All our bags are made from up-cycled textiles. The textiles on these bags are from the traditional clothing, indigenous Maya women wear.

Huipil (wee-pill)-

USED ON?- Our leather bags, wristlets, and clutches.

WHAT IS IT? Blouse worn, that is made by hand on a back strap loom. These tops can take upwards to 4 months to create by hand. Many are made from memory, a design that represents their village and has been passed down from generations prior. Color patterns will change, based on what the current women feel are "popular" giving you color variations. This allows us to know the age of the Huipil, we try and only source ones that can't be worn again. Flaws are to be expected and are appreciated, as it shows the life of the Huipil. 

Faja (faa-haa)-

USED ON?- Our camera straps, and bag straps. Sometimes we will incorporate one into the style of the leather bag. 

WHAT IS IT? A belt that is worn over the top of the Corte, to add the finishing touches to their Tipico outfit. These are designed by memory or a vision of style they want to create. Most are hand embroidered on top of the loom, making these very intricate in style, and technique. These can take 2-4 months to create, and due to some natural dyes, of some fabrics, color bleeding may be present on the black and white strap attached to the belt. We take every detail into consideration when sourcing these textiles. We find ones that won't be worn again up-cycling them and giving them another life. Take note when purchased to be worn with your camera, we can't take responsibility for any mishaps or slips. Please note these are Fashion Pieces and take caution when using them with expensive gear. We will not be held liable if anything might happen. 

Corte (court-a)-

USED ON?- You will occasionally see these textiles on our bags, or lined on the inside. These long skirts give a beautiful pattern mix to any Huipil paired with it. 

WHAT IS IT?- A skirt worn by the women, this floor length textile is generally made on a back strap loom or a foot loom if the weaver is equipped with one of them. One Corte can make multiple bags, and the intricate patterns on the skirts give each bag it's own look.. keeping the tradition of one-of-a-kind true for all our handbags. 

 All the leather used by our artisans is Full Grain leather. The finest high end quality leather on the market. This particular grain of leather, is untouched and has it's own unique appearance. Here is a definition straight from google!

 Full-grain leather refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed, or snuffed (as opposed to top-grain or corrected leather) to remove imperfections (or natural marks) on the surface of the hide. The grain remains to allow the fiber strength and durability.

Here is what our U.S leather craftsman recommends:

LEATHER CARE

Taking care of your leather is an important part of becoming an owner of authentic leather goods. Keeping it clean and conditioned will extend the life of your leather goods and keep them looking new. Below we have two separate products. One is perfect as a general purpose cleaner and prepping agent while the the other is a conditioner that revitalizes dried out leather and adds a thin water-resistant layer as well. If you don't have either of the products, we definitely recommend getting the leather care kit.

Leather care is not required but highly recommended to maintain the beauty of your leather product. At the minimum, we recommend to condition your leather every 3-6 months - this depends on usage, environment, and season. 

Below are basic instructions on how to care for your leather goods.

1. Clean dirt, building, and other surface contaminants with a spot cleaner. Use a micro-fiber towel.
2. Apply small amount onto micro fiber cloth, rub in circular motions until fully coated.
3. Dry for 1 hour, apply more coats if needed. Let cure for 24 hours.

*May darken some types of leather

YOU CAN PURCHASE THESE CARE PRODUCTS WITH OUR PARTNERS OVER AT LIFETIME LEATHER CO. 

 We source all our textiles out of rural Guatemala. Our main leather artisans are located in Panajachel, and we like to stay local to the area with their Markets. We source textiles from three different locations: 

Panajachel Market- at the market artisans sell used textiles, and have been their for 20+ years. We work with a local company that lives there on the ground, and they support the artisans and our company on history of the textile, working alongside the artisans picking out the best quality that can't be worn again, and keeping fair wage at the upmost priority when purchasing any textile. 

Chichicastenango Market- the largest open air market in Guatemala you can find textiles from all over. With multiple artisans to support, we can't support them all. But we do have specific ones that we have been connected with, and we will continue to support their small businesses, selling authentic textiles at a fair wage cost. Many travelers go to this market to purchase goods that are marked extremely high, or due to lack of knowledge are not authentic. We make sure every textile we purchase is throughly inspected, and touched by hand from someone we know and trust. 

Weavers- we have multiple weavers we met while on our trip. We have been welcomed into their homes and in their shops. We will have collections that support these specific weavers, and will note that on the pieces we have created using their textiles. 

 EVERY PART- besides a sewing machine, everything created and designed in our store has been made by hand. Due to the textiles being up-cycled some are 5-10 years old.. leaving imperfections, loose threads, and some fading. That's what makes these pieces truly breathtaking. If you find a snag in your bag or strap, you can do one of two things: 1.Use a pair of stitch scissors and cut at the base of the thread, or 2. Take a dot of clear fabric glue and put a tiny amount on top of the loose thread. Taking these measures will aid in the loose thread from fraying and becoming worse. PLEASE take caution when trying to treat loose threads. DanaJo&Co will not be held responsible for any damage that may occur to the merchandise; including but not limited to washing, drying and/or dry cleaning.

*DUE to these textiles being up-cycled and given a second chance to live on... we will continue to find imperfections and they are always appreciated and LOVED. These are not weaved BRAND NEW for us... they are UP-CYCLED into BRAND NEW bags to live on through you. 

 We try to restock inventory after every launch. To know exactly when items will be restocked, follow us on Instagram @danajoandco as we always announce when and what we will be restocking. We cannot send personal messages of what items will be restocked. We will never restock a duplicate item or pattern, as they are all one-of-a-kind. Once a bag is sold, it is irreplaceable and will not be stocked again. Due to working with our artisans personally, please take note that all launches are in small quantities, thus leaving some being frustrated they weren't able to purchase one. We try to keep it fair and take every opportunity to give you access to one of our bags. If you are interested in having a bag custom made for you... follow along, and stay up to date.. we  will announce when this is an option. 

 We personally love being able to encompass your style through their story. We will be offering custom orders once per year. If the demand is high we may add on more opportunities for this. Please follow along on Instagram @danajoandco for the announcement of when we will open this up. 

How will it work? A NON-REFUNDABLE deposit will be required to hold a limited quantity spot for a custom order. We will open the custom order two months prior to our sourcing trip. This will allow for organized conversation on styles, colors, and any other specific details needed for the trip. You will have a one on one call with our head designer who will walk you through the knowledge, and different textile options you can choose. Once we are in Guatemala you will be able to shop with us, virtually, at the Market. YOU will have to be virtually present for the choosing of your textile. If you aren't available or miss your time slot, you are agreeing to us picking out your textile for you, based off your design session. We will then hand drop all textiles off with our leather artisan, who will then custom design your bag with all your requested specifications. 

COST- all custom bags will be $368 both our Wanderer and Voyager bags can be customized. The cost of the bag is the same no matter what you choose, Full, and Half Huipils, Corte lining... Faja on the bag. If you want to customize a bag strap... we can add this option on... Note, these will be made by our leather artisan in Guatemala and will be slightly different than our straps made here in the USA. This is to guarantee leather consistency, and support of our artisan. These will be an additional $150. 

PAYMENTS- due to the timeline we allow payment plans for all custom orders note the example below:

Month 1- $150 deposit PAID. This locks in your spot for a custom bag.

Month 2- Payment #1 of 3 payments. Design Consultation takes place. 

Month 3- Payment #2 of 3 payments. Sourcing Trip and virtually shopping for your textiles. 

Month 4- Payment #3 of 3 payments. Customization of your bag is in production and will generally take our artisan 3-4 weeks to complete. 

SHIPPING- we will take every effort to keep you updated on production and will ship your bag to you after we preform a quality control check of all bags, immediately after receiving them.

 Unfortunately we CANNOT make any modifications to an order once it has been submitted. This includes but is not limited to: combined shipping, switching out inventory, adjusting quantities, change of payment method.

WE will make an effort to update a shipping address if the bag hasn't been shipped yet. 

 While you can find similar textiles and sometimes-similar bags to DanaJo&Co. they are not the same. We are hands on with all production and design, to give you a quality product. That is why we can stand behind our product 100%. We don’t negotiate bottom prices with market vendors; who may use child labor, or unfair labor practices. We have a team of experts who live in rural Guatemala and are an advocate for every artisan we work with. We also believe in paying fair prices and wages to those we work with and who work for DanaJo&Co. Paying fair wages is as important to us as every other part of our business. It is one of our company’s core values authenticity and transparency to elevate the standard of living of all those who work with DanaJo&Co.