Ideas are not in short supply. Trusting someone to know which idea is worth chasing, what storyline deserves the spotlight and what conversations should be archived is.

AYA is built on that discernment. After decades moving through the world, knowing what is on the horizon and how ideas translate across cultures comes instinctively.

A relationship with AYA means working with someone who cares just as much as you do and advises you on the imprint you want to leave on the world.

When your brand no longer reflects the business behind it, you’re growing and need to decide what comes next, or there’s simply a disconnect that’s difficult to put a finger on.

AYA identifies what’s actually happening and what needs to change, keeping your brand relevant, culturally aware and visually true to what you’ve built.

For a closer look at how we approach cultural strategy and creative direction read the article [Culture, Brands & Creative Direction].

AYA is deeply invested in every project we take on. We work closely with leadership, bringing instinct, experience and a keen sense of cultural temperature to the table.

AYA is usually brought in when a brand needs a different perspective, creative ideas and someone willing to stand behind the decisions that follow. From there, we work with internal teams, outside creatives and contractors to make sure the work is executed to the standard set together.

Our preference is to build strong relationships with a select number of clients at any one time.

Projects can range from a few weeks to solve a specific problem, several months through a launch or repositioning, or ongoing fractional support until a full-time hire feels appropriate.

Upon completing her master’s degree at Georgetown, Alyssa was contracted by Pencils of Promise as one of their first employees on the ground in Guatemala. She scouted high-need communities without proper school structures, interviewed families to research and share information with other nonprofits, and wrote the narratives around new builds and site projects.

While working in these remote communities, Alyssa often interviewed families in their homes. This is where she met women, mothers and young girls, typically sitting on the floor weaving on backstrap looms while they talked.

They didn’t have steady incomes or formal jobs, but they were already making extraordinary things. They didn’t need another training program or a new skill. They needed access to a market.

That realization became Hiptipico.

Travel has always been a privilege that we don’t take lightly. Alyssa studied in Italy, Spain, Costa Rica and Ecuador, worked across Latin America and East Africa, and found her way to many places simply to gain a wider perspective.

She has spent extended time in Mexico, South Korea and Ethiopia, and worked directly with communities in Mozambique, the UAE and Guatemala.

Every place has challenged something she thought she knew, and that perspective inevitably finds its way into the work.

Ixi [EE-SHE]

Ixi’s full name is Ixil, after the Ixil region of Guatemala. Alyssa spent time working with women and families there, particularly around Nebaj and Chajul, communities that endured some of the worst violence of Guatemala’s civil war. Those acts would decades later be recognized as genocide.

The day Alyssa rescued Ixi from Calle Santander in Panajachel, she was meeting an artisan partner who had traveled from the Ixil region to deliver textiles. The name came to her that day and stayed.

Her time working in the Ixil region had left a profound impression on her, particularly the strength of the women she knew there and everything they had built for their families after generations of conflict. Naming him Ixi was her small, personal way of carrying that connection with her.

Yes. Through Hiptipico, Alyssa spent 12 years building relationships with artisans across Guatemala, bringing their work to a global fashion market through partnerships with Urban Outfitters, Free People, Topshop and others.

Today, those relationships continue. Alyssa connects designers and brands directly with artisan partners, local guides and communities, allowing new collaborations to develop independently.

That’s the philosophy behind THE INDEX by AYA | the next chapter of ethical fashion. [Available for select clients.]