Frequently asked questions

We ship from Switzerland. Every mochila is packed by hand and sent on its own; how long it takes depends on the destination country. If you need it by a particular date, write to us at hello@kaanela.ch.

Not within Switzerland. For EU deliveries the carrier has collected three items since 1 July 2026: a 3 € flat duty, your country's import VAT (Germany 19%, Austria 20%) and a small postal fee (Deutsche Post 7.50 €, Austrian Post 6 €). Example: a 99 € mochila delivered to Germany comes to about 129 € all-in. The exact figure appears on every product page once you pick your delivery country at the top; official details at zoll.de and bmf.gv.at.

Yes — and a little beyond. We deliver to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, to every EU country, and to Norway, Iceland and the United Kingdom. Which countries you can choose at checkout follows the delivery market set at the top of the page.

Yes. You enter the delivery address at checkout and it does not have to be your own — but it does have to lie within the delivery market set at the top of the page. If the gift is going to a country other than yours, switch the delivery market to the recipient's country before ordering; prices then appear in that market's currency. Gift wrapping and gift notes are not something we can offer in the shop yet.

Payment runs through Stripe — we redirect you to its secure payment page, and we never see your card details. Which methods appear there depends on the delivery market and the currency; in the Swiss market TWINT is among them. You can enter a promotion code directly on the payment page.

Because we set both prices by hand rather than deriving one from the other — the euro price is a price point of its own, not the output of an exchange rate. Which currency you see therefore follows the destination: francs into Switzerland, euros into the EU. The currency cannot be switched independently, and at checkout only delivery countries matching the chosen market are selectable.

An invoice is created automatically for every order. Kaanela is a sole proprietorship in Allschwil and, as a small business under Swiss law, is not liable for VAT — so no Swiss VAT is shown and we have no VAT number. What may be payable on EU deliveries is set out on the Shipping & returns page.

You have 14 days from delivery to withdraw and get a full refund, including standard shipping costs. You cover the cost of sending the mochila back — unless it arrived damaged or was not as described, in which case we cover it. The mochila should come back unworn and in resalable condition.

No. Even though each mochila is one of a kind, the full right of return applies — a non-personalised bag is not a custom-made good in legal terms.

Write to us at hello@kaanela.ch. In that case we cover the cost of the return and you get the full purchase price back, including standard shipping costs. That is warranty, and it applies regardless of the right of withdrawal.

Yes. Every mochila is handwoven and the run of colour emerges in the moment of weaving. There is exactly one of each piece.

Typical figures per size: Small 10–13 cm across, 14–18 cm tall, strap 90–110 cm; Medium 15–18 cm across, 20–24 cm tall, strap 85–110 cm; Large 19–22 cm across, 25–28 cm tall, strap 95–115 cm. The strap length is always the full band, so the drop from shoulder to bag is about half of it. Every mochila is woven by hand, so the measured figures for each individual piece are on its own product page.

Acrylic yarn — the yarn the Wayuu weavers themselves work with. They choose it for its bright, lightfast colours and because it stands up to daily life: hard-wearing, shape-retaining and hand-washable in cold water. Care instructions are further down this page.

Yes. Each piece carries its own edition number and is available exactly once — once it is sold, there is no second one. Because it is woven by hand, pattern, colours and exact dimensions can differ slightly from the photograph; the measured figures for that individual piece are on its product page. Need another photo or a more precise measurement? We are happy to measure it for you.

Your bag holds nothing back — a piece is only held once you start the payment. If it has already sold by then, you never reach payment: we tell you it has just sold and take it out of your bag. Nothing is charged in that case.

We cannot put a piece on hold in advance — each one exists exactly once, and what counts is who reaches checkout first. As soon as you start the payment the mochila is held for you and can no longer be bought by anyone else; you have 30 minutes to pay. If you cancel or do not pay, it goes back into the shop automatically.

A mochila with one small quirk — a row that slips out of rhythm, a colour that turns out differently, or a small trace of its journey. For every character piece we tell you exactly what it is and where, before you buy; where we state it, you also see how noticeable it is. In return the price is friendlier — and it is just as genuinely one-of-a-kind as any other mochila.

Hand-wash in cold water with a mild detergent, don't wring, and dry flat in shape. That keeps the weave beautiful for years.

We buy directly on the ground in La Guajira — from Wayuu women who weave each bag by hand — and commit to fair pay, negotiated as equals. We deliberately make no grand promises: publishing audited figures and introducing the weavers with their consent is our stated goal. Where we stand on that path is shown honestly on the Our journey page.

We sell the genuine craft of the Wayuu, made by Wayuu women, and we name the patterns and the origin. We copy nothing and invent no folklore — we give the craft a stage and hold ourselves to fair pay.

Because we only name a weaver once we have her consent. As soon as we do, we will introduce the weavers by name and story — that is on our roadmap, alongside our goal of publishing audited pay figures. Until then, every product page states how the piece was sourced.