Fair Trade Fashion Internships in Lima, Peru

I worked at a fashion organization near Lima, Peru called Huaywasi. Huaywasi works with 7 local artisans that do different crafts and we support fair wages and education for the woman. At Huaywasi I was a business development intern and I was able to explore all the different aspects that go into running a business. For example I would create social media posts for Instagram or Facebook. I also did a lot of photography and editing for their Shopify website and I learned how to manage the website through Shopify. The team is very small so my opinion and ideas were really appreciated and we all worked well and collaborated together. All of the volunteers are amazing people so it was easy to fit right in and feel comfortable. I would recommend this experience to anyone, even if you are not particularly interested in fashion, this organization has opportunities for everyone to help out.

My time with Huaywasi has been an amazing, joyful experience. I am currently a Fashion Merchandising major at my university and throughout my time in my program I have been leaning towards the sustainable and ethical route in the industry. This program really solidified that sustainability and non-profit is what I want to do in the future. Meeting the artisans and visiting them in their homes and getting to know them personally really allowed me to see what non-profit brands do for their artisans. I was also able to apply my classroom knowledge into the really world workplace. From design to marketing, Huaywasi is a small brand that allows you get an overall perspective of how a brand is run. My input was always heard and validated, plus, it is a really cool experience seeing your ideas help a brand and actually being put into action. I would recommend this to all fashion students who are looking for a once in a lifetime adventure and experience.

I spent two months in Huaycan, Peru and these two months were so special. I was working in Detroit, MI at a textile studio and wanted to travel and expand my knowledge on Latin American textile history and current practices. I became interested in textiles partly because I learned about the issues around human rights and the environment. I was interested in Huaywasi because I knew they personally worked with 7 artisan women. Knowing about the hands of the person behind the things we buy is so important and I loved that Huaywasi felt the same way. As the Fashion Design and Business Development Intern I was able to directly work with Huaywasi's artisan partners on designs, but I was also able to gain professional experience with marketing, content planning, and publishing my writing for blog posts. Jill, the current Huaywasi manager, was a blast to work with and made the feeling in the office so bright.

Some things to know about this internship/volunteer position is that you need to be self motivated. You may be working in the office on your own a bit, as well as traveling to Gamarra, the textile district in Lima.

My opinions felt valued in this position and my ideas for content, or designs was taken seriously.

I found LLI a few months after graduating college while looking for an internship with a fair-trade fashion label, and ended up spending 5 months in 2017 working for Huaywasi. Huaywasi was born out of the success of the women's program of the Light and Leadership Initiative and involves 7 artisans, all women living in Huaycan.

The majority of my time with LLI was spent with Huaywasi and I am so grateful for this experience. I got the chance to know the artisans very closely, and spent time in their homes 2-3x a week working on patterns and samples for the upcoming collection. I became pretty close with a few of the women involved with Huaywasi and have come to think of them as family. While we were working we would talk about our families, our beliefs, relationships, friends, pets, work and art and so much more.

The one (hopeful) expectation I had before coming to work for Huaywasi was to see, no matter our backgrounds or the countries we reside in, that women have a sort of unwavering and intrinsic bond. I found this and more during my time with Huaywasi. There is a community here that transcends boundaries. LLI truly is a space for ethical cultural exchanges and that is one of the most beautiful things about volunteering abroad that you don't always find.

I returned back to Huaycan this year to do some more work with the artisans and spent some time talking with one of the woman who is involved both with Huaywasi and the women's program about the nature of LLI, and what it feels like to get to know so many different people from all over the world, albeit temporarily. And what she was saying to me was that it was a wonderful and enriching experience to get to know people, of all ages and from all over the world, and learn about our homes and different ways of lives.

So many of the volunteers come back after their time with LLI and I think that says a lot. This experience has an impact. And Lara has done a fantastic job ensuring that this program is for the community first, and for the volunteers second, which is the most important thing. The community in Huaycan is appreciative of the work LLI does and the volunteers of LLI have a really good reputation.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed my time living in the volunteer house. For most of my time, there were about 12-14 people living in the house and while there are definitely some struggles with living amongst this many people, we found ways to laugh it off and bonded over it. I made really close relationships with the volunteers and am still in contact with most of them.

I would highly recommend this experience to people of all ages, but especially to those who find themselves between graduating college and taking the first steps of your career. You will be humbled and empowered, as LLI truly does create leaders. This experience has given me more than I could put into words. Again, I am so grateful.