We’re so proud to share that Lombia+Co was featured at Nordstrom’s Flagship Store in New York City during Latin Heritage Month — a celebration of culture, craftsmanship, and community made possible by The Folklore. Discover how our Wayuu artisans from La Guajira, Colombia brought handmade tradition to the global stage. 

Discover Lombia’s new chapter. Meet Isabel & Laura, the women leading Lombia with fresh branding, a relaunched website, and colorful new handmade Wayuu bag designs from Colombia. 

I wanted to answer a question a lot of you guys have asked me and it's what are Wayuu bags really made out of. As you’ll see on product descriptions, all my Wayuu bags are made of acrylic while other competitor's websites state that their Wayuu bags are 100% cotton. The misconception behind the material of Wayuu bags So, what's the reality? Are they made of cotton or are they made of acrylic? I have faith that this is not the seller trying to deceive you, but more of a misconception. You see, when you go to La Guajira, where these Wayuu bags are made, and you ask the artisans what these bags are made out of, they will tell you that they are made of algodon, which is cotton in Spanish. But what they mean when they say algodon what they mean is just that it is a fabric. For them algodon, or cotton is any type of fabric, They don't actually know if it's polyester, if it's acrylic, if it's viscose, etc. A Little History On The Materials Used To Make Wayuu Bags Why NO Wayuu bag is made of cotton A first sign that indicates that these bags are not cotton is how colorful these Wayuu bags are. They can be washed over and over and still maintain their bright hues. If Wayuu bags were made out of cotton, they’d totally fade after a first wash. But most importantly, I know for a fact that all Wayuu bags available for sale are made of acrylic because artisans buy their thread from only two companies. Whether they buy in small or larger quantities, there are only two companies in La Guajira, the region where these bags are made; Hilos de Bogota and Miratex. These two companies only sell acrylic thread in the region of La Guajira. (VIDEO) The Creative Process Behind Lombia’s Wayuu Bags Before Wayuu bags were such a hot and popular item, artisans spooled their own thread from natural fibers, and used natural dyes which produced more earthy tones like browns and reds. But today, they have commercialized Wayuu bags and to save time and create these colorful bags, artisans have stopped making their thread and buy from the colors available. All right, so I hope this answers your question to what Wayuu bags are really made out of. If you have any other question, please let me know in the comment box down below and I will be more than glad to answer your questions.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT Wayuu bags are not made equal. There’s a big price difference and a large part of it is due to the amount of love and time spent making a Wayuu bag. Attention is in the details and by being able to check for them, you’ll be guaranteed to take home a quality Wayuu bag. How to spot quality in a Wayuu Bag Quality is so important to me as I take a lot of pride in all the quality of the products in my store and I wanted to show you how I check for quality in my products and how you can do the same if you want a quality Wayuu bag. 1. Look for a Wayuu bag that stands on its own The only sign of quality tourists are told to look for is stiffness. The stiffer the Wayuu bag, the tighter it was crocheted. If you place the bag down and it folds over it means that the artisan had a loose hand when crocheting, and as a result, the bag will kind of collapse instead of sit up straight. 2. A pretty pattern on the bottom of the Wayuu bag The second thing you can look for when you're looking for quality is if the Wayuu bag has a design on the bottom. This one for example has a small design at the bottom, as does this one. Not all bags will have designs on the bottom. If an artisans takes the time to crochet something at the bottom of the bag, I take it as a sign of love as they didn’t just hurry to get it done. (VIDEO) Why No Wayuu Bag is Made of Cotton…EVER! 3. No visible errors in the pattern of the Wayuu bag The next thing I look for are any errors in the pattern. Little errors that don’t affect the pattern are OK. But if a line that’s supposed to be straight but looks curvy or a pink background has blue in it, I would definitely reject the bag. By just taking a few seconds to review the bag, you'll be able to see if something is off. I do take into account that it is a handmade product and accept small errors that don’t compromise the quality of the Wayuu bag. Fake Wayuu Bag Imitations Made in Colombia 4. No threads are peaking out from underneath When you look at a well crocheted bag, you will not be able to see the threads underneath the design. Well, right here there's a bit of thread showing underneath. This isn't a big deal, but if you have a lot of these showing it would be a sign that the bag is not good quality. A Little History On The Materials Used To Make Wayuu Bags 5. Recognize the different drawstrings Another thing you can look for when it comes to quality are the drawstrings. So, here as you can see, you have a very basic drawstring. This was made using the twist method. But you also have other types of quality which take more time. So here you have a braided drawstring. See the difference? You have the twist, the braided and another drawstring which is woven. The woven takes the most time, and as time is also related to quality, it’s considered to be the highest quality drawstring. (VIDEO) How To Tell The Difference Between 2T and 1T Wayuu Bags 6. Good-looking tassels Another thing I look at when I look for quality are the tassels. Tassels are super important as they are what dance around and what you touch when you wear your Wayuu bag. I make sure that the tassels are full and that they don't look like a mouse's tail, that they look nice and luscious. Tassels with mixed colors are faster to make because artisans can take several balls of yarn of different colors and roll them all together, while tassels with separate colors have a more time-consuming process. Same goes for tassels of a single color. 7. Look at the Wayuu bag finishings Once I've made sure there's no errors in the pattern, that there's a beautiful design on the bottom, that I like the drawstring and the tassels, I look at the finishing. So, for example here you have a woven strap and this woven strap was attached manually with a thread and needle. I make sure that the attaching thread is straight as sometimes it can be uneven. If you have any other question, please let me know in the comment box down below and I will be more than glad to answer your question!

After having exported 12,000 Wayuu bag worldwide since 2015, I wanted to help you find the right wholesale Wayuu provider so you can get the quality Wayuu bags and designs you want at the right price for you.  1. Establish smooth communication Establishing a clear line of communication is the the first stepping stone to choosing the right wholesale Wayuu provider. This means that: A. You're able to understand your wholesale Wayuu provider and that there's a minimal communication barrier B. That you feel they are responsive. Meaning, if you email them, or what's up them, or call them, or get in touch with them through whichever form of communication you prefer, that they are actually respond and answer you within an appropriate amount of time. 2. Receive clear product pictures Sometimes, you might receive pictures that are a bit dark or that are of a single angle of the product. In these cases, you shouldn't hesitate to ask for more pictures. Before you buy, make sure that you feel you are getting the product you think you are getting. It's important that you feel a certain level of trust from your wholesale Wayuu bag provider. You also want these clear pictures to make sure that the product you're interested are free from: A. Any defects in the design B. Have quality finishings (meaning that the drawstrings are the way you like the, the tassels are the way you like, that the strap is well sewn on the bag). Clear pictures allow you not only to choose the design you like, it also allows you to check for quality. Even something as simple as checking that the strap matches the color of the bag because the straps are made separately from the bag and are usually made by different person. These are all important factors to look for in the pictures you receive. I have quite a lot of clients that are Colombian or that have a Colombian partner and are living abroad and they buy from me because they can shop directly on the website on their own terms, on their own time. They can add products to their cart, check the price and they know that the price offered for them is a price offer for everyone else. Not to mention the quick and easy checkout process. But beyond that, they know that they know that they will always get a great standard of quality. Recently, I was really delighted to hear from a Polish customer that she had ordered from several wholesale Wayuu providers and that I was by far the best quality value of all the providers she was testing. For me, that's a real treat to hear because I personally travel to La Guajira, hand pick all the bags myself and I also work with over 60 artisans to get Lombia designs. I'm very picky for you guys so it's very rewarding to hear that. 3. Compare shipping methods Different wholesale providers will offer different shipping options. A. Economy which takes anywhere from 20 to 40 business days. Keep in mind that that it's business days so 40 business days actually takes that a package can take up to 2 months to reach you. B. EMS which takes 15 to 25 business days. C. And faster shipping options such as FedEx, UPS, DHL which takes about 2 to 6 business days. You might think that because they take a fraction of the time to arrive that they are more expensive. But you'd be surprised to hear that they are probably the same price if not a little bit cheaper. The reason for this is that in order for sellers to ship through these faster shipping companies, they need a business account and meet a certain level of quota. If they are able to meet this quota, then they get better and better prices. As a result, you're able to get your order in a fraction of the time and at a great rate! And I don't know about you, but when I place an order online I like to receive my order right away. I get really excited to receive my orders in the mail. So it's a bummer that you have to wait so long. 4. Keep an eye out for hidden fees Hidden fees come in the form of PayPal fees, credit card fees, or if you're paying through a third party such as MoneyGram or Western Union, these also have fees. If you pay through PayPal or credit card, it's very common for a wholesale Wayuu provider to charge you the PayPal or the credit card commission on top of the cost of the bags and shipping. This could be approximately anywhere from 5 to 7%, although I'm not sure about the exact commissions for Western Union or MoneyGram. If Im not mistaken, they take a percentage based on the amount that you're wiring. 5. Buy from a local company Meaning the company actually ships from Colombia. I say this because Wayuu bags are very hot item and a lot of tourist come to Colombia, fall in love with this beautiful and colorful product, taking home a couple of suitcases back home to later open up an online store. If you contact these companies asking for a quote, you will find they have very high wholesale Wayuu bag prices. That's because they have higher operational costs. In the case that they've made contact with some sort of local from La Guajira, and are shipping bags, they also have the cost of shipping and taxes depending on their country. As a result, not only will you be offered a higher wholesale price, I would feel that as someone who hasn't been as exposed to Wayuu products and culture, maybe they'd have a harder time scouting for quality Wayuu bags and as they are far away they can't check for quality as easily. So they just received what they get. Buying from a company located in Colombia will ensure you not only get better prices, but that the person that you're buying from can check and demand quality Wayuu bags. So that’s it! I hope this information was helpful and that this will help you choose the right wholesale Wayuu bags provider,. The price of the bag should not be the determining factor. There should be other things to take into consideration before choosing to work with any wholesale Wayuu bags provider. Learn how to tell the difference between 2T and 1T Wayuu bags And of course, I myself so wholesale Wayuu bags so if you’re interested feel free to drop me a message and inquire about wholesale prices!

 VIDEO TRANSCRIPT Hi guys! This is Jade from the store Lombia + Co. I sell Wayuu bags and all things Wayuu and Colombian. A question many of you have asked me is what is the difference between double thread and single thread. Now this is something that is hard to understand if you don’t see the Wayuu bags in your own hands. So today I actually wanted to show you the difference between double thread and single thread, like this you have a better understanding when you buy. Right here, I have double thread bags and over here I have single thread bags. The first thing to begin with, when you hold a double threaded bag, it will usually be much heavier than a single thread bag. About twice the weight. This is because the stitches of a double thread bag are filled with thread to make each stitch larger. Doing this saves on crochet time and allows the indigenous women to crochet double thread bags twice as fast as single thread bags. A single thread bag will take about 20 days to crochet, while a double thread bag will take about 10 days or less. Another difference that you will see in the double thread versus the single thread Wayuu bags are the drawstrings. Typically in a double thread bag, drawstrings are twisties or braided. While a single thread bag have sturdier drawstrings that are also crocheted. Another difference between double thread and single thread is the strap. A double thread strap is usually thicker and looks a little something like this. These are very typical double thread straps. While a single thread strap is a little bit different. It is sturdier and does not stretch overtime, while a standard double thread strap does. As it is normal for a double thread bag to stretch, over time it will start to hang lower. If you do not like this style, one way to fix this is to unstitche the strap which is very easy, and re-stitch the strap so you shorten the length. Another thing that you will notice in single thread bags that double thread wayuu bags don’t usually have is design on the bottom. These single thread bags, however, do not have any particular design on the bottom, but sometimes they will have a little bit more intricate designs. As you can see, these double thread mochila bags are very simple. Sometimes they will have designs but more often then them not they will not. Another thing you will find is a blend of both single thread and double thread bags. Sometimes you’ll find a double thread wayuu bag with single thread drawstrings and straps. These types of details is what makes a double thread mochila bag more expensive because the time it takes to make the strap or the drawstring is a little bit more time-consuming which will increase the price of your Wayuu bag. Learn how to clean and care for your Wayuu bag I hope this answers your question. If you have any other questions about single thread versus single thread wayuu bags, please let me know and I will be more than glad to answer any question you may have.

Wayuu Colombian indigenous people reported industrial productions of their Wayuu colombia bags being reproduced in Medellin. It was said that machines were producing up to 500 Colombian mochilas in the single day and sold at a much lower price then the original Colombian wayuu bags. This was a catastrophe in the eyes of the indigenous Colombian as the wayuu bags are part of the cultural heritage of the indigenous knowledge of la Guajra. They considered this unfair competition because it created confusion to the public at the time of trading and selling. Wayuu handbags have become wellknown across America and Europe due to its bright colors, unique designs and quality. The Wayuu women complained about the industrial production as not only did large quantities of lower quality wayuu bags and fake wayuu bags lower the commercial value, but they also harmed the cultural practice of the Wayuu people. Crocheting mochila bags is not just a commercial practice but also a cultural tradition passed down from generation to generation. It is an art that transitions from woman to woman and is taught from an early age and perfected throughout the adulthood. The geometric shapes and wayuu patterns in the bags are illustrations of elements found in the universe as well as everday objects including plants and animals. Mochila bag patterns represent the surroundings of the Wayuu people. Although most buyers do not understand the richness and complexity of wayuu patterns, they immediately fall in love with the mochila bags' colorful designs. This lack of understanding makes it easy for producers of comercial Wayuu Colombian bags to profit from an art of which the Wayuu people have lived off of for over a hundred years. Although I personally have never seen a fake Wayuu bag, be careful and be sure to buy from a reputable seller!