About us

The story has begun when at the end of 1980 we, Camilla and Gerhard, took off for a journey to explore the South-American continent from Mexico to Peru.

We never made it to Peru, however, since the breathtaking beauty of the Guatemalan highlands, the fascination of the Caribbean coast and the curiosity for post-revolutionary Nicaragua had completely blown both our budget and time frame.

In order to afford a longer stay in Central America, in mid-1981, we started to select handwoven textiles and handicrafts which we bought on the markets of the Mayan people in the highlands of Guatemala and sold in Mexico. Till the end of 1982, we went back and forth between Guatemala and Mexico on a regular basis. Thus earning our livelihood, we got to know county and people and gradually a deep bond formed, especially with the Guatemalan Indians.

After our return to Germany in 1983, we continued selling our products on markets and fairs. Later in 1983 we established our business in Berlin and, with the help of an old friend, Wolfgang, we founded a wholesale business.

Since then we have been buying all products nearly exclusively from manufacturers in Guatemala and Mexico directly. Our intimate knowledge of the local trade helps us to find particularly decorative and special handmade items.

Our local partners are artisans, small workshops, cooperatives and independent weavers and tailors. The principles of fair trade and sustainability are paramount for all stages of purchase, production and sale.

Internationally, GIRASOL is widely known for handwoven baby wraps. These are manufactured exclusively for us by a specifically developed dedicated group of dyers, weavers and tailors in Guatemala.

In 2009 GIRASOL developed a baby carrier, the MySol. The name of this patent-registered baby carrier is a composite of „My“ and „sol“ (= sun). We are very proud to offer this easy-to-use baby carrier as an alternative to our babywraps.

Today, GIRASOL is a civil law company (GbR) with three partners, with 7 employees (part time and full time) and 4 stand-ins (March 2017).