It began at the end of 1980 when Camilla and Gerhard set off to explore the American continent from Mexico to Peru.

They never made it there, because the overwhelming beauty of the Guatemalan highlands, the fascination of the Caribbean coast, and the curiosity about post-revolutionary Nicaragua had not only exceeded their set timeframe but also completely exhausted their financial budget.

To enable a longer stay in Central America, in mid-1981 they began selecting hand-woven textiles and handicrafts from the Mayan markets in the Guatemalan highlands and selling them in Mexico.
Thus, they regularly commuted between Guatemala and Mexico until the end of 1982, and while earning their living, they got to know and love the country and its people, especially the indigenous inhabitants of Guatemala.

In 1983, after returning to Germany, they continued this trade with an old mutual friend at flea and weekly markets, and a year later in their own shop in Berlin and through wholesale.

Since then, year after year, they have purchased all products almost exclusively directly from the manufacturers in Guatemala and Mexico.
These are small craft businesses, cooperatives, and independent weavers and tailors. When purchasing, manufacturing, and distributing, they always adhere to the principles of fair trade and sustainability. More than half of our profit flows back to Guatemala.

GIRASOL is internationally known, especially for baby slings. These are exclusively handmade for Girasol in a specially created network of dyers, weavers, and tailors in Guatemala. The fabrics used are regularly tested in Germany by independent and certified institutes for freedom from harmful substances and saliva fastness.

In 2009, GIRASOL developed a baby carrier, the MySol. The name of this patented baby carrier is composed of "My" and "sol" (= sun). We are very proud to be able to offer an alternative to our baby slings with this easy-to-use carrier.

Today, GIRASOL is a civil law partnership (GbR), consisting of two active partners (Gerhard and Camilla), one silent partner (Wolfgang), and currently (February 2023) three permanent part-time and full-time employees and two mini-jobbers.