Guatemalan Indigenous Designs Command Respect
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this Aug, 21, 2013 photo, employee Jorge González works with traditional Guatemalan textile at a factory where shoes designed by Karim Corzo are handmade, in Guatemala City. Embroidered Mayan textiles known as huipiles are undergoing a revival in some of the countrys finest boutiques as they become a haute couture fixture. Young Guatemalan designers are using them for everything from evening gowns and purses to handmade shoes sold as far away as Dubai. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug. 21, 2013 photo, sketches with pieces of textiles attached of designs by Eduardo Figuero are tacked to a board, in his studio in Guatemala City. Embroidered Mayan textiles known as huipiles are undergoing a revival in some of the countrys finest boutiques as they become a haute couture fixture. Young Guatemalan designers are using them for everything from evening gowns and purses to handmade shoes sold as far away as Dubai. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug. 21, 2013 photo, a tailor mannequin displays a Guatemalan textile blazer made by high-couture designer Eduardo Figueroa, in his studio in Guatemala City. Embroidered Mayan textiles known as huipiles are undergoing a revival in some of the countrys finest boutiques as they become a haute couture fixture. Young Guatemalan designers are using them for everything from evening gowns and purses to handmade shoes sold as far away as Dubai. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug. 21, 2013 photos, original designs by Guatemalan designer Eduardo Figueroa, hang on a room divider in his studio in Guatemala City. Figueroa, a high-couture designer, said modernizing the Mayan designs helps non-indigenous people appreciate this "ethnic" fashion. "I am inspired by color and Guatemalan textiles are rich in color," Figueroa said. "There were people who would tell you that they thought that traditional textiles were just for cushions and tablecloths, but I tell them that they can be used in many ways." (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug, 21, 2013 photo, employee Ezequiel Ortiz works at a factory where shoes designed by Karim Corzo are handmade, in Guatemala City. Embroidered Mayan textiles known as huipiles are undergoing a revival in some of the countrys finest boutiques as they become a haute couture fixture. Young Guatemalan designers are using them for everything from evening gowns and purses to handmade shoes sold as far away as Dubai. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug. 21, 2013 photo, Karim Corzo, a shoe designer using Guatemalan textiles, poses for a photo at a workspace in her factory in Guatemala City. Embroidered Mayan textiles known as huipiles are undergoing a revival in some of the countrys finest boutiques as they become a haute couture fixture. Corzo saw an economic benefit to the fashion trend. "They allow us to give work to the women who weave them and sell them," Corzo said. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug. 21, 2013 photo, Eduardo Figueroa, Guatemalan fashion designer speaks during an interview in his studio, in Guatemala City. Figueroa was internationally recognized for the bright orange gown with a spray of floral design at the shoulders he designed for Guatemala's contestant at Miss World 2012. The outfit was rated as one of the contests 10 best by fashion designer and Project Runway judge Nick Verreos. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug, 21, 2013 photo, handmade shoes designed by Karim Corzo lay scattered on a workshop table at a factory in Guatemala City. Embroidered Mayan textiles known as huipiles are undergoing a revival in some of the countrys finest boutiques as they become a haute couture fixture. Young Guatemalan designers are using them for everything from evening gowns and purses to handmade shoes sold as far away as Dubai. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)
In this Aug, 21, 2013 photo, a pair of wedges show toes designed by Karim Corzo with embroidered Guatemaln fabric, sit on a shelf at a factory where the shoes are handmade in Guatemala City. Embroidered Mayan textiles known as huipiles are undergoing a revival in some of the countrys finest boutiques as they become a haute couture fixture. Young Guatemalan designers are using them for everything from evening gowns and purses to handmade shoes sold as far away as Dubai. (AP Photo/Luis Soto)