Jul 16, 2020

Thrive VIP Event 2020

A Letter from Ali

Before I ever knew I would start Nena & Co., I wanted to have a family more than anything.

Jeremy and I were ready to start having children soon after getting married. We didn’t know that we wouldn’t be able to have babies until that point. I felt so much loneliness and grief during that process, so much disappointment in every failed attempt to get pregnant. It took us 3 years to conceive with the help of IVF. In my first successful pregnancy, I became pregnant with triplets. To complete our family, we were blessed with our 4th baby over a year ago.

I have endometriosis, but I don’t think that was the only condition that stopped me from getting pregnant. I believe that stress can physically and mentally destroy your body and I was overcome with stress.

I needed a distraction and something to help me survive that particular time in my life. I decided to reconnect with family in Guatemala to find a greater purpose than myself. I started to visit often and during those visits, Nena & Co. was born. Before my own children were!

The evolution of Nena & Co. started with vintage pieces that still exist today in our One Of A Kind Collection. I treasure it so much for its history and the story each piece tells.

But I quickly realized weaving was a dying art. As I got to know the women and men who were the master weavers behind the traditional weavings, I knew I needed to find a way to give them work: not only to survive, but to create and design product using ancient techniques in a contemporary way that is appealing to you and me. I essentially had to figure out how to make them popular.

It’s taken me many blissful years of watching, learning, and educating myself. I continue to do so not only to help these talented and deserving people survive, but to help them thrive. Now they aren’t working to know if they can feed their family, they’re working to know where they are going to send their children to college. I founded Nena to survive, but I continue to do it because it helps so many of us thrive.

Due to COVID-19 we were forced to forgo our annual in-person VIP Event. Also because of the pandemic, we feel the need to connect on a human level now more than ever. So instead of canceling the 2020 Nena Society VIP Event, we are going to host a virtual one that we think will give us so many NEW opportunities.

We will not only have special product, but we will also be hosting classes by artisans in each country we work with, including Kenya, Morocco, Mexico, and of course my Guatemala. It also means more of you can attend since travel and accommodation costs will be cut altogether. We will bring the 2020 Nena Society VIP Event to you in the comfort of your home.

Now isn’t the time to just survive, let's connect with our family around the world and thrive.

What to Expect at the Virtual Event

At the 2020 VIP event you’ll learn and connect more to the people and the products that are the pillars of Nena & Co. than ever before.

You can expect:

Interviews and Q&A with Artisans from Guatemala, Morocco, Mexico and Kenya!
Interactive demonstrations and classes by our artisans around the world.
Informative hands-on kits that accompany each class and demo.
Special product made by each of the artisans you meet, in honor of the VIP event.
Games and of course giveaways!