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Boutiques for Handcrafted Designs in Mexico City

Traditional embroidery
Traditional embroidery | © Paola Ulloa/Flickr

Mexico is a country replete with indigenous groups, all of which have their own distinct fashion and crafting heritage. For that reason, handcrafted designs are to be found anywhere in the country, from street-side vendors to high class boutiques. Some shops even partner with the indigenous communities and promote both their survival and the survival of their craft, bringing you authentic and timeless products. Read on for the five best Mexico City boutiques that offer gorgeous handcrafted designs.

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Fábrica Social

Easily one of the best boutiques in the entire city, Fábrica Social offers handcrafted designs that mix commercial trends with traditional techniques and patterns. Operating on a fair trade philosophy, Mexican women are brought together to learn craft basics and continue developing their own textile skills. Overall, they work with eight distinct Mexican communities to produce the products, which can be bought on Etsy or in their two Mexico City branches that are situated in the historic centre and La Roma, respectively.

Onora

Store, Shop
A gorgeously curated home décor store, Onora is jointly owned and run by New Yorker Maggie Galton and Mexican Maria Eladia Hagerman. The products to be found at Onora are contemporary, classy and sleek home décor items made from Oaxacan clay or detailed with Chiapan embroidery. You can find all kinds of original and artisan products, from bathroom items to table runners and bedding, but the color scheme is neutral and muted, different from many typical Mexican handicrafts.

Casa de Luna

Art Gallery, Museum
Situated in Coyoacán is Casa de Luna, a gorgeous fair trade store that sells handcrafted items by local artisans. If you’re looking for jewelry, textiles, typical Mexican-style souvenir products, or even just a simple bag, you can find it here; it stocks ceramics from Tzintzuntzan and products from San Miguel de Allende. Almost all of the products sold in the ground floor store are handmade, but all of them are exquisitely crafted regardless and well curated. What’s more, there’s an upstairs gallery that you can also pay a visit to.

FONART

Not strictly a boutique, but definitely one of the most reliable places to buy custom-made and genuine artisanal products in Mexico is FONART. While the majority of handicrafts are sold on street stalls and in roaming tianguis, this chain of stores brings together various different styles of folk art from a variety of indigenous communities and sells them at fixed prices in government owned stores. While the prices are non-negotiable, the quality is assured – plus, you can rest easily in the knowledge that you’re helping promote the survival of these dying traditions.

Roma Quince

Restaurant, Mexican, $$
Roma Quince is found at Calle Medellín #67 in the hipster hotspot of Colonia Roma. Being another example of a store that’s stocking beautiful, custom-made home décor products, Roma Quince is a hub of lesser known Mexican brands. You can find pieces by Bindilou, Casa Acanto (from San Miguel de Allende) and even Trinitate, plus some new clothing lines they’ve recently introduced. All of the pieces are handcrafted, but they have a more upmarket look than many people expect from the traditionally colorful pieces that can be bought in markets. This store is worth checking out.

About the author

Yorkshire-born food, drink and travel writer based out of Mexico, you can find my work at Nat Geo, CNN, Extra Crispy and OZY, amongst other publications. Everything Mexico is my niche, but I also dabble in spewing my unsolicited opinions about teabags and pork pies. Find more of my work at northernlauren.com.

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