These fabrics make their way to your hands from Guatemala.  Considered the Heart of the Mayan World, Guatemala is a hearty country in the midst of preserving and maintaining its indigenous heritage.   An entire civilization has managed to weave the traditions of an ancient culture into the very threads they clothe themselves with.  Intricate craftsmanship and bright colors characterize the typical clothing of Guatemala, and each region has its own material types, patterns, and designs.  The unique weaves denote the origin of the textile and its wearer, and each woman can look at the patterns and know from where they came.

It is my goal here at Infinity Hoods to keep this knowledge in tact.   I try hard to know where each piece came from.  I like to be able to tell you where your Hood comes from.  I can recognize the signature of a few regions, but if I always ask if I do not.  In my opinion, this knowledge base is the difference between appreciation and adoration, and capitalization and appropriation.

Each piece of textile used for an Infinity Hood is 100 % unique.  Known as a corte, there is not another one like it on the planet.  That is because it was woven by hand on a traditional foot loom over the course of a few months!  The process, depending on intricacies of the region, can take up to 4 months at 6 hours a day, 6 days a week.  A Guatemalan woman wore the corte, sometimes for a few decades, before it founds its way into my hands.  The individuality of each textile creation is alive and well, and still has plenty of life to live.

Not only is each corte made by hand rather than machine, it is all sourced second hand.  Imagine piles of fabric as high as your waist, one after the other under, tended by a tiny Mayan lady smiling at you with more missing teeth than not.  These women are my suppliers.  These women are as responsible for Infinity Hoods as I am.  Armed with an empty pack and a small notebook, I buy as many cortes as I can carry and head for the shop.

These fabrics are not produced in mass quantities by a machine and an algorithm, but by hand one at a time.  These fabrics are sustainably sourced, and it’s my way of supporting the preservation of indigenous heritage.  I’d like to think that by expressing your interest in Infinity Hoods, you’re choosing to preserve this culture, not appropriate it.  And for that I thank you.