By: Stephanie Rendon
When I was still in college I remember coming across a giant poster in the bookstore next to a bunch of Florida International University t-shirts. The poster featured a picture of a Hispanic woman named Maritza, and to the left of her there was a short paragraph that read: “These clothes have changed my family’s life. I hope you enjoy wearing them.”
Little did I know that a year later I would find myself meeting the woman in the photo, along with hundreds of other inspiring Alta Gracia workers.
See, I’m a part of the Alta Gracia team in the U.S. and have wanted to head over to the factory for quite some time now. When the opportunity arose to head to Villa Alta Gracia to meet the factory workers in person, I couldn’t help but accept the offer.
Ana Maria, an Alta Gracia worker, volunteered to take me around the town to visit their homes. She wanted me to meet everyone I could in the limited time I was there, so she made sure to wake me up as early as possible. I can still remember her coming to the house I was staying in and screaming “VAMONOS! VAMONOS!”
Meeting the workers really helped me understand how Alta Gracia has helped change lives.
I met a woman named Lucrecia, mother of 3, who had worked at an apparel company prior to Alta Gracia that mistreated its workers and paid very little. She had quit numerous times but had to return in order to provide for her family. She left for good after one of the factory supervisors elbowed a pregnant woman in the belly and sent her to the hospital after she failed to work at a faster pace. Lucrecia had enough and quit her job.
Fortunately, she found out that a local factory that paid a living wage and respected unions had opened and was hiring. When I asked her the difference between the two factories she smiled and said, “Here, we are treated with dignity. These kind of incidents have never happened at the Alta Gracia factory. We are allowed to form unions, which helps keep these things in check. I feel really blessed to be here.”
I also spent time with Maribel (see on right), Alta Gracia worker, mother, and nursing student. She says her employment at Alta Gracia allows her to afford an education, and is now two years away from graduating from nursing school. She couldn’t afford school before, but thanks to a living wage she can now pay for her tuition, her school books, her uniforms - everything she needs.
I definitely don’t want to leave out Ana Maria (see bottom left), the best Villa Alta Gracia tour guide you could get. Before Alta Gracia she didn’t have the means to buy beds for her children. “The bed had a hole in the middle of it and the three of us would have to sleep on it together,” she said.
As I walked through her one story house, I noticed how far she has come since the days of sharing a bed with her children. She now has gorgeous furniture, beautiful art work on the walls, and beds big enough to fit 4 people in them. She’s living comfortably and is so thankful for the people who purchase Alta Gracia apparel. Without it, she feels like she would go back to where she started.
These were just three of the many factory workers I met during my trip. All of them have a story to tell. Seeing the benefits of Alta Gracia and the good it brings to not only the workers, but the community really makes a purchase from the brand totally worth it. It helps change lives for the better and it can change yours, too.
By: Stephanie Rendon
When I was still in college I remember coming across a giant poster in the bookstore next to a bunch of Florida International University t-shirts. The poster featured a picture of a Hispanic woman named Maritza, and to the left of her there was a short paragraph that read: “These clothes have changed my family’s life. I hope you enjoy wearing them.”
Little did I know that a year later I would find myself meeting the woman in the photo, along with hundreds of other inspiring Alta Gracia workers.
See, I’m a part of the Alta Gracia team in the U.S. and have wanted to head over to the factory for quite some time now. When the opportunity arose to head to Villa Alta Gracia to meet the factory workers in person, I couldn’t help but accept the offer.
Ana Maria, an Alta Gracia worker, volunteered to take me around the town to visit their homes. She wanted me to meet everyone I could in the limited time I was there, so she made sure to wake me up as early as possible. I can still remember her coming to the house I was staying in and screaming “VAMONOS! VAMONOS!”
Meeting the workers really helped me understand how Alta Gracia has helped change lives.
I met a woman named Lucrecia, mother of 3, who had worked at an apparel company prior to Alta Gracia that mistreated its workers and paid very little. She had quit numerous times but had to return in order to provide for her family. She left for good after one of the factory supervisors elbowed a pregnant woman in the belly and sent her to the hospital after she failed to work at a faster pace. Lucrecia had enough and quit her job.
Fortunately, she found out that a local factory that paid a living wage and respected unions had opened and was hiring. When I asked her the difference between the two factories she smiled and said, “Here, we are treated with dignity. These kind of incidents have never happened at the Alta Gracia factory. We are allowed to form unions, which helps keep these things in check. I feel really blessed to be here.”
I also spent time with Maribel (see on right), Alta Gracia worker, mother, and nursing student. She says her employment at Alta Gracia allows her to afford an education, and is now two years away from graduating from nursing school. She couldn’t afford school before, but thanks to a living wage she can now pay for her tuition, her school books, her uniforms - everything she needs.
I definitely don’t want to leave out Ana Maria (see bottom left), the best Villa Alta Gracia tour guide you could get. Before Alta Gracia she didn’t have the means to buy beds for her children. “The bed had a hole in the middle of it and the three of us would have to sleep on it together,” she said.
As I walked through her one story house, I noticed how far she has come since the days of sharing a bed with her children. She now has gorgeous furniture, beautiful art work on the walls, and beds big enough to fit 4 people in them. She’s living comfortably and is so thankful for the people who purchase Alta Gracia apparel. Without it, she feels like she would go back to where she started.
These were just three of the many factory workers I met during my trip. All of them have a story to tell. Seeing the benefits of Alta Gracia and the good it brings to not only the workers, but the community really makes a purchase from the brand totally worth it. It helps change lives for the better and it can change yours, too.