As travel searches to warmer climes far, far away reach their peak, Net-a-porter.com, which is ever keeping tabs on what its customer wants before they even search for it, has launched a shiny new curation of brands and exclusive capsules. Introducing the “Colombian Collective”, a smattering of covetable collections from South American designers who celebrate the artisan techniques and resources of their homeland.
“I have always been fascinated with the level of craftsmanship and creativity that comes out of Colombia, from the use of colour to the appreciation of the beauty in the natural world,” Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director, tells Vogue about upping the etailer's buy of designers hailing from the region and receiving positive customer feedback.
to "Esteban Cortázar, whom von der Goltz has “always loved”, kicked plans for a specific Columbia spotlight into motion, along with Johanna Ortiz, whom she met through friends. The latter is one of the headline acts, and has created a holiday edit entitled "Cartagena Nights”, as well as footwear in collaboration with Tabitha Simmons. More beach-ready accessories come by way of the Muzungu Sisters, whose playful raffia bags and hats once set Instagram alight; Castañer (the Duchess of Sussex is a fan of its espadrilles) in collaboration with Mercedes Salazar; and Hunting Season, which has supplied a beach-to-city line – perfect for those who haven’t booked a plane ticket yet.
“We are particularly excited to introduce Magnetic Midnight to our edit as we have been focusing on expanding our eveningwear accessories,” von der Goltz adds. "The handcrafted aspect of the bags – they are made from unconventional fabrications like straw and then dipped in gold – makes them limited edition by nature."
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Each designer – Verde Limon, The Lazy Poet and Bibi Marini are more of von der Goltz’s favourites – was also tasked by Net-a-porter.com to create something bespoke for the e-tailer using Columbia as the inspiration. The end result, she says, is a selection of unique pieces from designer friends who support one another as well as the local talent they work with. Now that’s an online community that’s worth getting behind.
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The Colombian Collective is available to buy now on Net-a-porter.com.