QISU History

Sometimes life brings you beauty. When it does, share it with others.

Beauty is Appreciated! Qisu began with a gift! After traveling to a local Ecuadorian market during a vacation trip, Fernando was showing me some local Ecuadorian Alpaca blankets. They were just so beautiful and soft that we thought they would make lovely gifts since we were fairly close to the holiday season. On a whim, we decided to buy some extra to possibly sell to help finance the trips to beautiful Ecuador. Once we realized how much people appreciated these gifts, we just decided to invest in more to see what could happen. It didn’t take long to look for a name and a brand image. We went with “Qisu”, which is an ancient quichua word for “someone that appreciates beautiful things”. It’s a funny word and also surprisingly easy to say as “Kee-Soo”. It was a random stumble on the perfect word. For us, Qisu is a discovered flower by a river. We wanted this word to be our core value and that the things we produce are beautiful reflections of a local, indigenous community. As such, all of our products are handmade and locally crafted. Three years later, Qisu has evolved into a wonderful small business that we run primarily out of our little condo. All of the manufacturing for these artisanal blankets and hats are made by local, indigenous Ecuadorian craftspeople. While much of the thread is imported, the weaving, sewing and packaging is all local in Ecuador. Nearly all of the labor is performed by local women, many of whom sustain their families through these jobs. We care deeply for the local cultures and agricultural environment that sustains them.

To prove that, Qisu purchases carbon credits for all of our import shipping. So remember, what really makes these Panama hats and Alpaca blankets beautiful is the pride that these local cultures bring. The weavers and textile makers carefully spend the thread into the Qisu patterns that have brought so much joy. The blankets themselves are super soft, hypoallergenic and breathable, making them the Perfect Cuddle Blanket. When you purchase a Qisu blanket, you join the Qisu family and we will treat you like family. If you don’t love and appreciate the product, we will happily refund the product purchase! Join our family and appreciate some beauty today.

Fernando and Mark