When you wear El Guacamayo Malu, you’re wearing a love story from the heart of the Amazon, carrying a piece of legacy and land conservation wherever you go.

This psychedelic scarlet macaw design was inspired by a very real bird named Malu, who lives with the Javá family—keepers of traditional Amazonian medicine and the late Maestro Jhonny Javá’s legacy.

Malu was rescued after his mother was poached, but despite having full flight capability, he chose to stay. He interacts with the family’s children and animals, watching carefully over his beloved human family. In many Amazonian traditions, Guacamayo is a messenger bird, a symbol of vibrancy, spirit, and ancestral connection.

🖌️ The Creative Journey

I began this piece by pulling color directly from Malu’s feathers using photos I took in the jungle. From those colors, I built a custom palette, gathered brush textures and sacred symbols—Mapacho leaves, feather patterns, solar rays—and created a layered mandala behind his perched form. I explored various crosshatch swatch patterns to add textures to the design, and collected brushes to mimic felt-tip pens.

I lost track of how many hours went into drawing, designing, coloring, arranging, and editing until we felt happy with the final design.

Originally drawn with fine gradients to reflect his iridescence, the artwork posed challenges when it came time to print. So I adapted it—using halftones and complementary color play to preserve depth while making the piece print-ready.

🌿 To do it justice, I chose natural fiber garments that could absorb water-based discharge inks. The result is a soft, breathable piece that captures both the vibrant energy and delicate linework of the design.

✨ This is more than a t-shirt - it’s a visual love letter to one of the most striking animals found in the rich biodiversity of the Amazon. And each piece creates threads of support to protect the land and legacy of one of the Amazon’s great wisdom keepers, and his surviving family.

Honoring Our First Printshop

This design also marks a bittersweet transition for Earth Medicine Apparel Co.

Malu was one of the last designs printed at our first-ever printshop partner—a local, artist-run operation that poured so much care into helping us bring these wearable prayers to life. Sadly, they’ve had to close their doors, and we are deeply grateful for everything they helped us build.

With their blessing, we’ve now partnered with a new, ethically aligned printshop right here in Colorado. They also specialize in eco-conscious printing and will help us deepen our commitment to sustainability and comfort in our sourcing and printing.

We’re also developing some fine-art screenprints of our designs, and have plans to offer bandanas and embroidered goods in the future.

Wearing Malu Supports Real Impact
Each Guacamayo Malu tee helps fund ecological conservation and cultural preservation in the Napo River Valley of Peru, where Malu and the Javá family live. We’re committing a minimum of 3% of profits to support the Javá family long-term, so each piece our customers collect becomes a thread of support directly linking your purchase to eco and social action.

So far, we’ve raised $2,865 USD of our $5,000 goal to support the land and legacy of Jhonny Java’s surviving family. If you feel called to donate to the cause directly, our GoFundMe is still live.

This is more than a garment. It's a story of resilience, reciprocity, and connection—to the Earth, to one another, and to ancestral wisdom that still guides us forward.

With reverance,

Founder, Earth Medicine Apparel Co.

🦜 Shop El Guacamayo Malu online next week!
Stay tuned for website launch details. Or, you can take home your collection piece at our upcoming events!

Upcoming Events

We had such a blast at the Art Walk on Santa Fe last week in Denver! Thank you to everyone who came out to support, and to folks who are meeting us for the first time.

Ready to add Earth Medicine Apparel to your wardrobe?

»📍We’re vending at the following dates and locations:

• Mirus Art Gallery, Denver | Fridays August 15th, 22nd and 29th | 9 pm - Midnight (event is 21+)

• Makers Hive Market, Ft. Collins | Sat August 30th | Noon - 5 PM

• Colorado Artisan Market It’s Fall Y’all, Denver | Sat Sept 20 & Sun 21

P.S.
✨ Love what we’re building? Share the magic.

If this newsletter has inspired you, the best way to support us is to share it with your friends, community, or anyone who shares your passion for art, Earth medicine, and ethical fashion. Every share helps us grow this vision—rooted in reciprocity, creativity, and connection.