Sutisana was founded in 2010 as a freedom business, which exists to fight human trafficking (or commercial exploitation). By providing dignified employment in a just and thriving business, SutiSana offers a new and abundant life for women leaving behind sex work in Bolivia.

Most SutiSana artisans speak both Spanish and the indigenous language of Aymara. In Aymara, “Suti” means name. In Spanish “Sana” means healed. As a woman leaves sex work, she often adopts a new name as part of her healed identity. When a woman joins SutiSana, she receives many benefits, including health insurance and a retirement plan. She and her children are supported through community, and she is given opportunities to continually grow – learning to design bags, working with new materials, and even coaching other women leaving the sex work industry.

Yanawara collaborates with Sutisana since 2019 curating bags that complements our alpaca collection and with private designs and projects since 2021.