About us
In 2014, Ana Holschneider and Socorro Gasca found inspiration in the raw cotton thread and textile waste from the old El Hércules factory to create jewelry and clothing pieces. With this foundation, Ariadna García joined the team as General Director and, along with Ana as Creative Director and Soco as Master Craftsman, they founded Caralarga, venturing to create interior decoration pieces that seek to transform spaces through designs that highlight the qualities of raw materials.
OUR TECHNIQUES
The creation of a Caralarga piece involves a collective and creative legacy built in community, with the final product being only a small sample of the long journey we have taken as a textile studio. Thanks to this creative evolution, we have managed to consolidate techniques such as Recovered, Tassels, Mixed, Barrel-Stitched, Braided, Cord and Festoons, each focused on exploring the versatility of thread through original pieces that enhance the work of the artisans and designers who collaborate with us.
With a minimalist and simple style, we seek to abstract motifs of broad and complex meanings inspired by the architecture of nature, the myths and legends of pre-Hispanic tradition, and the cultural manifestations of Mexico, inviting the viewer to interpret them.
OUR MATERIALS
The main resources we use are raw cotton thread and textile waste, in addition to other natural materials such as sansevieria fiber, recycled bull horn, and bamboo, working hand in hand with artisans who preserve ancestral techniques and sustainable practices.
OUR TEAM
Thanks to our organic growth and the great acceptance by our customers, we currently have a team of about 50 people. We work together with artisans and designers in the creation of our pieces, as well as with creative professionals collaborating in the areas of project management, communication, distribution, packaging, tassels, logistics and administration.
We believe that the work of textile designers and artisans is a source of pride, and it is our duty to uphold it. That is why we firmly position ourselves as defenders of originality and respect for everyone's creativity.
PHILOSOPHY
We design and create high-quality, handcrafted textile pieces based on an original and sustainable vision, guided by three principles: the use of natural, biodegradable materials, recovery and reuse, and the creation of timeless pieces.
MISSION
We create with passion and awareness for the world.
VISION
We work to consolidate a long-term project in which we continue to share with our community our human and creative values, as well as our love for craftsmanship.
VALUES
Human treatment, respect, dignity, responsibility, sustainability, creativity, honesty, opportunity, growth, and teamwork.
IDENTITY: PEOPLE WITH VALUE
Caralarga's identity is based on highlighting the beauty of natural materials through experimentation. Our inspiration comes from working with raw cotton thread and other raw materials, exploring their versatility and textures in collaboration with artisans who transmit that knowledge with their hands. From its beginnings, the process has been one of trial and error, driving constant and collective learning. Although some artisans had prior experience, most have developed their craft from scratch.
SUSTAINABILITY
At Caralarga, we highly value our material resources. Therefore, we develop techniques such as "Recuperado," which reuses leftover cotton thread from our large-format pieces to create new ones. This way, we keep our original production line alive.
Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in the constant experimentation and adoption of processes that are more friendly to the environment, replacing materials such as polyester, styrofoam, or plastic with responsible alternatives, and minimizing waste as much as possible.
SOCIAL IMPACT
We seek to build community through collaborative partnerships with craft workshops in neighborhoods of Querétaro such as Hércules, La Cañada, and Sombrerete. We work with specialists in sewing, weaving, carpentry, blacksmithing, and papier-mâché, who not only provide us with materials but also actively participate in the production of our pieces.
We are extending this model to other states, such as in Yucatán with the Taller Maya, where artisans transform sansevieria into thread dyed with natural pigments, preserving ancestral techniques of the Mayan culture.