A few weeks ago, I loved attending the Spring/Summer 2017 press preview for Maria’s By Alida Boer. Andreas Wijk, Edgar Navarro, Emma Snowdon Jones also stopped by to check out the collection called Technicolor. The brand is based in Guatemala and is inspired by the mysticism, spirituality, and knowledge found in ancient Mayan culture. It provides a socio-economic platform for Guatemala’s women, giving them employment, financial independence, and an educational program for their children. Alida Boer, former Miss Guatemala and the brand’s designer, and her team take pride in designing handbags with rich Guatemalan textiles combined with genuine leather.

All of the handbags are beautiful, but here are my favorites. I love the Fausto clutch, the Aurea Mini satchel, and the Oriana Tote. Each one of these is unique in that the textile patterns are handmade, taking up to three months to design. No bag is quite like the other. For further customization, you can purchase the brand’s pompom charms, mixing up colors and textures.

I’m impressed with Maria’s celebration of Mayan heritage and its dedication to socio-economic issues. It’s nice to see a brand that designs beautiful products that give back something meaningful. I look forward to seeing these masterpieces in stores in Spring 2017!