Vogue stylist Pippa Holt has collaborated with artisans to make kaftans on a traditional backstrap loom. This blue and white style is the âsuperminiâ version of No.5. It features animals and a traditional criss-cross motif in accordance with the traditions of the remote Mexican weaving community, where they are made. The symbols represent joy, union and family. The colour combinations are often influenced by the surrounding nature as well as local flora and fauna.
White and blue cotton
100% cotton
Dry clean or delicate machine wash
Slips on
Pippa Holt launched her eponymous line of kaftans in 2016. Her kaftan collection celebrates her love of indigenous textiles, bold colours and far-flung travel. Collaborating with a group of artisans in a remote part of Mexico, together they have created a range of kaftans that work as well on the beach as they do in the city Holt first started wearing her kaftans while she was living in Houston; nothing prepared her for the searing Texan heat and she ended up wearing them every day. She found them light and practical, yet crucially also very stylish. They created a sense of freedom that she enjoyed from a childhood growing up in Australia. And yet their vibrant colours and intricate embroidery were wonderfully evocative of far-flung climes and an artisanal exotica. Says Holt, "I love the authenticity of these kaftans and how comfortable they are to wear. I call them my "holiday Heroes: they pack small, work day and night on a beach, in a city, with or without a belt. They are incredibly versatile." Each kaftan, which takes a month to make, is produced by hand and as such, no two kaftans are identical. They are woven using naturally dyed cotton from natural processes using vegetables and flowers on a back strap loom, an ancient weaving technique that has been used by generations in this remote community in Mexico.
