WHAT IS A PONCHO?

An icon of the South American gaucho, the poncho has its origins in Indigenous Andean culture, when it was used for protection against the cold and rain and served as a blanket to sleep on. Its style has evolved over centuries!

This long history of weaving ponchos still remains today among families in which the ancestral art is passed down through generations. In our handmade ponchos, every aspect of the process remains traditional, including the way wool is hand spun, hand dyed and hand woven. 

Natural wool is sheared from llama and sheep, which is then tinted using natural vegetable dyes produced from raw materials such as walnut shells, carob tree resin, beetroot, and Ceibo, a flowering tree. Inspiration for designs come from the colors, contours, and textures present in the Latin American landscapes. 

Crafting each poncho is a labor of love, and artisans dedicate 8 to 10 hours a day for 15 days to create a poncho that’s well-dyed, well-knit, well-proportioned and completely unique. 

Explore our Ponchos and Ruanas Collection and choose your match! Each product has a detailed description of how it was totally handmade and images of the handcrafting process. Enjoy your search!

And remember: when you buy one of our pieces you are not just buying a poncho, ruana or a shawl, you are taking home a piece of our heritage, our hearts and our identity.