Luna Del Pinal: the luxury of avant-garde craftsmanship and bohemian aesthetics
by 
Luna del Pinal is the feminine and ethical brand that puts in a perfect dialogue artisan tradition and avant-garde experimentation.
When I discovered the Luna Del Pinal brand, I immediately had confirmation of a reflection of mine: the definition of luxury has changed in recent years. Or at least, what I define luxury reflects the philosophy of the brand in every way: entirely handmade garments, often imperfect but unique in their kind and supporters of sustainable choices.
The young female brand was founded by the spanish Gabriela Luna and guatemalan Corina Del Pinal, from whom it takes its name. The headquarter where it comes to life is located in East London, but it is from its origins that the inspiration for the brand aesthetics and ethics is born. A refined blend of colors, fabrics and textures, patterns and weaves often overexposed, in these silhouettes that fully embody that native Guatemalan aesthetic, revisited in a contemporary key.
The idea that inspired the two designers comes during a trip to their homeland: fascinated by the care and the skills of local artisans, they decide to take charge of it and pass it on as much as possible, not only on an aesthetic level but also on a social level. If the first sketches of the collection are drawn in London, in Guatemala Luna De Pinal works with local artisans and various associations, which represent the more rural areas, specialized in different weaving techniques that are now disappearing in favor of (a too) Fast Fashion.
Once the samples and the fabric have been obtained, it moves on to production by the tailors, and it is here that it is easy to understand how there is no waste in such a system: all the garments are categorically produced by hand and on request, which extends packaging and waiting times.
The trips to Guatemala were also an opportunity to personally learn the “Backstrap Weaving”, the particular weaving technique originating in the Andes, which then turned into a “challenge” to tradition thanks to experimentation and manipulation, albeit with enormous respect. The result? Contemporary and sophisticated collections, in constant development, a perfect combination of the luxury of local craftsmanship and the most avant-garde, beautiful and rich aesthetics.
Ethics that expands into a much larger project by Luna Del Pinal, who is the brand at the helm of a collective of 8 companies with the same sustainable philosophy: Arte Sano is the – wonderfully suitable – name of the project aimed to raise funds for the artisans (around one million) financially affected by the pandemic. 78% of them live in poverty with an income of less than $ 2 a day, but the entire artisanal sector is in second place after agriculture in terms of development and employment, generating a value of over 32 billion dollars every year.
It is sad and disappointing that we still have to deal with these data, also because the current slow fashion – which I reconfirm as the “new” luxury we all need – now offers us creatives and professionals who are 10 years ahead of the most popular and renowned brands. A more ethical fashion, more thoughtful to all levels of production and group of workers but above all cooler.
The special attention that Luna Del Pinal pays in respecting and protecting the past and traditions to lead us to a better future without waste can be read in black and white on their official website, with references to the GoFundMe page and the details of the fundraising project expiring on March 27, 2021.