AndiArt was founded by French designer Veronique Valdes in 2000 as a cultural bridge between the Quechua and European peoples. The designer has been working with the same Aymara-Quechua family ever since, trusting Nieves, her Quechua production manager to convey her creative ideas to the weavers in the La Paz area or up in the Highlands. AndiArt first started by reinterpreting colorful vintage Jatan Aku (aka frazadas) leading Veronique to learn more about the traditional use of Indian textiles. With time and patience, she revived Bayeta, a thin but resistant weave the Quechua and Aymara Indians once used for clothing. Back in 2000, only three families could produce this specific weave in Bolivia and she had to wait for a year to get 300 meters. Since the presidential win of Evo Morales in 2006, indigenous culture has been on the rise and several communities are weaving bayeta again. Veronique naturally dyes the fabric herself and uses it for the back of the pillows she makes from vintage frazadas or from her own weaves that blend Bolivian craftsmanship with a contemporary twist.
The designer provides work to sixty families on the Altiplano and strives to maintain skills that enable farmers to live in dignity. Her focus is on handwork skills and she explains her textiles carry stories and are definitely worth the wait!