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Extremely or bravely – Mercedes Salazar Jewellery
Colombian designer Mercedes Salazar compares his job to the skill of a chef: you mix several ingredients to create something new and unexpected. Since the brand was founded in 2001, Mercedes has never tired of experimenting with a variety of materials, from leather and blown glass to horsehair and raffia. In 2007, she began working with local communities to revive traditional weaving techniques.
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Sometimes in handmades Mercedes uses exclusively natural materials, sometimes it mixes them with man-made ones, for example, metal threads or textiles.
“By my example, I want to show other designers how they can attract local craftsmen to work on their collections,” she says. “Sometimes this is the only opportunity to give them a chance for a better life and help them earn as much as they deserve.”
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