Stacey connected with founder, Allegra Kashmer, over their mutual admiration for each others brands, and their love for traditional Mexican embroidery. That passion and admiration led to this small capsule collection. Every garment is fully made by hand by Oaxacan female artisans and it is a beautiful combination of PC silhouettes, colors and stripes with traditional, purposeful craftsmanship resulting in beautiful keepsake garments. Get to know Allegra and the amazing female artisans below!
1. Name / Name of Brand: Allegra Kashmer / Allegra & Luca
2. How long have you been in business? How did you start Allegra & Luca? What was your inspiration? I started in 2014 with our signature florals hand embroidered by all women, fair trade, traditional Mayan artisans in Mexico. I was very interested in combining these age-old embroidery techniques with new color palettes, for a travel-infused aesthetic that is easy to wear and accessible.
Allegra with her son & designs.
The Oaxacan artisans present their beautiful handmade pieces for our capsule collection. Each garment is touched 5-10 times before completion.
4. For this Pink Chicken x Allegra & Luca collaboration, we aimed to highlight the women of Oaxaca - their traditions, their creativity and knowledge, and their beautiful embroidery that they learn how to do at an early age, passing down from one generation to the next. What was your favorite element about this project? What did you learn, and what are your thoughts on the end result? I have been a customer of Pink Chicken and a fan of Stacey’s work for over a decade, so this was truly a dream project for me! The timing of the collaboration during the pandemic was very challenging, but made the project in many ways that much more important. Creating this collection at a time when there was no work at all for the artisans, was literally a life support line for them and we are privileged to do our part. I think that this year more than ever, we need to ensure we are supporting those who need it the most. I am thrilled with how the pieces turned out - every garment is fully made by hand and a beautiful combination of Pink Chicken silhouettes, color and stripes with traditional, purposeful craftsmanship resulting in a beautiful keepsake!
5. We love that the time and effort of these women produced such beautiful pieces that will now adorn girls and their Moms, and can be passed down through the years. Can you tell us about a special heirloom of your own? I’ve been collecting hand printed and hand embroidered textiles since my days at FIT and my favorite pieces have always been the sun drenched ones from the Caribbean and Mexico. It’s amazing to have these one of a kind, heirloom quality pieces to pass from generation to generation and the Mommy & Me versions are such a special way of doing that.
Clemen poses with her beautiful works of art.
6. What does the next year or so look like for you and your brand? Any sneak peeks you can tell us about? We are working with block print artisans in Jaipur, India as well as new collectives throughout Mexico, most recently in Chiapas, continuing to expand our small batch business and creating more plus size options. I think everyone is eager to get dressed again and hopefully travel, to feel the sun on our faces, and wear a lot of cheerful, happy colors!
Shop the collection here.