ETNIA SHOP
From Ecuador | Etnia Shop is located right across from La Plaza de Ponchos in Otavalo. Our connection with them felt like a serendipitous twist from the Universe. At Etnia, you'll discover stunning designer pieces and Yoli’s unique creations made from Baby Alpaca and high-quality sheep wool. We instantly fell in love with the incredible softness and the beautifully crafted items. Yoli has spent over 20 years working with local artisans and championing their talents. We’re so grateful to have met her and are thrilled about our partnership! We've expanded our collaboration, and now Yoli and the artisans are crafting special creations just for you!
With faith and patience!
ALLI AROCHO
From Puerto Rico | I met Alli while planning the 2024 Latino Arts Festival, where we collaborated on the youth program inspired by the vibrant veijigantes of Puerto Rico. I instantly fell in love with her colorful art and invited her to showcase her work at Lola after the festival. Here’s a bit more about her!
Allison Martínez Arocho is a painter and sculptor living in Utah. Her work represents an attempt to capture and reconnect with her Puerto Rican heritage in the context of the diaspora that she embodies. Folkloric characters called Vejigantes, who are symbols of joyful resistance to assimilation, are what most notably influence her art.
Allison has shown her work both in Utah and Puerto Rico, and aside from making a living from her art, she actively works with artisans in Puerto Rico to help preserve cultural traditions.
ATITOCOU
From Brazil | I came across Atitocou’s pieces during a stroll in São Paulo and couldn’t resist buying a bracelet for myself. Ever since, people have constantly asked me where I got it! I decided to reach out to them and bring more of their beautiful creations to Lola. While I haven’t had the chance to meet Maísa in person yet, they are truly wonderful people! Here’s a bit more about what they do.
Atitocou is a jewelry brand made from the coconut of the piaçava (Attalea funifera Mart.), paper, and non-ferrous metals such as recycled silver and copper. In the workshop located in Ilhéus, Southern Bahia, Carla de Carvalho and Maíra Rodrigues handle everything from metal casting to coconut processing, and all pieces are handmade from start to finish. The aim is to explore new materials within the concept of contemporary jewelry, seeking an intersection between the languages of visual arts, design, and craftsmanship.
PIMKAY
From Ecuador | Our most original and authentic pieces were brought by Clau and Marco from Pimkay. My sister and her family discovered their shop and a year later I went down to meet them. So glad I did! They're such good souls. Kind people doing great things! We love Pimkay, their originality, their authenticity, their passion and commitment to our roots.
KLAUS HEUZEN
From Brazil | I discovered Klaus while strolling Vila Madalena, São Paulo. I was immediately drawn to his delightful tiny creations, bursting with color and charm. We purchased a few as gifts and I decided to reach out to him about bringing his work to Lola. After a year, he finally saw my message on Instagram 🤪 and we connected! He generously sent us more of his enchanting creations, along with a photo of himself and a little bio sharing his journey:
Inspired by his grandfather, a German carpenter who lived in Brazil, since he was a little boy Klaus assimilated the phrase his grandfather used to say: “We must respect wood, remember that the largest living being on the planet was the tree”.
Klaus uses wood residues to produce his tiny creations, actually small boxes that contain objects of a certain theme creating an effect of depth and perspective, led Klaus to completely change his routine.
Klaus also lived a busy routine, with a formal job, working as a producer of corporate events , with long trips, meetings and a lot of pressure. Klaus decided to leave that stressful life behind and now his day-to-day is to respect wood and create beautiful paintings that adorn hundreds and hundreds of homes in Brazil and abroad.
The craftsman tells how his story began: “On a trip at a carpentry shop I noticed a pile of different types of wood, mainly slats and battens, and when I learned that they would be burned because they were not used in the manufacture of the furniture he produced, I asked him to give me that lot and that is how it all started”. with nature, Klaus says the environment is one of his biggest concerns. “I choose water-based paints and artisanal processes. All in a natural way, and this awareness is important to me, and I think it should be important to everyone”, he says. - Projeto Terra.