Girasol and the Issue with Rainbows

[pictured: Autumn wearing Peter in front cross carry. She is a slightly tan and slightly overweight woman with tied up brown hair, glasses, and a black shirt, and he is a baby of around 6 months with curly hair on the top of his head and is wearing a tie dyed shirt. Walter, a white and orange tabby cat is in the foreground perched on a sink. The wrap is Girasol Black Delicious cuervo weft diamond weave with fringe size 6]

Weave and Fiber

Girasol baby wraps are 100% cotton, handwoven in Guatemala, and come in diamond weave, twill, double twill (toddler twill, double weft), thick diamond weave, and herringbone weave. They also come with either fringe (as pictured) or without, and have a moderate taper on either end.

[image: flat shot of Girasol Fire Rainbow 7 twill, a rainbow wrap that is 2 shades of purple followed by 2 shades of blue, 2 shades of green, 2 shades of yellow, 2 shades of orange, and 4 shades of pink/red. The weft of the wrap is red]

Price

The price range for a Girasol is $100-200 retail and $80-$300+ resale on the second hand market. The second hand market is dependent on the retailer where the design originated, scarcity, etc. The most budget friendly girasol are the rewoven general stock and not exclusives from specific retailers.

 

Wrap Quality

Girasol twill have great diagonal stretch and are very easy to use. Additionally, the stripes are very good for beginners because it is easier to focus on strand by strand tightening and knowing which rail to tighten, when, and how much. Diamond weave are light in hand with great stretch and have a similar wrap quality to regular twill. Both twill and diamond weave are nice and light and great for new babies. I found that as Peter got bigger and started packing on the pounds that twill and diamond weave did not suit my support needs. He was about 20 lbs when I started to become uncomfortable. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using single pass carries in twill or diamonds above that weight, but in multiple pass carries the support is better. However, I know many mothers who swear by twill and diamonds for their bigger babies and in the heat, so on this there is a little room for interpretation.

[image: flat shot of Girasol La Chica Bonita Capitan weft thick twill. Capitan is the name of deep navy in the girasol color spectrum. This wrap is a rainbow of equally thick stripes divided by golden pinstripes. Teal, turquoise blue, pale blue, white, lavender, medium purple, dark purple, violet, deep navy, medium blue, sky blue, offwhite, grass green, camo green, and deep teal]

Thick Twill/Toddler Twill/Double Twill/Double Weft are all synonymous when referring to Girasol wraps. Each weft thread is doubled throughout the wrap, which translates to a thick in hand and more supportive wrap. Brand new this wrap feels like denim and wraps similar to wrapping with new denim. It requires a lot of breaking in to become soft and easy to wrap with in my experience.

The Company

“We started selecting cloth, textiles and handicrafts on the markets of the Guatemalan highlands to sell them in Mexico and later in Germany.
Our shop in Berlin opened 1984.
Through our continous[sic] stays in Mexico and Guatemala, we developed friendly relations to the families of the weaver and artisans.
The collaboration with the artisans is based on fair trade with the guarantee of continous[sic] orders.” (http://www.girasol.de/)

There are articles and pdf files on the girasol page about the cotton and dying and pesticide residuals that affect the production, the wraps, and materials. They make a statement that their wraps are not treated with chemicals.

Conclusion

I have a difficult time making a decision about Girasol wraps. When I have this issue, I find that pro and con lists help.

Pros:
price
easy to use
learner friendly
easy care

Cons:
tentative resale market
not as supportive as baby grows
lack of variety color wise
“fair trade” and the possible exploitation of indigenous peoples of Guatemala

Okay, here is the deal. I have a problem with the price of Girasol. I want to know how much these weavers are making. After factoring in the price of running the factory, shipping hundreds of yards of woven wraps to Germany, paying corporate, and paying the managers, how much money do the weavers in Guatemala actually net? What do the German people running Girasol believe is a “living wage” and “fair trade”? I would love to support the weavers and would happily buy from indigenous weavers in Guatemala. I’m not sure if I can reconcile the not knowing with the owning of their wraps.

Conclusion

Conclusions? Based on how I weight the importance of the cons, I choose not to use Girasol wraps. I don’t personally care about resale value, but wrap quality and ethics make this a “no go” for me. I believe there are other budget friendly options that deliver more effectively in the wrap quality and ethics department, which makes me a little sad. Girasol Fire Rainbow was my first woven wrap and I loved it a lot, but I can’t in good conscience buy a Girasol without knowing more about the company and weavers. As I learn more or as more information is given, I will update this with any news.