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Luna Antigua Style
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Luna Antigua Style
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Luna Antigua Style
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Luna Antigua Style
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Luna Antigua Style
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Luna Antigua Style
For ancient Mayan women, weaving was far more than a chore. It was a divine art, taught to them by Ix Chel, goddess of the waning moon cycle, shortly after she loomed the fabric that created the universe.
For Sandra Falcon and Pamela Lozoya, this divine art forms the foundation of their fair trade fashion business, Luna Antigua. They work with descendants of these Mayan artists in the Central American country of Guatemala to create handloomed, hand-embroidered dresses, blouses and baby clothes, selling them through their ecommerce site and via pop-up shops across Texas.
It all started in 2016 when Sandra Falcon was scrolling through her Instagram feed and saw a photo of a handloomed baby romper from Guatemala. As a Mexican-American, Falcon was familiar with traditional embroidery styles, but she’d never seen anything like the textured fabric and delicate embroidery of this romper. She instantly wanted one for her own child.
She reached out to friend Pamela Lozoya with her romper request. Lozoya, whose family had come to America from Guatemala, spent her childhood summers there and was heading back to visit family. Lozoya remembered her mother wearing traditional clothes made of this same embroidered fabric and quickly agreed. She never imagined that this special souvenir would blossom into a successful business.
Luna Antigua was Falcon’s idea, and it wasn’t an easy sell. “I pitched the concept of an artisan line to Pam about three times before she was convinced,” Falcon says. The two decided early on that they wouldn’t import just anything. “We wanted to create something that would honor the heirloom quality of the pieces and our Latin heritage,” Falcon says.
Even the name Luna Antigua has a special meaning, Lozoya says. “It was important for us to create a company name that represented tradition and would also honor the women that keep this art form alive,” she says. They chose Luna, the Spanish word for moon, as an homage to the moon goddess master weaver Ix Chel, and Antigua, the Spanish word for ancient that’s also the name of the old capital of Guatemala, which today is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Falcon and Lozoya originally intended to sell online only, a format they felt would work best since both women had young children. But a meeting with local business incubator Shop Small Fort Worth convinced them to try in-person sales through pop-up shops. It was an instant fit. The format, Falcon says, allowed her and Lozoya to personally explain the heritage and the craft quality of each piece. Initial sales were strong, proving they were indeed on the right path.
Falcon and Lozoya don’t just buy the clothes — they work directly with the artisans to tailor make each piece for their American audience. For example, they adjusted the length on the traditional huipil blouses, Lozoya says. They also choose fabric colors, adjust fits and add sweet details like flutter sleeves to their baby and children’s clothes.
It’s definitely not fast fashion. “A yard of our fabric takes from six to eight hours to loom, and our embroidery team of a grandmother, mother and daughter can spend up to seven hours on a little girl’s dress. Our women’s embroidery takes weeks to complete,” Lozoya notes.
Pieces are not only beautiful, they also provide a living wage to the artists who create them, and the financial support helps keep an ancient tradition alive. “It’s always been a priority for us to empower our artisans to be successful and earn competitive incomes,” Falcon says. “Luna Antigua has opened our eyes to the impact a small business can have locally and for our artisan partners, as well as their communities.”
The pair have held successful pop-up shops across Texas, from Houston to Waco, where they were selected as vendors at Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Market at the Silos. When they’re not selling, they’re planning the next steps for continued expansion, working on collaborations with other local fair trade businesses and, of course, finding new ways to style Luna Antigua pieces on themselves and their children. “They are so easy to dress up or down,” Lozoya raves. “They’re comfortable whether I am wearing them with heels or running around town being a mom, and my girls live in their dresses all summer long.”
For more information on pop-up shops and to shop Luna Antigua online, go to lunaantigua.com or follow @LunaAntigua on Instagram. Women’s pieces range from $92–$450; children’s clothing ranges from $47–$86.
Sandra Falcon and Pamela Lozoya are pairing Luna Antigua tops with items from local retailers. Bottoms come from Birdie and earrings and bags from Lola + Lina.
