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Hecho

Hecho is a curated emporium of ethically made artisan works that marry contemporary design with trad The Location
Hecho is based in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The Story
The foundation for this project began to take shape when Ehren Seeland, Founder and Creative Director of Hecho, was regularly traveling the globe for international development work. With this, she was able to connect with a number of government agencies, NGOs and skilled artisans throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America. Inspiration arose from the handmade pieces and artisan stories tha

t she gathered while on the road, along with the recognition of a desire to share these remarkable experiences within the context of a sustainable business built on partnerships, respect and transparency. The Artisans
A small group of hand-selected artisans in Mexico and Guatemala serve as the base of the Hecho collaborative partners. These are incredibly hardworking, knowledgeable and creative individuals who are dedicated to their respective crafts, and upholding family and cultural traditions. The Products
Many of the featured pieces on this website are the result of custom product development with our artisan partners. While Hecho is able to offer insight into customizing handmade pieces for the international market, along with expertise around marketing and effective storytelling, it is the highly developed skills, creative insight and technical input of the artisans that are truly essential to this process. It is our honor and privilege to work with a growing roster of partners. We also actively maintain a special focus on supporting women in their creative work – both as groups and individuals. The Process
Hecho is committed to transparency and ethical sourcing practices. When custom client orders are given to our artisan partners, a 50% deposit is always paid upon submission – both for good faith and also so that artisans do not need to use their own funds for materials. Hecho manages the production process with regular meetings and updates, and pays the remainder of the balance upon successful completion of every order. The Focus
Respect, in-person communication, and development are important to the work that we do. Hecho collaborates with our artisan partners in order to streamline production processes and marketing potential. We also maintain a focus on visibility and the preservation of artisan art forms through positive shared revenue streams. In short, this is a business partnership, and with this, both the makers and Hecho hold each other to a high standard. If you've never been, we highly recommend visiting this beautiful state – we'll even take you to our favorite venue for street tlayudas (the best). The Possibilities
In addition to developing, producing and marketing products for the Hecho line, we also work with select retail clients on projects related to individual sourcing, custom product development, and special writing and photography projects that center on highlighting and celebrating the process of handmade.

24/07/2026

An ode to long-standing relationships.

We’ve been collaborating with Mexican artisans for over 11 years now. While these efforts began in our full-time home of Oaxaca, over the years, they’ve expanded to another ten states in Mexico. The pieces that we help to develop are rooted in ancestral processes and natural materials like clay, stone, cotton, wool, wood, agave and more. There’s already too much plastic choking the planet and we don’t want to encourage more of that.

Our services cover custom product development, in-person and remote sourcing, the organization and hosting of individual and group cultural trips, hands-on artisan workshops, as well as online content development for clients.

We believe in the long-term and with this, we work with the same artisans as we always have, on an ongoing basis. One of these is an accomplished artist named Ana, who like her mother and siblings is incredibly adept in her pottery practice, which celebrates her indigenous Zapotec heritage. She works with local clay, mineral glaze, a handmade pit fire kiln that’s reminiscent of those unearthed in Monte Alban, as well as figures and forms that represent the stories of her ancestors. Her workshop also has one of the best views in Oaxaca, as you can see here.

While we started in wholesale and still offer this as an option, our client base has diversified over the last few years. That said, we’re grateful for the fact that we’re still doing business with some of our very first retail clients from over a decade ago.

Oaxaca is our present and our future. Our extended family was born and raised in this incomparable Mexican state and our focus is, and will always be, on supporting our local communities. We live in an indigenous pueblo just outside of the capital city and our goal is to be surrounded by the local mountains for the foreseeable future. Thank you to everyone who’s supported us and our three small, local businesses over the years. In our view, there’s no life without community and we’re deeply grateful for ours.

24/06/2026

Traditional metal work in Mexico dates from Mesoamerican times, with precious metals such as gold, silver and copper used for jewelry and votive offerings. During the colonial period, the use of the aforementioned materials was also in play, however tin and wrought iron also grew in popularity for the production of household objects, furniture, tools and decorative pieces. Initially, metal work was heavily restricted by the Spanish, as this work didn’t contribute to royal taxes, but it was also to protect the Spanish metal guilds and ensure that the indigenous people didn’t make weapons.

The mining and working of iron was introduced by the Spanish who created tools and horseshoes, then later, decorative elements for churches and mansions. With this, you’ll find an array of hinges, latches and other handmade iron pieces on historic buildings, as well as in local vintage markets and shops. These pieces are also produced for modern use in contemporary builds, when one wants a colonial style of finish in interiors.

Some of these handmade handles and pulls are attached with screws, while others have two long iron rods on the back. These are pulled through a drilled hole in the wooden piece, then curled with pliers and cut on both ends, in order to keep them secure. A local maker told us that this application method is used to prevent people from stealing the pieces off of front doors and other areas.

23/06/2026

While there’s a little more diversity than before, Mexico is primarily Christian, with Catholicism representing the largest denomination at over 77%. Spanish colonizers largely introduced this belief system, and with this, the production of ex-votos. These are also known as retablos or laminas, and were incorporated into daily life, starting in the 16th Century.

Votive paintings began as static images of saints and religious figures which were donated to a church, however they later evolved into narrative images to tell the story of a miracle or favour received. These were originally commissioned by the wealthy and produced on canvas, but as tin prices became more accessible, they were created by the working class. There was a proliferation of these offerings made in the 18th and 19th Centuries, with many eventually being transported from public places of offering to private collections.

These pieces are typically small in size, made from tin and feature the likeness of the petitioner, the saint or religious figure, and the miracle that was received. Many are rather grim, with the believer surviving addiction, sickness, injury and other disasters. Unlike static images of saints, these votive paintings are considered to be intense and personal public expressions of faith, which were often signed and even painted by the petitioner themselves. Some were also produced by artists for hire, particularly in the past when literacy wasn’t common. At the end of the 19th Century, votive paintings fell out of favour, with the arrival of more economical chromolithographs from Europe.

This particular collection of ex-votos that’s featured here is from a recent visit to the state of Puebla, where you’ll find these handmade works in local museums and antiques shops.

18/06/2026

Meet the team! They say that it takes a village and our small business is no exception.

While we cover the marketing, client communication, social media, sourcing, packing, shipping and so on, the true heart and soul of our project are the artisans that we collaborate with. It’s their ancestral knowledge, incomparable skill and creative vision that’s the beating heart of our small business. Without them, we’d be nothing.

While we don’t have childhood photos to post of these admirable individuals, we’ll forever be grateful in having the privilege of being invited into their homes, workshops and in some cases, into their families.

Con todo nuestro repeto, siempre.
babypictures

17/06/2026

With a new house build already in the works, we’re keeping our eyes and ears open for vintage pieces to add a particular charm to our future space that mass produced items cannot replicate. From pottery to lighting and etched glassware, there’s a profusion of historic treasures to be discovered in Mexico, with a little time and patience. The goal of this mindful curation is honour these ancient makers and techniques, leverage personality over perfection and repurpose existing works, rather than producing more. As with our contemporary artisan made collections, our focus isn’t on trends, but a timeless elegance that seamlessly transcends the decades.

Sourcing is always preferable in good company, so our goal is to expand these efforts in order to create a new category in our offerings. Again, this focus doesn’t revolve around validation or status, but on the simple ethos that what you love is worth loving. Sometimes, it breaks our hearts to leave behind certain vintage treasures, causing our mind to later wander back to them, like the one that got away. These pieces have lived lifetimes and have bore witness to the joys, heartaches and simple moments of those who loved them before us.

What we’d like to know from you, dear community, is what types of historical pieces you might be interested in seeing in our collections and social feeds. Are you a lover of the historical, as well? What types of works are you drawn to and resonate with your own modern aesthetic?

16/06/2026

As with all things in life, when collaborating with artisans, there’s some makers that you develop a deeper relationship with who become good friends and in some cases, even family.

We first met Alicia and Mario of at the Sunday market in Tlacolula, then later in a more intimate form when we helped to facilitate the production process of custom textiles for a NYC-based designer. Their home workshop is located in the central valleys of Oaxaca, alongside a sunny courtyard and outdoor kitchen space where their grandchildren and chickens frolick in the midst. The clack clack of their traditional standing pedal looms offers a rhythmic backdrop to the symphony of life that surrounds them.

Given the current market and world events, sales have been slow for many artisans, shops and small businesses. Life is so expensive these days that people are holding close what extra income they have, which we understand. That said, this lack of sales means a reduced income for many families, which is a struggle. Alicia, for example, is plagued with ongoing knee pain and requires surgery, plus there’s the daily expenses of running a household.

This talented duo are natural dye masters, skilled wool textile weavers and wonderful humans. We can attest that they’re reliable with custom orders, as well as being honest and good communicators. We’ll be sharing images in our stories of their handmade works that are currently available on an ongoing basis. If you have a custom project you’d like realized, we’re happy to connect you.

In buying from artisans, your hard earned funds are supporting local communities, not multinationals run by billionaires. This helps ancestral traditions to continue and these families to sleep better at night, knowing that their needs are covered. Be sure to give this family a follow to see what they have coming.

10/06/2026

Some days are more challenging than others, but on this Wednesday, all we want to do is share a photo of these sherbet coloured roses, cut from our garden. We hope that you’re well in your world, wherever you are. Abrazos desde Oaxaca.

21/05/2026

Colonial ideology is based on the belief in the superiority of the colonizers, their mandate to rule and a warped view of a civilizing mission to cultivate land and life, which is often deeply rooted in gender and racial hierarchies. It’s typically a part of an imperialist project that subjugates and diminishes indigenous people, which intentionally creates division and inequality. This ideology is also present in an ongoing pattern where POC in economically under-developed nations are denied agency and are seen as passive recipients of white benevolence. How is that going for our world? Have a look around you.

Over the last eleven years, the bulk of our collaborations have been with indigenous Mexican artisans. In our interactions, what is abundantly clear is that local indigenous people, particularly in our diverse Southern Mexican state, practice ancestral wisdom that helps to keep them connected to their natural environment, their culture and their overriding focus in life.

Sadly, money is always a driving factor in our late-stage capitalist world, however we don’t find the same glorification of wealth in Oaxaca, as there is in other ‘developed’ nations. People work long hours, but it’s not the performative grind culture that we see in other societies. Family comes first in Oaxaca, as does community service and care for the land.

All of that to say, we have much to learn from the indigenous communities of the world – not the other way around. We don’t care how many followers you have, if you’d been on television, lauded in magazines or how impressive your financial portfolio is. Show us something real, something meaningful. Our reverence is reserved for the protectors of nature, champions of the voiceless, lovers of animals, and those who have overcome unimaginable adversity with grace and creative vision, like the globally esteemed Maestro Jose Garcia – a forever source of inspiration and a true poet in the darkness.

19/05/2026

Mexico has a history of clay building that spans over 3,000 years. It evolved from pre-Hispanic earth construction to fired bricks and glazed tiles. While cement is a common choice in modern builds, traditional materials like adobe, wattle-and-daub and clay tiles endure as popular options.

The ancient Aztec and Teotihuacan people shaped mud, clay and plant fibers into bricks to form enormous complexes, while sophisticated cultures like the Maya in Comalcalco produced kiln-fired clay bricks and water pipes as early as 1,500 years ago. With the arrival of Spanish colonizers, fired bricks became common, as did glazed tiles. Additionally, curved, clay roof tiles, which are locally known as tejas, replaced thatched palapas.

In the early 20th century, cement and concrete temporarily overshadowed artisanal clay brick making, however there’s been a bioconstruction revival, where ancestral processes co-exist with modern sustainability methods. Earthen walls and roofs, along with finishes like chukum and lime plaster help to keep homes cool in the heat, plus they’re breathable, help to resist mold and are also fire-resistant.

Our respect goes out to those who continue to make individual bricks by hand, paint with lime and waterproof build surfaces with juice from the prickly pear cactus. When employing these methods, one is able to help to keep the earth and the air cleaner, while also supporting the continuance of traditional processes.

Dirección

San Andrés Huayapam

Página web

http://www.hecho-shop.com/

Notificaciones

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