Chimuk is a collective of 21 women artisans in Trujillo, Peru, who have been knitting warm, colorful pieces (beanies, scarves, shawls) by hand since 2016, from baby alpaca and Andean wool. Each piece comes with a QR code linking back to the artisan who made it, so you know exactly whose hands it passed through.
Chimuk was born at CESAPU, the community health center of the NGO Hands on Peru, in a neighborhood where most families live in poverty without access to clean water or sewage. Alongside preventive health care, the center runs knitting, cooking and tutoring classes, and that's how these mothers became skilled artisans. Today they earn fair monthly incomes, have access to physical and mental health care, and have built a strong community together.
And here's the beautiful part: every Chimuk piece you wear also supports the health center where it all started. The women aren't just beneficiaries; they help keep the project going, while keeping a piece of Peruvian heritage alive with every stitch.