We exist to celebrate Latin American culture, support artisan livelihoods, and create meaningful connections through fashion. 

We practice this by:

• Supporting artisan partnerships across Latin America
  
• Investing in long-term relationships with our seamstresses over transactional production
  
• Creating opportunities for our community that honor our culture and advocate for our planet

Every decision we make is guided by our commitment to honoring our artisans, seamstresses, customers, partners, our community, our environment, and every livelihood impacted by our work. Click here to see our stakeholder map and how they impact our decision-making. 

We believe accountability is part of community care, which is why we maintain a stakeholder grievance procedure that allows any individual impacted by our work to safely share concerns, feedback, or report issues related to our business practices. Click here to view our stakeholder grievance procedure.

We also rely on an advisory board for guidance and accountability as we continue growing intentionally and making impactful decisions. Click here to meet them.

Behind every piece we make, there are individuals who are skilled in traditional craftsmanship and carry generations of knowledge in their hands. These talented individuals are also people who have families to feed and a life to live. We believe handmade work deserves visibility, respect, and fair compensation. 

We are committed to:

• Fair, transparent, and respectful partnerships rooted in ongoing communication with our artisans, seamstresses, and collaborators.
• Ethical production practices that honor human rights, dignity, and safe, supportive working environments. Click here to view our human rights policy. 
• Supporting artisan-led craftsmanship through intentionally made-to-order and/or small-batch production rather than fast fashion production.
• Creating handmade pieces with care and transparency while honoring the time, skill, and cultural knowledge behind each garment.

We believe handmade work deserves visibility, respect, and fair compensation. 

As a Latina-founded, first-generation immigrant brand, we know what it feels like to walk into spaces where you are the only person who looks like you in the room. We also know the impact that can happen when someone chooses to open a door, advocate for you, or create opportunities that help you catch up in systems that were not built with you in mind.

That is why Descalza is committed to building an ecosystem rooted in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We believe fashion can become a space where cultures, identities, and stories that are too often overlooked or misrepresented are instead honored, valued, and worn proudly.

Our commitment includes:

• Fostering fair, respectful, and transparent relationships with our artisans, seamstresses, collaborators, customers, and community members
• Supporting ethical working environments rooted in dignity, safety, human rights, and mutual respect
• Maintaining ongoing conversations with the people connected to our work to ensure accountability, transparency, and continuous learning
• Celebrating and amplifying Latin American and immigrant stories through fashion, storytelling, and community engagement
• Honoring traditional craftsmanship without exploitation or cultural extraction
• Using our platform to advocate for a more human-centered, equitable, and responsible fashion industry

We recognize that this work is ongoing, and we remain committed to listening, learning, and growing intentionally alongside the communities connected to our work. If you have any suggestions or feedback to share with us, please email us at hola@descalza.co.

Our indigenous ancestors were sustainable before it became a trend. They were intentional about how much they consumed and always kept our Madre Tierra (Mother Earth) at the forefront in their decision-making. We want to continue that.

We are committed to: 

• Making our pieces made to order or in small batches
• Reducing overproduction by launching new designs as pre-orders first 
• Creating timeless pieces that can be worn all year long and are meant to last
• Repurposing fabric remnants into accessories and appliqués
• Extending the life of gently-used pieces by reimagining them with our artisan fabrics
• Reducing waste wherever possible

At Descalza, we believe that fashion should be slow, intentional, and with purpose. That's why we've created a climate plan to support the global goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Click here to view it.