Have you ever dreamed of proudly wearing a wedding dress made by artisan women and created by one of the most promising designers from Mexico? Claudia Toffano and her fabulous team have made this dream possible. We exclusively interviewed the young and talented designer who brought together her passion for Mexican crafts with the fascinating embroidery of the artisans from Puebla.
Who is Claudia Toffano? What can you tell us about your career and your personal passions?
Claudia Toffano is a textile and fashion designer from Mexico City who is truly passionate about Mexican handcrafts and the people behind each piece. I’ve always felt responsible for creating a sustainable and fair trade brand and have always wanted to design clothing that will last and is not only a fast-fashion brand.
How did this project begin?
I always knew I wanted to collaborate with Mexican artisans and their magic hands. The idea about the project came from my thesis; in order to graduate with my degree in Fashion and Textile Design I had to design and make a clothing collection. For mine I decided to use white fabrics and had the collaboration from artisans from a small community called Los Remedios. Each piece was hand embroidered by these strong hardworking women. After graduation, I pursued my dream of starting my own brand to design hand embroidered bridal dresses because for many women it is the most important dress of their life, and it’s very fulfilling to me that each and every dress has a story and a meaning behind it. I love the idea of giving the opportunity to Mexican brides to wear a dress made 100% in their country and that they know that on their special day they are contributing to keep alive the Mexican tradition of hand embroidery so that it doesn’t get lost.
Are the dresses already made or can the brides help in the design?
All of our dresses are made to measure. We have sample dresses from the actual collection, and from there, brides have the opportunity to change and modify their dress. They can mix and match, they can choose the fabric, the colors of the thread, the design and the amount of the embroidery. I can also design a totally new dress custom made for the bride.
How is the creative process done?
I design each dress at the same time that the artisans are doing the embroidery samples; sometimes, the embroidery design works on a fabric and sometimes it doesn’t. The fabrics we use are very delicate and very new to the artisans, so it is a process of experimenting by trial and error. The embroideries´ designs are inspired by endemic plants from the region where the artisans live; the idea is to include the artisans as much as possible throughout the process of making each dress, so when I visit them in their rural communities I try to teach them about design, sewing and pattern making, and they teach me about endemic plants, embroidering and artisanal textile techniques. It’s an incredible collaboration of women.
Where are the artisans from and how is their work related to each dress?
Working under a fair and sustainable business model, we work with an organization called Somos Via to provide the artisans with training and support to encourage them to use their traditional knowledge and skills to explore new opportunities and create contemporary products. We collaborate with 17 artisans from three small communities in the state of Puebla: Pinahuista, Xalpancingo and San Pedro Camocuautla; they are the magic hands behind the beautiful embroidery that each dress has, which on average has 250 hours of work. They also put the name on each dress in Nahuatl, their native language, for example, ¨Ojtamait¨ which means bamboo hands, because the embroidery resembles bamboo leaves, a plant endemic to their communities and important for many uses. Alongside the organization, one of our main goals is to make sure the artisans are well paid for their hard work and incredible dedication.
What is what you like the most from Mexico?
Mexico is known as a very special place in the world for its variety in culture and its unique handcraft. I have always been in love with all of the different ethnic groups and its diverse ancestral textile techniques, natural dyes, materials, and quality; this is what inspired me to combine contemporary design with traditional artisan work.
What else would you like us to know about Claudia Toffano Bridal?
Just recently, I designed my first veil collection. They are all hand embroidered and brides can also customize them. They can choose the length, the color of the thread, the design and amount of embroidery. We also do more simple veils without embroidery.
For the moment, we only have one retail point, our showroom in Mexico City, and we only collaborate with artisans from the state of Puebla. My idea for the brand is to grow and expand; we would love to work with artisans from different states because they each have their unique artisanal textile techniques. We would also love to have more retail points in Mexico and in other countries as well, so brides all over the world can have the opportunity to wear a hand embroidered dress with a history and meaning behind it.
