A DREAM CAME TRUE: CROCHET

We could say that our dream has been fulfilled. Diddo was born as a personal sewing project and little by little, it became the brand it is today. With a clear goal to thank the sewing tradition of our country for everything it has given us, our greatest pleasure is to find artisans who want to join our project and give value, together, to their wonderful work.

We had been obsessed for months with making a collaboration like this happen, talking to acquaintances and professionals who could add their magic touch, but we always came across some issue and never went ahead with it. 

When we were about to throw in the towel, Carmen came into our lives thanks to social media. The first thing that caught our attention were her cats and later we discovered that she could do wonders with textile yarns. A designer, photographer, pattern maker, seamstress and weaver, she has it all and we are very proud that she has agreed to develop this project.

To get more details, we leave you with a brief interview with the creator, the craftswoman: Carmen Canora.

1- Tell us a little bit about yourself, how long have you been crocheting?  

How did you learn, what other things do you do? 

While I was studying Fine Arts, I started researching some alternative techniques to develop artistic projects. I started creating with textile materials, adding stitches, embroidering, gluing textures and when i was immersed in that world, I started sewing. When I finished college, my first jobs were as a sewing teacher alongside my mother. She taught me everything, and we decided to open our own sewing workshop. The only thing my mother didn't know how to do was crochet, so I thought that could become my forte and I asked my great aunt to teach me. I learned the basic stitches in one afternoon with a tiny crochet hook. Since then, everything I know about crochet I have learned in a self-taught way, trying and making many mistakes, but enjoying the process. Crochet is a very relaxing technique, it helps me disconnect and at the same time to organize my ideas, stitch by stitch.

2- A little bit about the collection, How did this collaboration with Diddo Madrid come about? 

You could say that I found Eli and Eli found me. On instagram, I have a little corner where I showcase some of my needlework and, thanks to that, she suggested I made some crochet garments for the summer collection. All the garment design is by Diddo and that's why they are so beautiful, but I loved to be a part of the design process and not just an artisan. Together we looked for the right fabric, the colors, the final construction of the garments and Elisa always took my advice and opinions into account. I can proudly say that there is also a part of me in these garments.

3- What garments have you developed? Describe them a little bit. 

We knitted two garments that complement each other and at the same time are the antithesis of each other. For both we started from a base of three summer colors, always highlighted on white. The first garment was a reinterpretation of Diddo's A Coat, large, with volume, darts and good draping. The second was a very simple little top, striped, with wide straps and a side button closure.

4- What tools have you used and how? Tell us more about the process. 

For the coat and the top we used the same type of 100% cotton fabric but in different yarn widths. For the coat we used a thicker yarn and it was made with more than 50 squares that start from a circular design. Each circle starts with a different color and always ends in white. This, paired with the final color order, creates a very interesting optical pattern. The top, unlike the coat, was made in straight lines and in one piece, with a very fine yarn and a tight stitch making a combination of colored stripes on white.

5-What are yours plans for the future?

Since this project was born, Diddo's commitment has been to promote the value of artisan and local work. It is necessary that this mentality takes root and allows us to preserve the richness of the tradition behind each manual technique, making fashion something sustainable and ethical. Under these expectations it is very easy that for every new project that is offered to me from Diddo, my response will be a clear and resounding: 'Yes, when do we start?'

These are Carmen's words, our artisan, who made our two crochet garments with care and love. It has taken many months of work, researching shapes and finding the right material. But it's all worth it to be able to show you the best of us.

Each coat is knitted with more than 2,000 meters of cotton yarn and each top with about 1,000 meters.

Weaving this amount of yarn, paired with color mixing, is a job that requires a lot of time and skill. For this reason and to guarantee the exclusivity of each piece, we will make these garments only on request for a long period of time.

Want to know more about these garments? 

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Thanks for reading,

Forever with you.

#diddofamily