Mercado Global

The Empowerment Report: April '24 Edition 💪 A special shout out to The Fashionography for their incredible feature on our Founder and Executive Director, Ruth Álvarez-DeGolia, and other amazing women in Threads of Conviction. The link to the article is available in the report! #womensempowerment #artisancraft #mercadoglobal

Last week we celebrated Earth Day and our 20th anniversary with our West Coast supporters in San Francisco! The event was highlighted by four incredible Honorees - Michelle Gass, Judith O'Brien, Antonio Tijerino, and Jasmin Young. It was another memorable night that once again reminded us that, together, we can make the world more sustainable, ethical, and just - for all of us!

Congratulations to the Stuart Weitzman team on the recent launch of their partnership with Mercado Global, a women’s empowerment and ethical fashion non-profit, to release a limited-edition ikat print jacquard textile for the brand’s Spring 2024 collection. Available across several silhouettes including slides, heels, and sandals, the collaboration combines centuries-old tradition with modern design: the fabrics were handcrafted by women artisans part of Mercado Global’s partner Indigenous artisanal communities in Guatemala who draw upon centuries-old traditions of dyeing and loom weaving. This partnership represents a powerful step in the fashion industry towards a future where ethical production meets elevated design. View the collection at stuartweitzman.com, and visit Stuart Weitzman on LinkedIn to learn more about the detailed techniques that went into creating this unique fabric: https://lnkd.in/dtFnRBnb #StuartWeitzman

Stuart Weitzman is proud to partner with Mercado Global, a women’s empowerment and ethical fashion non-profit, for our Spring 2024 Collection. The collaboration was born from the idea of pairing traditional, artisanal handcrafted fabrics with modern footwear design. With this, we created a limited-edition ikat print jacquard textile crafted by the non-profit's partner Indigenous artisanal communities in Latin America, specifically women artisans in Guatemala.    To craft the fabric, the artisans first dye specific areas of the yarn using the resist-dyeing technique to create the distinctive ikat pattern. Then, drawing upon centuries-old craftsmanship of Latin American textiles, they loom weave the dyed yarn into fabric. The fabric is shipped to the Stuart Weitzman shoemaking factories in Spain, where our team of expert artisans craft them into our newest sandal silhouettes for spring.    The partnership is more than a design venture: Incorporating textiles made by Indigenous artisanal communities in Latin America into luxury pieces represents a powerful step towards a future where ethical production methods and elevated design seamlessly intertwine in the fashion industry.     “This partnership with Stuart Weitzman not only provides work opportunities to women artisans in Guatemala, but it also brings the cultural significance of traditional Latin American handmade textiles to the forefront,” says Mercado Global Founder & Executive Director, Ruth Álvarez-DeGolia. “It celebrates and helps further preserve a centuries-old tradition, and we are thrilled to be able to bring this history of craftsmanship to Stuart Weitzman’s own storied history of craftsmanship in luxury footwear.”    This collaboration stays true to our brand purpose of empowering strength in our communities, and as our first time partnering with Indigenous artisans in Latin America, it also resonates with our brand ethos of creating beautiful, artisan-crafted accessories designed to inspire confidence.    “As a global brand that stands for uplifting women around the world, Stuart Weitzman is proud to partner with Mercado Global and support the empowerment of Indigenous women artisans in Guatemala to make meaningful change in their communities,” says Stuart Weitzman CEO & Brand President, Giorgio Sarné.     The styles are available to shop on stuartweitzman.com, in select Stuart Weitzman boutiques around the globe and in select Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom locations beginning April 3.  #StuartWeitzman

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our collaboration with global luxury footwear brand Stuart Weitzman. Together with the brand, we created a limited-edition ikat textile crafted by our partner Indigenous artisanal communities. The woman artisans in Guatemala tapped into centuries-old traditions of dyeing and loom weaving to create this exclusive fabric, which Stuart Weitzman applied to a range of new spring silhouettes, including flat slides, block heels and fisherman sandals. Shop the collab on stuartweitzman.com, in select Stuart Weitzman boutiques around the globe and in select Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom locations. #StuartWeitzman #StuartWeitzmanxMercadoGlobal

Join us on our Mother-Daughter Insight Trip this summer for the experience of a lifetime! This June 9th - 13th Mercado Global will be hosting a group of mothers and daughters in Guatemala on a trip that provides a behind the scenes look at our unique poverty alleviation model. If you want to learn more about this incredible educational and bonding experience, reach out to our team today at development@mercadoglobal.org. Erin Kehoe, former trip attendee: "The experience was unforgettable - it was a wonderful introduction to the people and culture of Guatemala and a great taste of what it's like when fashion is used as a force for social change and justice."

We are just two days away from our Fashion Forward Gala in NYC! Thanks to an overwhelming amount of support, the event is sold out and already our most successful Gala ever. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday to celebrate International Women's Day and 20 years of Mercado Global!

Calling all Mercado Global West Coast supporters! We are so humbled to have such an incredible lineup of Honorees this year for our Earth Day ¡Fiesta! - including the amazing Antonio Tijerino. Join us on April 18th to help us celebrate our work, our Honorees, and our shared mission to move the fashion industry towards more sustainable practices.

We are so humbled to be honoring Andrea Lisher - an incredible person, leader, and advocate - at our Gala next month! Read more about why Andrea made the perfect Honoree at the link below.

Check out this podcast episode with our incredibly talented Design Director Fernanda Jung Thomé!