THE ELEVENTH

Mariela has always dreamed of combining her passions of sustainability, fashion, and entrepreneurship in her career. She created THE ELEVENTH to promote sustainable handmade products made in her home country, Guatemala, where she was born and raised. Mariela graduated as the valedictorian at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and studied Business Administration at Pepperdine University both in Los Angeles. She now loves to design new products finding ways to work with sustainable materials and artisanal craftsmanship.

THE ELEVENTH is based in Guatemala, where they focus on creating ethically made affordable luxury products for the trendsetting conscious woman. On a mission to make “made in Guatemala” a symbol of craftsmanship and art and to never compromise design nor quality in the making.

The collection presented below CACAO11 boot collab was born in Antigua, Guatemala to showcase the amazing workmanship of an ancestral boot-making town from the founder's home country. Two friends, Mariela - founder of THE ELEVENTH bags- from Guatemala; and Elba - founder of CACAO PIÑA shoes from Nicaragua, met through their shared passion for leather, design, and celebrating artisanal traditions of Latin America. All boots are handmade in the outskirts of Antigua Guatemala, in a boot-making artisan community that preserves generations of boot-making techniques, and put meticulous attention and detail to each pair of boots. Each pair of boots carries with it 8 hours of artistry, from pattern making to hand-sewn details and placing layer by layer of curated leather for the sole.  Making durable, leather goods - and increasing awareness in investing in quality statement pieces and materials that will have an extended life in your closet.