our journey

Andean Collection was founded in 2008 to bring sustainable change to impoverished communities in South America. The inspiration for Andean Collection first took root when Founder and CEO, Amanda Judge, was conducting field research for a Masters’ thesis on poverty reduction strategies in rural South America. After analyzing the different streams of household income in the rural communities, Amanda concluded that the biggest opportunity for sustainable economic growth was in jewelry making. Not only did Ecuador have a long, rich history of handcrafting jewelry out of rainforest seeds, but there was also a global demand for well-made, one of-kind pieces. The research also showed that access to the global market was crucial to reducing poverty in these areas.

The project, which was initially intended to result in an academic paper, served as the business model for Andean Collection. Since 2008, Andean Collection has continued to grow and flourish. Andean Collection currently works with over 60 artisan partners across 8 fair trade workshops in Ecuador, with headquarters in Quito and New York City.

Andean Collection’s New York based design team taps into the artistic potential of the natural materials and the craftsmanship of the artisans to continuously develop bold, handcrafted, on-trend jewelry. This focus on design has grounded Andean Collection as an esteemed brand in both the mainstream and sustainable fashion industries. Andean Collection accessories can now be found in over 2,000 boutiques and major retail stores around the world, and counting.