YOLOTLI Journal

MY RESIDENCY AT CARLA FERNANDEZ IN MEXICO CITY

12/10/2015

These past 3 months in Mexico City just flew by! The days were filled with new things to learn and see. I am lucky enough to stay with my dear friends that I have known for over a decade now so the commute to work is just a shortish [15 minute] walk and quick metro ride.

The Carla Fernandez studio is located in the middle of Centro Histórico - the heart of Mexico City - and only 3 blocks away from the historic Zocalo and the iconic Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City. There is also just any sort of fabric, button, zipper, leather or whatever-you-might-need-for-your-fashion-project store within 1 - 5 blocks from the studio. A luxury I certainly don't have here in the northern part of the Bay Area.

The Metropolitan Cathedral in the heart of Mexico City

Old fashioned tailoring fabric store in downtown Mexico City

Staircase and glass dome that leads to a wool warehouse in the Centro Histórico of Mexico City

The days were filled with cutting most beautiful fabrics, sewing and preparing garments to go out to collaborating Mexican artisans all around the country for embroidery, leather fretwork, bead work, weaving, knit work and other traditional crafts available.

Leather fretwork on a wool garment

Ironing between the embroidery after receiving the hand-embroidered garments from the artisans

An Ikat-like hand-dyed and hand-woven rebozo. Rebozos in different colors and prints are used for many Carla Fernandez garments

In late September I was able to join the team to visit small indigenous communities in the neighbor state of Puebla where we started with the development of the designs for the Fall/Winter 2016 collection. The team has established creative relationships with indigenous groups all over Mexico in order to assure that the communities are able to make a living by using their skills and thus the mostly pre-hispanic traditions are being kept alive.

An artisan at work making the famous Amate paper

The Pahuatlán communities showing Carla and the team their embroidery work

Lunch break in rural Puebla

The days in Mexico went by so fast but there was still a little bit of time for travel. I was invited by one of the most talented Otomi embroiderers to visit her home and meet her family over the Dia de los Muertos weekend. An unforgettable weekend filled with Mexican traditions in the lush green and foggy highlands of the state of Hidalgo...