Valdez: The Gypset Accessory Brand with a Conscience
Valdez
A graduate of Istituto Marangoni, trained under Zac Posen and Carlos Campos, Gabriela Goldbaum could have gone anywhere. She went back to Ecuador. What she built there, with 500 craftswomen and organic toquilla straw, is one of the most quietly radical things in contemporary accessories.
Stocked at Opening Ceremony, Colette, Theory, and Club Monaco. Each piece handmade, no two alike. Each purchase supports artisan communities in Ecuador's Manabi and Santa Elena provinces.
What makes this story genuinely unusual is the joy in the ethics. Most sustainable fashion is earnest and slightly joyless. Valdez is festooned with embroidery, described as adding a touch of happiness, and ends up at Colette. That tension between the cosmopolitan and the deeply local, between the New York subway and a weaving collective in Manabi, is what Antakly Projects has always been drawn to.
Toquilla straw has been woven in Ecuador for generations.
Toquilla straw is a flexible yet strong material that grows naturally in the provinces of Santa Elena and Manabi, Ecuador. The harvesting is artisanal and organic. Small communities of artisans are in charge of growing, collecting, treating, and preparing the straw, with know-how passed down by previous generations.
Valdez was established in 2010 to preserve and celebrate this tradition while adapting it for a contemporary audience. Women are taught the two main processes of the art of the toquilla hat: weaving and blocking. By working directly with artisans, the brand strengthens appreciation for products that are made by hand and socially responsible.
Organic toquilla straw harvested by hand in Manabi and Santa Elena provinces. Artisanal, seasonal, generational.
The raw straw is cleaned, bleached, and prepared by local communities before it reaches the weavers.
Each hat is woven by hand over many hours, sometimes days, by craftswomen trained in the ancient toquilla technique.
The woven hat is shaped on wooden blocks, then decorated with embroidery, natural seeds from the Amazon and Andes, and hand-painted details.
Bright embroidery, natural seeds, and hand-applied ornamentation. No two pieces are identical.
Women from local Ecuadorian communities, trained and paid as skilled craftswomen.
One of the earliest fashion-for-craft labels to emerge from Ecuador.
Every hat and accessory is handmade. No two are exactly alike.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in nature and culture. As I live in a diverse country such as Ecuador, I love to be active outdoors, either running on a trail or doing stand-up paddleboard in the ocean. I feel very relaxed and able to be creative when surrounded by nature and wildlife. Being a creative person, I appreciate and enjoy art and music. I'm influenced by the work of other artists, musicians, photographers, and filmmakers.
"I've had some of my best ideas on the New York subway. There's something electric about the chaos."
What was it like getting your business off the ground?
I don't have any partners so it all depended on me from the beginning. I've enjoyed the journey but it has been a steep learning curve. To balance working with artisans and keeping the business together has been very challenging and rewarding at the same time. When my business began growing, so did theirs, so it was really an experience I got to share and enjoy with them organically. At the beginning it was like trial and error, but then I achieved a balance and was able to really get the brand going.
Has there been a favourite moment since you launched?
One of the most exciting moments was when we received our very first order from Opening Ceremony. It wasn't a large order, but it was very important for the beginning of the brand. When we got our first large order from Club Monaco, I basically had to move to the town in Ecuador where the artisans are based, and I got to experience the impact this business would have on their lives. So far, Valdez has created jobs for nearly 500 women from different local communities. My favourite moment though has been when Colette contacted us to purchase our Summer 2016 collection.
How does traveling inspire you?
I get inspired when I travel because it takes me out of my environment and I get to see and experience different things. It is quite a contrast to go from the tropics to the Mediterranean, or from the mountains to the city. For me, the contrast is what gives me inspiration. The Resort 2017 collection was inspired by the contrast between the city and the seaside: how your day and life changes the moment you leave the city and arrive at a carefree spot by the ocean.
What accessories trends are you seeing among women right now?
Women are really looking for the statement piece to complement their look. Colourful and fun pieces that add a touch of happiness to their outfit, and luxurious pieces that elevate their look. That's always been what Valdez is about: adding a touch of happiness.
"Marcello Mastroianni is my ultimate icon. Italian charm never gets old."
After the earthquake that hit Ecuador on April 16, 2016, Gabriela partnered with a group of architects and urban planners to develop sustainable living models within the artisan communities affected. The programme provides training to build shelters using materials from the area, teaches sustainable living principles, organises artisanal groups, and gives communities a model for production, development, and commerce. Valdez doesn't stop when the hat is sold.
"Our pieces aren't just accessories. They're heirlooms. The most memorable sighting: a Valdez hat perched on a rock in Mykonos, with the Aegean Sea sparkling behind it. That's the dream."
