Que Onda Vos

We Are Legacy has collaborated with Que Onda Vos to bring visibility to a cross-cultural practice where contemporary European design meets traditional Mayan weaving, embedding the story of material, process, and making directly into each piece through We Are Legacy Digital Identity Tags.

Founded by Belgian designer Hanne de Wyngaert, Que Onda Vos works between Belgium  and Guatemala, developing textiles in direct collaboration with indigenous weavers. This exchange brings together two distinct design languages, where minimal form meets deeply rooted craft traditions. By connecting each piece to its maker, material, and technique, this collaboration reveals not only how the work is made, but how different worlds come together within it, ensuring that both its cultural origin and creative authorship remain visible over time.

Espíritu Cochineal is a small rug handwoven on a traditional foot loom using 100 percent hand-spun sheep wool. Based on the Espíritu design, born from a collage of the ayahuasca root, a journey into the self where you may meet your spirit, it combines naturally dyed cochineal and palo de mora  with the natural tones of untreated fibre.

Its soft pink comes from the third bath of the cochineal dye, an ancient pigment derived from insects on Opuntia cacti, used across Mesoamerica since the second century BC. With each successive bath, the colour softens, and the palette is never quite the same twice.

The piece reflects a careful balance between material integrity and design restraint. Natural dyes react to their surroundings over time, light slowly shifts the colour, and each rug continues to change long after it leaves the loom. In the end, every piece is entirely its own.

Artisan weavers work with hand-spun wool sourced from local Guatemalan sheep raised in the highlands of Huehuetenango, Quiché, and Totonicapán. These criollo sheep descend from Spanish breeds introduced during the colonial period and have become embedded in the region’s textile culture.

Wool is either processed by the weavers themselves or in close collaboration with local spinners. The fleece is washed, carded, and spun by hand, preserving traditional methods while supporting local livelihoods.

Momostenango became Guatemala’s centre for wool weaving through a combination of history and geography. The introduction of sheep and the foot loom during the Spanish colonial period, combined with the region’s colder climate, created the conditions for wool-based textiles to develop and endure. While much of Guatemala continued to weave cotton on backstrap looms, Momostenango specialised in wool, passing this knowledge down through generations.

Today, this tradition is increasingly rare. With the rise of inexpensive synthetic alternatives, many looms have disappeared, and only a small number of artisans continue the practice. On a two-pedal foot loom, the weaver passes the weft through the warp, building the textile row by row through rhythm, precision, and embodied skill.

Que Onda Vos creates a dialogue between minimalist design and traditional Guatemalan weaving. Working directly with artisans from concept through to final product, the studio ensures transparency, fair collaboration, and the continuity of a weaving tradition increasingly threatened by mass-produced alternatives. Every piece uses natural materials: hand-spun sheep wool and natural dyes wherever possible. The collection spans handwoven rugs, cushions, plaids, placemats and hand-blown recycled glassware, produced in collaboration with a local cooperative.

Que Onda Vos operates through a direct-to-artisan model, working closely with weavers in Momostengo to ensure transparency, fair collaboration, and continuity of craft. Weavers work in their own workshops, on their own terms, setting their prices and working with other clients.

The use of hand-spun wool and natural dyes, including cochineal and plant-based pigments, reflects a commitment to low-impact production and material integrity. By maintaining traditional processes and avoiding industrial shortcuts, the studio preserves both environmental balance and cultural knowledge.

At its core, the practice supports the continuation of a fragile weaving tradition, creating economic opportunity while ensuring that skills, techniques, and stories remain within the communities that sustain them. Some techniques survive in the hands of a single weaver. The studio organises workshops, in the community and in the studio itself, in the hope of passing this knowledge on before it disappears.

We Are Legacy, founded in Stockholm in 2024, is a digital platform that is redefining how handmade products are understood- using verified digital tags that connect products to makers, materials, and stories. Through a simple tap or scan, each product reveals key information about its origin, production context, and the people behind it.

This is not about digitising craft.

It is about ensuring its legacy - by restoring value to the people whose hands create it.