The Cielo Story
I first envisioned Cielo Collective in the year of 2011. Love had led me to Mexico, to a city in the southern most corner known as Tapachula. Tapachula is a place of rugged beauty, where you have to look hard to find the glimpses of magnificence, but once you find them, they are captivating. During my 6 month stint in Tapachula I was living in Mision Mexico; it is a children’s refuge where my boyfriend Moacir was lucky enough to grow up and a place that will forever be his family.
Despite many flaws, Mexico’s depth of culture, beautifully dramatic landscapes and intriguing vibrancy of sound, smell and sight caught me. I felt inspired by so many elements simultaneously and everything provoked my imagination. It was the bright painted walls that lined the streets, the lively salsa music wafting from cantinas, the beautifully detailed traditional garments and the beaming smiles of Mision Mexico’s children. Every chance I had I continued to explore the diversity of Mexico’s backdrop and fell deeper in love with the country and its people. I’ll never forget wandering the local market for hours, in awe of the incredible artistry. Moacir and I engaged in conversations with each artisan and was so amazed by their humility. That was truly when the idea of Cielo Collective was born.
Five years on and our deep appreciation for the artisans we met has stayed with us. Moacir and I now have the opportunity to travel back to Mexico and Guatemala together to begin what I thought was only a fleeting idea.
Our vision for Cielo Collective, is to develop and source beautifully handcrafted pieces from highly skilled artisans throughout Mexico and Guatemala. We aim to form strong relationships with each artisan. By stepping away from the exploitive fast-paced nature of disposable fashion, artisans all over Mexico and Guatemala are creating their art with dignity. We want to showcase this skill, tradition and the stories behind each craft so that you can form a deeper appreciation for each individual.
We know creating Cielo will be a slow process, but we are committed to supporting life-changing causes such as Mision Mexico. We will do our best to highlight their work and spread their message. Mision Mexico is truly somewhere special and acts as a bright light shining through the cracks of a city that is struggling. The importance of their work is paramount in changing the course of future generations.
As my Spanish is very rusty and adjusting to being immersed in a different culture is challenging, I’m sure the journey will be testing at times. But I am beyond excited to learn from these remarkably skilled artisans, to travel with the love of my life, to embrace the unpredictable and surrender to what may be.
I want to thank every one of you who has found your way here and is reading these words. Cielo comes from a place so honest and we can’t wait to share more with you.
Skye.
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