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Style.com/vogueThe Mochila Project
My personal handbag collection can basically be broken into two sections: my Proenza Schouler PS1 bags on one shelf and a dozen or so tradional mochila handbags that I have brought back from my travels to Colombia on the other. For those not familiar with it, the mochila is the traditional woven bag indigenous to the women of that South American country; but recently, as Cartagena has become such a popular resort destination, more and more chicsters are picking them up from the local artisanal vendors and taking them to new destinations—I’ve spotted them on beaches everywhere from Southampton to St.-Tropez. The popularity of these bags is also a great thing for the Wayuu Ameriindian tribeswomen who make them; these women sustain their villages’ economy by handmaking these pieces and selling them to local vendors. They are a labor of love. Each bag takes up to 40 hours of work, and all designs and color choices are unique.
Recently I was asked to participate in a project that is as inspired as the bags themselves. The Mochila Project, as we now call it, was a project—conceived and executed in just two months—wherein the traditional handicraft of these handbags was spiced up with the techniques and styles of contemporary fashion designers. Each participating designer was given a traditional bag to be updated and embellished in any way. The results, currently on display at the Webster Boutique in Miami, were more visually stunning than anyone imagined. We have VBH’s signature envelope clutch—complete with exotic crocodile and silver hardware, and we have Phillip Lim’s version tricked out with crystals, whereas Missoni wove theirs in threads of silk and colored the chain and trimmings. Take a look at 12 of the bags in the gallery below.
The entire Mochila Project Collecion is currently on display at the Webster Miami, 1220 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; (305) 674-7899.
Bags will be auctioned off at the BeLive charity gala at the Icon Brickell Miami on November 19.
—Lauren Santo Domingo
