Caralarga, a Mexican handcrafted jewelry brand, was established by Ana Holschneider. The brand not only offers sustainably crafted jewelry but also generates income for 12 women employed in its Querétaro studio, promoting economic empowerment. Additionally, Caralarga frequently collaborates on designs with indigenous communities across Mexico.

In the early 2010s, Ana Holschneider and Luis Gónzalez began their brewery journey in Querétaro. They discovered their beer garden location, El Hércules, a textile factory complex dating back to 1846. During this time, Holschneider met María del Socorro Gasca, skilled in jewelry and weaving. Together, they stumbled upon discarded raw cotton threads at El Hércules and saw the potential to turn waste into sustainable, unique pieces. Thus, Caralarga was born.

Over the past decade, Caralarga has expanded from creating jewelry from factory waste to crafting fashion items, accessories, and interior design objects. They now have a team of 60 artisans working on diverse products within the factory's original space, which is now shared by various creatives.

FOUNDER: Ana Holschneider

TEAM: 60 full-time employees

LOCATION: Querétaro, México

MATERIALS: Raw and waxed cotton threads.

Caralarga's primary resources include raw cotton thread and textile waste discarded due to weaving errors. In 2014, they saw the potential in these materials to rethink and explore waste as a means to create unique, timeless, and sustainable jewelry and clothing pieces. Their creative evolution has also led them to discover and collaborate with artisans working with other natural materials, such as fiber from the sansevieria plant and recycled bull horn. These artisans preserve knowledge about ancestral techniques and emphasize care and respect for nature.

The Caralarga Large and Medium Format pieces are the outcome of the natural development of their initial work in textile jewelry. Venturing into creating larger pieces, they discovered a new perspective on cotton and handwoven fabric, resulting in interior decoration pieces designed to transform spaces through timeless designs and showcase the virtues of raw materials.