Cindy Fan

NYTimes Style Magazine social media (see post @tmagazine):

In 2000, the Colombian textile designer Carlos Vera Dieppa started experimenting with weaving natural fibers together with metal threads. It’s a practice his children, @tomasverdi and Cristina, have continued with Verdi (@verdidesign), their textile studio known for handcrafted rugs of sustainably harvested plant fibers or alpaca wool blended with copper and stainless steel. They also produce home goods, art pieces and fashion accessories, which they launched in 2015 with a striking update to the mochila, the classic Colombian bucket bag. At the brand’s atelier in Bogotá, artisans spend up to 10 days crocheting each one. Earlier this month, Verdi made its debut at Milan’s #SalonedelMobile, where it presented a Pride-themed capsule collection of two multicolored bags, one with a seashell weave and the other with a traditional weave made of organic silk and silver-plated threads (50% of proceeds go to the non-profit @itgetsbettercolombia, which focuses on uplifting the country’s LGBTQ+ population). “Colombia’s traditional mochilas have been representative of the country’s culture and trace back to Indigenous communities who have reinterpreted the bag in many different ways,” says Tomás. “We celebrate this tradition and recontextualize it for Pride, supporting the mission to empower and connect my country’s LGBTQ+ community.” Written by Cindy Fan (@cindyisawol), photo by Verdi.