Rooted in our shared belief that reducing waste and highlighting the art of the handmade is the future of the industry, we joined forces with the footwear brand Diemme to create a limited edition collection of their traditional bad weather Balbi boots using mainly upcycled water resistant fabrics from Diemme’s Recupero project.
Introducing the Kuna Balbi Boots
"When closing in on 30 years in business, we have assembled a good amount of residue materials. From this, we will start producing limited quantity products, together with our retail and collaborative partners. We have named the concept Diemme Recupero, where recupero means recovery. We recover materials from our shelves and give them the life they were intended to. Out in the world, as a finished product." Mats Alver, Brand Director and Partner at Diemme.
From Colombia to Italy, the upper textiles of the 4 bright and fun designs were entirely machine sewn by our artisan partners of the Guna Dule community of Caimán Alto, Colombia, while the boots were hand-crafted in the Diemme factory in Veneto, north-eastern Italy.
THE MAKING OF THE KUNA BALBI BOOTS
Like solving a puzzle, the design and production process of these boots commenced almost 1 year ago.
Inspiration
Our archive of Kuna textiles and the Guna Dule’s culture and original motifs are always the best start!
Pattern design
Like solving a puzzle, the designs were created from the materials that were available on Diemme’s shelves. Through a series of zoom meetings we first selected the fabrics and colors to then create all the possible combinations for our statement geometric Kuna patterns
Textile Production
We samples all the textiles with the artisans to understand if the thickness of the water
resistant fabrics could be sewn by hand or machines. We usually work with cotton, linen and rarely anything rigid, so this was a completely new type of project for them
The Balbi Boot
Finally, we pick the soles trying to stick to both brands DNA and generating the perfect balance between freshness and sophistication
“Collaborations have really opened up a huge window for us, but mainly for our artisan partners of the Guna Dule community. These creative powerful alliances allow us to never stop exploring and learning from their work while affirming that there is a way of making things differently in the industry.” Yasmin Sabet, Founder and Creative
Director at Mola Sasa.
AS SEEN IN
D.Reppublica.it November’s Green Issue featuring Marina Testino.
Photo @lachlanbailey
Style AnastasiaBarbieri
Hair @sydhayeshair
Makeup @nastia.mua