BORN IN SAN DIEGO | CRAFTED IN COLOMBIA

About Us


Our Story... 

Born in San Diego and crafted in Colombia, Arawayuu has  the mission to share a tradition and give back to the indigenous community of The Wayuu tribe. Founded by Maria Salazar, jewelry enthusiast with a social media and public relations background, initiated this concept to empower Colombian women artisans. Arawayuu offers vibrant lines of Wayuu Mochila bags and clutches handwoven by the Wayuu artisans, and tassel earrings designed by Maria. 10% of Arawayuu’s sales go back to support our tribeswomen artisans for the Wayuu artisans, the largest indigenous community located in the northeast Colombian region of La Guajira. To join this community, connect online and socialize on InstagramTikTok Facebook and LinkedIn  @Arawayuu.

The brand’s Mochila bags represent a particular form of expression for these tribeswomen; their labor-intensive weaving process can take more than 160 hours and uses ancient crochet techniques passed down through generations. Arawayuu showcases each individual artisan’s life story and cultural traditions through its bags’ motifs; no one ever wears the same mochila bag, as no weaver’s story is ever the same. 

Meet our Founder & Creative Designer, Maria Salazar  

 
"This journey began when I came across one of my life passions: empowering and representing our Colombian women artisans of the Wayuu tribe. About four years ago, I started nurturing my passion for entrepreneurship through these artisans, by understanding their stories and traditions. Wherever I go, I want to reinforce my roots and represent my Latin culture, almost like an ambassador. SoCal has become that place I also call home and I want to bring the best of both worlds through Arawayuu. I'm proud to see this reality came true last year!

Arawayuu is more than a business or a company for me, it's a community and brand with a purpose to support each other. I'm proud of developing Arawayuu’s socially conscious concept after realizing a widespread lack of ethical fashion, a growing tendency that has pushed brands across the globe to change sourcing and production processes in recent years. I want to redefine ethical fashion and invite you to shop with a purpose and join the slow fashion movement.

Arawayuu, whose name is inspired by Wayuu  (“Wah-you”) artisans who make every bag by hand with natural cotton, encourages ethnic fashion through fair trade while embracing boho chic styles. The intricate bag designs are traditional to the area and feature tapestry crochet patterns, geometric compositions and pineapple imagery, as reflected in Arawayuu’s logo."  Read our full story via SD Voyager Magazine