While working in La Guajira with NGOs in 2018 and 2019, One Thread Collective cofounders Jackie Gilbert and Megan Battaglia witnessed first-hand the many challenges afflicting the region – food insecurity, water scarcity, corruption, displacement of indigenous communities, environmental destruction, climate change, and extreme poverty.

Despite all of the NGOs and development programs operating in La Guajira, the Wayuu families Jackie and Megan worked with seemed to be trapped in a constant state of emergency, not knowing how they would buy rice for their next meal. But one thing was very clear – the women were devoted to giving their children a better future.

These women were not interested in charity; rather, they approached Jackie and Megan for help in selling their mochilas internationally. Without access to a smartphone and a bank account, the only option for most Wayuu women is to sell their weavings in the marketplace where they barely break even.

Inspired by the tenacity, artistry and entrepreneurial spirit of these women, Jackie and Megan joined forces with Paula Restrepo at Fundación Talento Colectivo, a La Guajira-based nonprofit that has provided training programs for Wayúu weavers for more than a decade. Together, they made it their mission to create the most transformational, ethical and sustainable international mochila brand in the world.

What started as a small project to help a few has grown into a movement that is working to lift more than 100 women out of poverty while pioneering a new type of ethical fashion that goes far beyond fair trade.