The Founders

Mayalla was founded in December 2018 by Katharina Schumann from Germany and Diego Schneckenburger from Guatemala. The story began in 2014 when both were studying Marketing in Barcelona, Spain. They struck up conversation about his German last name, which traces back to his great grandfather that came to Guatemala from Germany at the end of the 18th century. Shortly after this encounter they fell in love. After living in Barcelona for a few years, Diego started missing his family and culture, so they decided to move to Guatemala.
       
 
Katharina was immediately amazed by the beautiful, traditional handmade textiles that are sold in the local artisan markets. At the same time, she saw that the large majority of Guatemalans faces poverty. It was from this knowledge and newfound appreciation for Mayan textiles that Mayalla was born.
 
 
Katharina always had a passion for design and creativity. In her free time, she loves painting and decorating. Katharina has studied Marketing Management in Barcelona and she has a Travel Blog, where she gives valuable travel advice. As an influencer she has worked with numerous brands and helped promoting their products on her Instagram. By doing so she fell in love with photography and social media marketing. All these aspects came as together as valuable skills to create an Ethical Fashion Brand. Katharina truly enjoys to design bags and to market them online. 
 
 
      
Diego has a very logical thinking. He studied Industrial Engineering and has a master’s in Marketing and Finances. Diego loves to work with numbers and analyze processes. He has a very creative mind in terms of improving work processes. Thanks to his girlfriend he encountered his passion for photography and video making. Since he is helping Katharina taking the photos for her Blog and Instagram. He had the dream of opening his own business since he is a small boy. Thanks to Mayalla he can fulfill his dream and in the same time do something good for his country. Together, they are the perfect team! 
      
                        
Through Mayalla, Katharina and Diego work to preserve ancient indigenous culture, to improve the socioeconomic realities of the local community, and to create modern fashion styles that celebrate the cultural heritage of the Maya. Read more about the Ethical Impacts here. 
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