how it began

Luna*Zorro truly came to life in the spring of 2014 when I was in search of the perfect bedspread. I was already living in Antigua and was sure I could find something easily. But the more I looked, the more it seemed that I could only find primary, secondary and even fluorescent colored pieces, and while beautiful, I didn’t want such a bright palette in my bedroom. One morning while passing through the artisan market, feeling unconvinced I’d ever find what I had in mind, I began chatting with a local weaver who took an interest in my (dare I say it) dilemma. The more we spoke, the more he seemed to be sure he could make what I was describing. I drew up a simple sketch of what had been floating around in my mind’s eye for so many weeks and I pulled threads from other pieces he already had as a sample of the colors I wanted. It seemed too good to be true – I was doubtful it would come out right. But, with a little dash of hope I paid him a deposit and he told me to come back in two weeks.

Sure enough, I returned to his shop two weeks later and completely fell in love with what I saw. What I had been envisioning all the while was now being unveiled before my eyes. I have a design background and a long history of making original creations with my own hands but this was a whole new world opening up to me. It was like a magic trick! I gave the ideas (colors, pattern, and dimensions) and this artisan worked wonders with his fellow weavers who loomed the bedspread on a pedal loom (also known as a foot loom) to match my original design. It was exactly what I wanted, right down to the very zig-zag stitch I’d seen in other Guatemalan designs before and hoped to recreate. I paid him the remainder of what I owed him and rushed home to throw it on my bed, overjoyed with not only the perfection of the finished piece but on a high from witnessing something go from thought to form so beautifully. Suddenly, a little flame inside me grew larger and I felt I was definitely on to something.

Cut to a few months later; I was hired by an architect and designer in Casco Viejo, Panama to have ten bedspreads made for an interior remodel of the gorgeous boutique hotel, Las Clementinas. The architect had seen a photo of my original bedspread on Instagram and contacted to me to find the source. I responded by telling her it was my own design and I’d be happy to help her have some made to order. We collaborated on design ideas and colors and I secured a (new) weaver who could help me complete the project within the time frame of the remodel project. It was an incredibly proud moment when all ten bedspreads were completed and presented to me. It was the second defining moment of this adventure that told me I was on the right path and that this could surely become a business. Before I handed over the finished pieces, I was sure to sew in the new Luna*Zorro labels I had made specifically for the project, which of course, made the whole thing feel that much more official. And just like that, my first commissioned project was a completed success and I was hooked.

Now here we are today, Luna*Zorro taking off and becoming something so real I pinch myself on  a regular basis. Not only do I get to design, to research, to learn, to play with colors and textures, and collaborate with so many incredible weavers and artisans, but I get to give people things that make them feel happy and which bring life to their homes and spaces. I love what I do and I plan to do it for a long, long time. It has been an exciting and inspiring start to what I hope will be a bright and successful future.