"I'm Wilber Calapuja Marron and I was born in Puno. My mother knitted sweaters to sell. I'm a very happy, hard-working, punctual and honest person. I decided to come to Lima to live with a relative to study auto mechanics, then computers and later coding.<br><br>"One day, a friend offered me a job in a workshop where they knitted sweaters and that's where my interest and passion for developing and knitting sweaters was awakened. In my work experience, I learned to knit, then design and develop different kinds of sweaters, and also learned a great deal about manual and electronic machines. Eventually, I was ready to set up my own workshop.<br><br>"When I first ventured out on my own, there were some difficult moments, but each obstacle I overcame motivated me to keep going forward. The toughest part was not having enough money. I worried about finding customers because I needed more work for my collaborators and fortunately, the people who assist me always supported me. They'd cheer me up with their jokes and, when I would stop by to see how the work was going, I'd always leave smiling.<br><br>"Designing is the first step in the process, which is done on the computer. Next, we select the materials, such as alpaca. Finally, we knit them. I enjoy being able to innovate our designs, knitting and use of materials. I don't find it difficult - one just needs creativity and a lot of patience.<br><br>"My designs begin as an idea that I quickly capture on paper. I work with my wife and we both spend almost 14 hours a day in the workshop and have weekly meetings to organize the work. It's a challenging job, but very satisfying.<br><br>"One of our greatest challenges is competition, which is why I want to increase sales and provide more work to the people around me. As a child, I wanted to work on my own and I've finally achieved this. You have given me the opportunity to continue growing by showing our designs to the world."
Find us online