Lily of the Incas Button-front White Blouse, "Lily of the Incas"

“My name is Antonio Cajahuanca Barreto. I was born in October of 1978 in a beautiful district of the central sierra named San Pedro de Cajas Tarma Junin, a placed blessed by natural beauty and pretty textile art and culture. I consider myself to be a respectable, attentive, and honest man in all aspects of life. I am loyal, committing myself not only professionally, but in daily life, as well.

“One of the most difficult moments that I lived through was, without a doubt, the loss of my father in the year 2002. I believe that it is very tough to lose someone so close. Rising above his absence has not been easy, but he left me and my family with lessons, teaching us to always be together, and that we can achieve anything we set our minds to. My dad was the man that inspired everything that we have made into reality.

“From a young age, I was surrounded by textile art. This is how I originally became interested. As time passed, we decided to make this something much bigger. My sisters and I combined our knowledge, and together we promoted our vision and projects. We decided to work with a style and materials that would differentiate us from the rest of the market. We had a teacher that shared his knowledge with us, but after that the ball was in our court. We had to create new ideas based on everything that we learned, and in this way I became a textile artist alongside my sisters and friends.

“Everything that we know about this art of decoration and embroidery was learned by investigating and being very curious and observant. We put our strength into it and achieved the best experience. We fail a lot, but more often that not we raise ourselves up, following our objectives and dreams.

“My plans, hopes, and dreams are to achieve the best specialization in the art that we make within the textile field, solidifying business relationships that are not only local, but international. It is because of this that I strengthen myself from day to day to get the best results possible. I believe that dreams are the essence of man; without them it would not have been possible to achieve what I have. I have a mind to grow professionally, not only for myself, but also for my family and team. Together we are a single force.

“What I love the most about this art is the ability to involve myself in the design, but above all, I love working with one of my favorite materials. I really like to see the processes that result in each finished piece. My main source of inspiration is Peruvian culture. I am very fortunate to have been born in a land with an impressive richness of art, natural textures, flowers, and birds. This fills our hearts with inspiration and happiness as we develop our pieces.

“As a family dedicated to textile arts, we take care of our community and collaborate with the local government to support taking care of the environment. We incentivize the care of gardens and pathways, teaching our community the importance of preserving our beautiful village so that with our efforts we can make a difference. I am very thankful for the NOVICA family, allowing me to open the doors to share my art.”