Luna Del Pinal: Redefining Luxury

The old adage “knowledge is power” is never as apt as with the fashion industry right now. With consumers asking more questions about where their clothes come from, and brands bending over backwards to ensure their clothes are ethically sound, the time is ripe for brands with sustainability at their core – step forward Luna del Pinal.

Founded by Christopher Kane and Roland Mouret alumni Gabriela Luna and former Gareth Pugh and JW Anderson designer Corina del Pinal, the brand has carved out a niche making beautiful handwoven jackets, crafted in Del Pinal’s native northern Guatemala by local artists and craftspeople, with whom the designers work with in person for two months of every year. Despite having no official stockists yet, bespoke made-to-order pieces have been bought and sourced by some of the industry’s top fashion editors, meaning it won’t be long before the buzz results in shop-floor space.

With designs on becoming the new Dries Van Noten, “travelling around the world reviving old techniques and making beautiful clothes,” they told us, as well as making “slow fashion relevant”, the girls (who studied at The Istituto Marangoni and The Royal College of Art respectively) have what it takes to make their mark – consciously. Here, they exclusively explain their aspirations for their eponymous venture.

How did the brand get started?

"During a trip to Guatemala, we went with the intention to learn more about back-strap weaving, one of the oldest weaving techniques in the world. We were attracted to it because it is central to Guatemalan culture in the production of clothing and textiles. This experience got us thinking that this was actually the path we wanted to keep experimenting to develop our fashion careers. Back in London, we decided to send some samples over and after a few different batches we created our core collection. We got a space in a showroom in Paris and Luna Del Pinal started. We now work closely with the artisans for two months at a time surrounded by the beautiful environments of Sololá, Atitlan, Xela - it’s always really hard to leave those places."

What has been the initial response and how have you built on this?

"The initial response was great. We realised everyone was very appreciative of the handmade textiles and it opened a lot of conversations about artisanal work, luxury, slow fashion and sustainability. People wanted to know where the materials came from, how they were made, who made them and it was these questions that really helped us develop the brand. For something that started off as an experiment, it has grown very organically into a thoughtful business model."Luxury is to own a unique handmade garment, made by an artisan who has been mastering a technique for more than 20 years"

People are starting to become aware of the negative impact that the clothing industry and fast fashion have in the world and this awareness is defining a new wave of luxury; a luxury that is about the process of creating and one that embodies the ethos of slow fashion. We want to take advantage of all the information available on slow fashion and sustainability and show people that there can be a way of creating high fashion in a more responsible way. Luxury is to own a unique handmade garment, made by an artisan who has been mastering a technique for more than 20 years."

Yours sounds like a brand to which authenticity is key; why is this important to you and how do you keep control on production?

"For us authenticity within a brand means transparency. It is what we define as luxury. It’s important for all to see the whole process from design to production within Luna Del Pinal. It’s important to us that these artisanal techniques are kept alive and not forgotten. We travel to Guatemala fairly frequently where we can stay up to two months each time. We stay on top of production through many Skype calls and emails and when we are in Guatemala we travel around, building strong relationships with the artisans which has made the process a lot easier."

How big are your collections at the moment? And do you see this slowing production down?

"We are making small collections of 12 garments. This way we dedicate more time and devote ourselves more to each piece. We are still learning how to control our production time-frames and maintain quality throughout. This has been - and definitely continues to be - a huge challenge. As we design our textiles, we have to go through two production processes; making the textiles and then making the garment. This makes the whole production process much longer, but we don’t necessarily see this as a disadvantage but more as a relief!

For us, efficiency is not a matter of how quickly we can produce for the consumer, but how long our product will last. What does a six-month wait mean if the product you are getting is handmade and irreplaceable and will last you a lifetime? We still have a lot to figure out and we want to take it one step at a time. We are not afraid of growing slowly. We always endeavour to deliver the garments on time, however the process and technique must come first."

What challenges have you faced as a young brand?

"We could talk about the huge challenge of organising production so that everything is ready on time, but this is something you know you are going to struggle with as a designer and especially at the beginning. But, working without major investment would definitely be our biggest challenge. Also, being able to get through to buyers."

What is your long-term plan design-wise and business-wise?

"Design-wise, it would be to travel around the world working with different artisanal techniques that are nearly forgotten and help keep them alive through fresh designs. Business-wise, we would love to create a company that not only supports artisans, but also helps people understand the huge impact fashion has socially, economically and environmentally whilst still producing beautiful garments."

What are your thoughts on fast fashion and the see-now, buy-now model?

"That the garment gets faster to the wearer but the desire for the garment also becomes shorter. The quicker you have it, the faster it goes out of fashion. Fast fashion is self-defining."

Would you be open to investment and partnerships?

"We would love to create some sort of partnership with a cotton producer that would supply our raw materials. This way we would be able to control the process much more accurately. We would also be open to some sort of partnership with someone that could maybe take over the business side of the brand and who shares the same ethics and morals we have in regards to slow fashion."

What does fashion in 2017 mean to you?

"The opportunity for slow fashion to take centre stage and create awareness for sustainability."