My name is Ana Alexandra Velazquez, and I am the designer and founder of the KUERO brand. I am a mother of four kids that represent an extension of my life and a wonderful gift from above, married to great man who is an architect. I was born in Canada to Nicaraguan parents and raised in Nicaragua. I am a Latina from heart to soul, passionate about family and aesthetic pleasure. It is the alchemy of aesthetic pleasure and the love for my family that has become the inspiration for my handbags designs. KUERO is a brand with the mission of creating unique, exclusive designer handbags made with the finest leather in Nicaragua. Each KUERO handbag is 100% handmade with the highest quality standards and with special attention to details by our highly skilled team of Nicaraguan Artisans.

KUERO invests in the training of young men and women between the ages of 18 and 23 years old from local communities and rural areas who had no previous experience with handbag production. KUERO invests in a month to two months training program, paid them to get trained, supports them with their high school studies, technical careers, university careers, and computer or English lessons. As a designer and entrepreneur I realized that these young men and women valued the opportunity of learning something new and this made all the difference. Today, KUERO is not only differentiated by its unique, exclusive high quality handmade designs, but it is also differentiated because we invest in the producer’s education and in the creation of a new workforce for handmade products: the result is skilled, qualified, loyal and motivated. Part of our program involves psychological therapies and bible studies, which has changed KUERO's working environment making it stable and increased productivity.

KUERO handbags are the only one of its kind in Nicaragua and the first one of its kind to expand into an international market (last year we started exporting). Even though this has been a challenge, we were able to make our first shipment to the USA and had the opportunity to work with Hush Puppies for Central America designing for them as well as producing under the label HUSH PUPPIES Bags by KUERO. Today KUERO is developing a new line for HUSH PUPPIES for Central America – beginning August 2012 - a handbag which will be machine made combined with handmade for a market segment of middle to high. On the other hand, for handmade 100% handbag production we are looking forward to increasing our market and exports and penetrating into USA - Europe high-end market. Our goal is to produce 2000 units of handmade handbags per month and employ 80 men and young women from rural areas, with emphasis on the training of female gender and investment in their education. Our goal is to set an example in Nicaragua and worldwide where companies can grow socially responsible, with respect, honesty and confidence, thus transmitting this to potential alliances, partners, to actual internal and external customers and still is profitable.

KUERO handbags are made using the finest leather available in Nicaragua. As a designer I want to promote Nicaragua using our local leather, innovating leather color and printing with local tanneries, training women from rural communities as a new workforce, thus strengthening KUERO’s production value chain. KUERO’s mission is to reach an ascending niche market segment who appreciates art and handmade high-end leather products with social awareness, believes in women empowerment and environmental sustainability. I am a Latina passionate about family and aesthetic pleasure. It’s the alchemy of the two that have become the inspiration for my handbags. Each KUERO handbag is 100% handmade with the highest quality standards and with special attention to details by our highly skilled team of Nicaraguan Artisans. KUERO is a brand with the mission of creating unique, exclusive designer handbags. I founded KUERO in 2005 as a sole proprietorship with one artisan and one pedal machine. Within the years I decided to differentiate my designs and this is where I gave birth to the idea of making leather handbags totally by hand. Each stitch, flower, appliqué, strap, and accessory is completely made by hand including the zipper stitching and handbag lining. Today my handbags designs and the use of the finest leather available into a quality handcrafted product have positioned the KUERO brand as unique, authentic and original.

I grew up in a creative family, my grandmother a jewelry designer and my mother a fashion designer. I grew up surrounded by nature, Nicaragua, a Central American Country filled with breath taking beauty such as volcanoes, lush tropical rainforest, volcanic islands, lagoons and a wildlife unique to its region. Nicaragua’s history has produced strong, persistent, loving and hardworking people with dreams and a unique perspective of life – and I consider myself one of those people. In 2005 I founded KUERO a brand with the purpose of creating the first designer handbags in Nicaragua made with the finest leather available each individually handcrafted. I designed ninety unique handbags which became my first collection.

Personally every one of my designing experiences has been of pleasure, gratitude and growth. I use my imagination to envision my designs, I have to imagine them before sketching , the actual and physical transformation of each one of my designs is a unique experience, just like giving birth, every design is a unique and a different, each with its own personality and special in their own way. Each handbag is a piece of art transmitting life, energy and a positive attitude! Designing is my passion, is an innate talent, I am blessed by God with it, and through my designs I am blessing others.

I feel that my greatest achievement has been to be persistent and focused as a designer and entrepreneur. Positioning KUERO as an innovative designer brand of unique, high-end handbags, 100% handmade with the best quality standards and finest leather available. Penetrating into A USA – EUROPEAN high- end market is a challenge KUERO was able to export its first handbags last year to the USA. Hush Puppies visited KUERO last year and the opportunity of working with them has opened doors. Today we are in the mist of developing a new designer line for them – Central America - line which has to be ready by August. Investing in the social aspect of the company; training of young men and women as a new workforce of skilled qualified artisans. I can testify that this investment has been worthwhile, lives are being transformed, life standards are increasing, spiritual values are growing, and production efficiency and quality has increased. Today KUERO is the first Nicaraguan brand of its kind to expand to an international market!