Wawas helps women in Argentina Sunday, July 29, 2007
BY FAYE B. ZUCKERMAN
Journal Staff Writer
Dolores Hirschmann knew that the women in her native Argentina loved to knit. She
would see them clicking needles together or toiling away crocheting in waiting rooms,
at senior centers, in government offices, on public transportation and while watching
children. “Everywhere you turned people were knitting,” said Hirschman, who lives in
Dartmouth, Mass., with her businessman husband and four children. “And what they
were creating was beautiful.”
The knitters of her native land enjoyed experimenting with color combinations,
patterns and design. They created garments of different kinds of yarns, masterminding
tailor-made concoctions of all different thicknesses of strands of wool, silk and cotton.
Their end results were textured, comfortable and color rich.
“Items you could dress up or dress down,” said Hirschmann. “They are very versatile.”
On a visit to Argentina about four years ago during an economic crisis, she was
dismayed to see how many people, some of them her friends, were out of work. She
realized she could make a difference by buying their knitted clothing, accessories and
jewelry that had impressed her since she was a child.
She bought hats, scarves, sweaters, blouses, necklaces, pins and shawls. She grabbed
knitted belts and even stumbled onto a belt that doubled as a scarf as well as unique
headbands, which were connected rings of tightly wrapped yarn —“I had never seen
anything like them before.”
SHE HAULED IT ALL back to her home town, and threw a trunk-sale party for the women
in her neighborhood.
“I remember I was telling my guests the story behind the clothing, and how I was trying
to help out and make a difference,” she recalled. “As soon as I brought out the
products, nobody wanted to hear my story. They fell in love with it all.” And they were
clamoring for more.
When she notified a childhood friend, a master knitter named Angeles Vassallo,
Vassallo responded that she had access to a lot more product. They set up a company
called Wawas, which means children in the indigenous South American Quechua
language.
Wawas boasts some 60 knitters in Argentina and has been selling moderate-to-high-
end knit wear in stores since 2006. You can find items, which range between $35 and
$300, in Feminine Fancies, Barrington, and Gabrielle’s Wayland Square, Providence,
and in the fall, at Jackie’s Loft, Bristol, and Karol Richardson, Newport. They are also
available online.
“I consider my enterprise a women-helping-women initiative,” said Hirschmann in the
dining room-turned-showroom of her suburban home. “It’s about empowering women
to ensure a better life for their children. That is really important to me.”
Her dining room table overflows with samples, including knitted necklaces ($35) and
headbands ($35) with her company’s signature yarn-covered rings. She pulled out a
multi-colored pashmina, an all-silk top and a couple of skirts, and said, “We are known
for mixing organza, cotton and silk ribbons. Go ahead and feel how soft it is.”
Wawas can be reached at (508) 999-7388; www.wawas.com; or Dolores@wawas.com
fzuckerm@projo.com
BY FAYE B. ZUCKERMAN
Journal Staff Writer
Dolores Hirschmann knew that the women in her native Argentina loved to knit. She
would see them clicking needles together or toiling away crocheting in waiting rooms,
at senior centers, in government offices, on public transportation and while watching
children. “Everywhere you turned people were knitting,” said Hirschman, who lives in
Dartmouth, Mass., with her businessman husband and four children. “And what they
were creating was beautiful.”
The knitters of her native land enjoyed experimenting with color combinations,
patterns and design. They created garments of different kinds of yarns, masterminding
tailor-made concoctions of all different thicknesses of strands of wool, silk and cotton.
Their end results were textured, comfortable and color rich.
“Items you could dress up or dress down,” said Hirschmann. “They are very versatile.”
On a visit to Argentina about four years ago during an economic crisis, she was
dismayed to see how many people, some of them her friends, were out of work. She
realized she could make a difference by buying their knitted clothing, accessories and
jewelry that had impressed her since she was a child.
She bought hats, scarves, sweaters, blouses, necklaces, pins and shawls. She grabbed
knitted belts and even stumbled onto a belt that doubled as a scarf as well as unique
headbands, which were connected rings of tightly wrapped yarn —“I had never seen
anything like them before.”
SHE HAULED IT ALL back to her home town, and threw a trunk-sale party for the women
in her neighborhood.
“I remember I was telling my guests the story behind the clothing, and how I was trying
to help out and make a difference,” she recalled. “As soon as I brought out the
products, nobody wanted to hear my story. They fell in love with it all.” And they were
clamoring for more.
When she notified a childhood friend, a master knitter named Angeles Vassallo,
Vassallo responded that she had access to a lot more product. They set up a company
called Wawas, which means children in the indigenous South American Quechua
language.
Wawas boasts some 60 knitters in Argentina and has been selling moderate-to-high-
end knit wear in stores since 2006. You can find items, which range between $35 and
$300, in Feminine Fancies, Barrington, and Gabrielle’s Wayland Square, Providence,
and in the fall, at Jackie’s Loft, Bristol, and Karol Richardson, Newport. They are also
available online.
“I consider my enterprise a women-helping-women initiative,” said Hirschmann in the
dining room-turned-showroom of her suburban home. “It’s about empowering women
to ensure a better life for their children. That is really important to me.”
Her dining room table overflows with samples, including knitted necklaces ($35) and
headbands ($35) with her company’s signature yarn-covered rings. She pulled out a
multi-colored pashmina, an all-silk top and a couple of skirts, and said, “We are known
for mixing organza, cotton and silk ribbons. Go ahead and feel how soft it is.”
Wawas can be reached at (508) 999-7388; www.wawas.com; or Dolores@wawas.com
fzuckerm@projo.com
| Wawas is a collection of knitted clothes made in Argentina by women who are dependent on the income from the clothes. The items are sold at high-end boutiques. Dolores Hirschmann, who grew up in Argentina, has been selling the line in the United States. Hirschmann and Karen Hurley, sales rep for Wawas, model two sweaters. The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo Sandor Bodo |
