Eco Fashion World

Misericordia: Manos, Espíritu y Corazón, was created by Aurelyen and Mathieu Reumaux in 2002. In Spanish, Misericordia means “heart of mercy” and Manos, Espíritu y Corazón translates to “hands, spirit and heart” – representative of the ingredients that make this company extraordinary.

Mathieu first traveled to Peru in 2001 and was intrigued by the poetic beauty of the country and charmed by a school of sewing called ‘Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia.’ The vision of these two was simple: to give another face to the shantytowns of Lima in a fight against fate, starting with a true creative collective.

Eco Fashion World: Tell us about the beginning of Misericordia.

Misericordia: The project began by making clothes in a school of sewing situated in one of the poorest districts of Lima - Zapallal. The first production resulted in the creation of 160 jackets and 160 T-shirts, which was returned to France with a film and photos illustrating the difficult Peruvian reality. Misericordia organized an exhibition of the school’s Peruvian jackets in the center of Paris in April 2003, and on this occasion, we met the press and professionals of the fashion industry who invited us to participate in our first fashion show. The originality, the novelty, and the authenticity of this project gained attention, which inspired us to further develop this venture. At this time we had no knowledge of the environment of the fashion world and suddenly found ourselves propelled into this new universe.

EFW: Who designs your collections?

M: Aurelyen is the designer. Aurelyen also manages the workshop in Lima, Peru and the showroom in Paris, France.

EFW: Where can we buy your products?

M: The products of Misericordia are present in more than 19 countries in Europe and Asia. They are distributed in select shops, which Misericordia has relied on since the beginning, including Colette, Harvey Nichols, Corso Como, and United Arrows. In 2008, Misericordia opened an online store for distribution across all of Europe: www.misionmisericordia.com

EFW: Where does the inspiration for the collections come from?

M: We believe the Misericordia collection is a real social, economic, historic, philosophic and cultural reflection of Latin America and Peru, and how this continent is linked to the rest of the world. Every garment carries emotions. Desire, sadness, humor, fear, music, and celebration run throughout our enterprise and our clothes. The Misericordia collection speaks to the life of our group of dressmakers, as well as the journey of Aurelyen through Peru and the roads of Lima. Here, in this unpredictable city, learning is a metamorphosis that communicates itself in our creations. The Misericordia collection possesses 2 lines: a line stemming from the university and sports world possessing the natural reflection of exhibition and demand; and an elegant line reflecting the spiritual ascent of a close group which aspires to have mutual respect and harmony.

EFW: Please describe the process by which Misericordia garments are produced.

M: At Misericordia clothes are made through a sort of craft process. There is no production line; every garment is made in an autonomous way by one or two sewers. Every day they are given a design of a garment with a precise quantity to be produced. They produce every garment from A to Z which allows them to obtain a complete know-how and a necessary knowledge to use all types of machines. The objective is thus to allow them to achieve a range of operations which illustrate that the garment is a succession of complex stages to improve on every day. The sewing machine is like a piano, an instrument which requires talent, desire, and sensibility resulting in a garment that is filled with emotion. It is a slow process which requires a lot of patience.

EFW: Describe the ethical aspects of Misericordia.

M: Everybody associates fair trade with agricultural or environmental issues. For Misericordia, respect for people in the production process is a priority. If we look at the world in a simplistic way: companies destroy humans, and this cycle repeats itself in our destruction of nature. In textile preparation, the most significant pollution is not necessarily against the environment but rather against individuals whose lives are dulled working on sewing machines almost 300 days per year. Misericordia breaks with this philosophy by establishing a different system through the incorporation of communication and education. To help the people is to protect nature. In addition, Misericordia produces a large quantity of its clothes with biological cotton.

EFW: What are the short-term objectives of Misericordia?

M: The short-term objective is to always create a collection more beautiful than the last. Every six months a new collection is designed, which is always innovative, magnificent and colorful. It is this constant innovation which energizes the project. Another objective is to improve the everyday life of the workshop through creative solutions and special attention – an objective that is almost more challenging than designing the collection!

EFW: What are the long-term objectives of Misericordia?

M: Over the long-term Misericordia wants to become the first Peruvian brand recognized on an international level. It is an extremely ambitious objective which still has yet to be reached by any Peruvian brand. Misericordia also wants to bring about and be recognized for its social progress. The world of fashion is fierce, dictated by enormous firms which control the market. Every day is a new challenge, a daily fight within a complex world. At the human level, it is important that the people who work at Misericordia can develop and lead a successful life, allowing them to attain a certain level of happiness, peace, and social stability. It is a personal metamorphosis for people who have not had the chance to go to school and who in many cases have grown up and had their only education in the streets. We are working to start a process of change over several generations in Peru.

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