottaunick.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Last November, I took my husband to Mexico. In addition to being delighted with the food and culture, he loved the handmade crafts made by local Mexicans. My husband´s perspective was that Mexico would be a place with violence and not so safe. However, the trip changed his perspective. On that trip, we were lucky enough to get to know the Yitin Ánuá brand, which in the Mixtec language means “bag and heart”.
This brand was created by Claudia Sánchez; she came to revolutionize the world of recycled plastic bags with a chicer touch. Claudia’s vision was for Mexicans to see handmade bags as fashion icons. This is how Claudia, together with her team of artisans, began to create different designs, from handbags to crossbody bags, and wallets. Knowing Claudia’s work, both my husband and I decided to contact her, to be able to bring her product to the USA so that people could get to know Mexican fashion, and thus U.S Yitin Ánuá was created.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
One of our obstacles has been being able to make people understand the work involved in making Yitin Ánuá products. Being 100% handmade, the artisans dedicate between 20 and 40 hours to making the bags.
The first step that our artisans must carry out is to convert all that recycled plastic into plastic that can be used for weaving, as well as choosing the color. Subsequently, the artisans weave each Yitin Ánuá product by hand; to finish, the products are decorated with a vital handcrafted heart and hand-woven applications.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I studied for a degree in psychology and currently, I just finished a degree in early childhood. My specialty is working with children. I have always thought that childhood is the most important phase of a human being since it is the basis of any adult.
What makes me most proud of myself is seeing how far I have come. I am a person who came to this country to study and contribute something to society and in this way, I would like to contribute a new vision to my country.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters the most to me about this project is that other countries can learn about Mexican fashion and can have a different perspective of my country.
Likewise, Yitin Ánuá seeks to transcend in other people, such as our artisans, since with the money from the sales of Yitin Ánuá, it has been sought that artisans have a better quality of life. For example, they have been helped to establish a water well in their community, since they did not have one before.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/u.s_yitin_anua/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092649726921&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/YitinAnuaUS?fbclid=PAAabLRw2_YYdgFRCxi0c389QVx2rQSejHahRCqtPg5nB-y0pX62MrD1urvb8&load_webview=1&bid=Roxk2fl3AqpzSppEjRGm9CPPb2EW
Image Credits
Ainara Ottaunick and John Ottaunick
