Behind every piece of handmade art, there’s someone with the potential to be a powerhouse entrepreneur. These artisan groups are ready to scale their businesses; they want to turn their craft and traditions into their main source of income while getting a fair price for their talent.
On March 16th, we visited San Pedro Cajonos, the heart of artisanal silk, to run a training session with the "Artesanos de la Seda de la Sierra Norte de Oaxaca" group.
Following the great results from our 2024-2025 program and the feedback from our November surveys, we designed two new workshops the group specifically asked for—and they’re going to be a total game-changer for them.
Fashion trends impact everything in the clothing and accessory world. To stay competitive, it’s all about staying updated and knowing how to weave those trends into your own products. We’ve been working on this with the group through 2024 and 2025, and the results in their latest pieces are amazing. This year, we jumped back in to tackle the newest 2026 trends.
The artisans got super creative with innovative designs, breaking away from traditional patterns and playing with silk's unique textures while mastering the challenges of the fabric.
They really showed off their creativity, adapting the styles from the workshop to work with the natural flow of silk, experimenting with natural dyes, and adding trendy touches for women’s, men’s, and unisex fashion.
In the second half of the day, we dove into Costs. This is one of the most practical needs for groups like this.
Our goal was to break down the basics with hands-on exercises so they could really wrap their heads around their operations and pricing. We covered things like:
- The balance between money in and money out.
- Why fixed costs matter for daily operations.
- Price vs. Value.
- A deep dive into their specific products.
- Break-even points and growth strategies to help them level up.
The group was incredibly engaged. Every artisan was focused, productive, and busy with their calculations. It was inspiring to hear them analyze their costs and talk about their potential to grow.
Once again, it’s clear that building professional skills in vulnerable groups is the key to boosting their economy and, in turn, keeping their traditions and identity alive. It’s all about the Ethical Fashion and Social Impact that we live for at LPC.
Alma Cristina Gómez Macfarland
International Artisans Consultant
