Guatemala is recognized for being a textile country and these products are precisely the most in demand in the handmade market.
This was announced by the president of the Handmade Commission of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport), Emma Gutiérrez, who explained that textiles include the traditional costumes of the communities such as güipiles and cuts, as well as designer brands that They work in collaboration with artisans and create contemporary clothing collections that have also had participation abroad.
In this context, 75% of the national production of handmade products is textiles, followed by those made with ceramics, clay, recycled materials, leather, blown glass, iron, among others.
In addition, production at the country level generates Q75 million annually and among the most used techniques for the creation of textiles are:
- The pedal loom, backstrap loom, fabric embroidery, hand embroidery
Furthermore, it is not only clothing, but includes accessories such as handbags, as well as interior decoration such as cushions, table linens, placemats and others.
Second employer
At the rural level, the handmade sector is the second employer following agriculture, adding more than a million artisans in different techniques.
Furthermore, 70% of the total involved are women, who work in a value chain that also includes designers and marketers, generating jobs and income in the interior of the country and creating unique products, oriented to international trends with ancestral techniques.
According to Gutiérrez, the west of the country is the region that concentrates the most artisans, such as La Antigua Guatemala, Sololá, Alta Verapaz, Quetzaltenango and Quiché.
Regarding exports, the interview explained that most products go mainly to the United States through courier, which has made it difficult to have exact data on products sold abroad.
However, official data from the sector shows that in 2022 a growth of 23% was reflected compared to the previous year.
New World Crafts
The Agexport Handmade Commission organizes every year the New World Crafts, the most important fair for handmade home decoration items, gifts and personal accessories in Guatemala and Central America.
For 17 years, this fair has offered the best selection of handmade items, with modern and contemporary designs inspired by the artisanal traditions and cultural wealth of Guatemala, which will take place on March 5 and 6 at Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, La Antigua. Guatemala.
There are more than 45 business organizations and MSMEs that will present their handmade collections.
“This fair has become a key driver for generating employment in the country’s artisan sector, mainly for many artisans in rural areas of Guatemala”
Emma Gutiérrez, president of the Agexport Handmade Commission
Gutiérrez also explained that in this space, designers, artisans, exporters, distributors and suppliers of the chain have the opportunity to present their products, from Guatemala, to the most exclusive art and craft design stores in the world.
At this event, 10 groups of entrepreneurial women from 4 departments in the west of the country will be presenting their offer with the support of Agexport through the component Women’s Economic Empowerment under the project Weaving Peace, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Creative.
Among the activities are conferences given by experts with topics such as the analysis of the handmade market system in Guatemala, credit and training opportunities for women exporters, design aesthetics for the home industry according to trends for 2025, among others.
Additionally, the fair will be the framework to carry out the catwalk Handmade Fashion, thus showing the art of handmade fashion.
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