DRAGONES

Ans Designs, an online store which happens to be based in the UK, is the internet equivalent of taking a stroll through Buenos Aires’ trendy Palermo Viejo district. Featuring designs that are organically and authentically Argentine, the accessories shop runs the gamut from quirky and whimsical to modern and iconoclastic. The common thread is a wildly imaginative interpretation of design, a sense of experimentation and ingenuity, and economical craftsmanship in the use of materials.

In the aftermath of an economic crisis, Buenos Aires has become home to a burgeoning design community. The current (and very exciting) zeitgeist in Argentina features a dynamic artistic and cultural reinvention, one that champions individual spirit, creative expression, and local flavor. Looking inward for inspiration and materials, porteño designers have become uniquely resourceful artisans, transforming local materials—often waste products—into beautiful contemporary designs. Featured worldwide, from Harrod’s department store in London to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC to the ARGdis showcase in Tokyo, these Argentine designers are true local stars in a city where global brands take a backseat to up-and-coming natives.

LAS GUATAS

The economic crisis dates back to 2001, a time of riots, currency devaluation, resigning presidents, and halts on bank runs. Today the outlook is better, though the country has not yet completely recovered, with lingering high unemployment and poverty rates. Still, this economic crucible provided the spark that has ignited Argentina’s design scene.

Merging an earthy creativity with artisanal independence and entrepreneurial perseverance, porteños have created a flourishing and distinctly local artistic community. The store motto of Ans is “importing beauties,” and there is a strong sense that one is discovering local treasures on its pages. The handmade featured products are mostly limited runs, or are so dependent on found materials that each piece is one of a kind.

GRUBA

Many of the featured designers, like Silvina Romero, owe their beginnings to the aftermath of the economic crisis, when recycling and reusing discarded items was more a necessity than choice. And necessity was quite the mother of invention for the Argentine design scene. Romero began her business by picking up discarded scraps from the fabric dealers in the Buenos Aires neighborhood Once and has found that creating jewelry, often seen as a luxury, out of waste to be a pleasing duality.

Recycled textile necklaces are the hallmark of not only Silvina Romero but also Gek and Luachea. Luachea creates rococo necklaces from miscellany unwanted scraps—leftovers from textile plants, old magazines donated by friends, and remnants from leather tanneries. The uncommon designs fall somewhere between quirky and avant-garde.

MARINA CALLIS

Argentina is well known for its cattle trade, and enterprising designers have made thoughtful use of the waste created by tanneries. Ans offers a selection of bags made from ecoleather, a product created when leather shavings and threads are turned into a paste and pressed into innovative designs. Gruba’s high-tech and sleek modular bags feature interchangeable interior liners for versatility. For a bit more fanciful touch, the bags and necklaces of Argentine design group Perfectos Dragones feature an interplay of graphic and industrial influences.

For the home, ecoleather takes a playful turn with Vaca Valiente’s whimsical line of home organizers, key ring tabs, and games. In fun shapes like kangaroos and tortoises, the organizers will liven up any desktop or entry table. The games merge the idea of fluid sculpture with creative play and can work as decoration, children’s toys, conversation pieces, or décor.

Greca creates bold and bright necklaces from yet another material saved from the waste pile, this time polyester resin from an environmental button producer. The brilliantly hued baubles in Las Guata come from a less industrial source, yet one just as local—naturally dyed Tagua nuts from South American rainforests.

SILVINA ROMERO

The designers featured favor the decentralized, less industrialized manufacturing processes available in Argentina. Most designers also produce their own wares; some like the trio behind Perfectos Dragones employ a collective, team-style process for both design and production. VAG is a design laboratory, experimenting with transforming recycled materials into original pieces. For most designers, producing small batches is an economical solution, and popular products receive a wider launch, creating an engine for innovation.

As the companies grow, they have maintained their commitment to recycling and giving back to the community. Argentine accessory designer Marina Callis is a major figure on the local design scene, featured in fashion magazines and fine boutiques. Recycling is essential to her voluminous, intricate pieces, which aim to take away the conventional meaning of a material and give it new meaning and value through design. Additionally, her company employs local workers at fair wage to produce the handmade accessories.

Other inventive finds include bejeweled portable handles to hang purses from bars, desks, dining tables from Suspenbag, graphical laser-cut silhouette necklaces from Pebeta Teta, fantastic printed suede handbags from Objeto , leather and stone cocktail rings from Fernando, and ceramic and leather necklaces from Paula Gallardo.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form