Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Teresa Beam.
Hi Maria Teresa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My grandmother introduced me to crochet and knitting when I was about 9 years old, which sparked my interest in weaving and textile construction. The following summer break of elementary school, my mother noticed that interest and enrolled me in a Patchwork classes where I learned more textile techniques, which I really enjoyed. Then I entered a design course at the Chio Lecca institute during the summer break before starting high school in which I had a lot of fun and all this led me to decide to study textile engineering in 2015 at the National University of San Marcos in my hometown, Lima, Peru. My time at university was very rewarding and full of learning that made my passion for natural fibers grow a lot. On two occasions, during my career, I made field trips to the mountains where I was able to interact with alpacas and study more about their fine fiber. I started working in textile factories in 2017 while successfully completing my degree. Then in 2020, after having worked in several textile factories in my hometown of Lima for 4 years, the factories began to close their doors due to the pandemic. In Peru, there was a mandatory daily curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. for 22 months to prevent the spread of Covid. This greatly affected my country, my friends and my family but at the same time the desire arose in me to undertake what I was truly passionate about, which was alpaca fiber and that is when I started my own brand Circle Textile using the last of my payments from the last clothing factory where I worked, I paid the registration of my business and invested the rest in wool and we started knitting sweaters for the peruvian winter of 2020. I took advantage of the fact that people were more connected to social networks due to the curfew and so I opened the Instagram and Facebook pages and began to spread my business to my friends and family, I am very grateful for all the support I received at that time and which made me continue and produce more collections.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Despite the pandemic and all the restrictions imposed at the time, I managed to keep my business going, always respecting the curfew and the regulations imposed by the government in my country. Respect for the environment is something that also characterizes us and is reflected in each of our products, the hangtags and bags we’ve used since the beginning are made of eco-friendly liner, since being environmentally responsible is also one of our core values.
Peru is a country with political problems but a wonderful one, where I miss my loved ones and friends very much. However, internationalizing my brand in the United States was the best decision I made in my career, as this beautiful country opened the doors for me to showcase what Peru has to offer, our flagship product being number one: alpaca fiber.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Circle Textile ?
Circle Textile is a slow fashion brand where we make authentic artisanal alpaca knitwear, fluffy alpaca stuffed animals full of tradition and beautiful alpaca leather purses.
Our passion is to be a sustainable brand promoting and empowering the artisanal work with alpaca fur, an artisanal work that has prevailed for generations. Conscious fashion, fair trade, decent work and social responsibility are our core values.
The textile world has been industrialized and automated in such a way that it is polluting the planet, we want to show you that artisanal weaving techniques are still vibrant and that artisanal clothes will be the most authentic garments that you will have in your closet.
We are an ecological option in wich each garment has its own DNA. Our mission is to be a circular brand, making our stock the minimum possible and giving a second life to the leftover alpaca yarn from large productions made in Lima-Peru. We believe in the upcycling revolution and its diffusion among fashion consumers.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I would love for people who purchase our products to share them on social media and tag us so their friends and followers can appreciate the quality of our products and discover our social media channels, where we promote the use of natural fibers and their respective care, so follow us on instagram!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.circletextile.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/circletextile
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/circletextile
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@circletextile
