ARMANDO TAKEDA

Mexican-Japanese designer Armando Takeda is known for his unique, high-quality garments that merge traditional artisanal Mexican craftsmanship with modern cuts and materials. The brand's basic principles are: to contribute to the culture, work ethically and nurture fair trade. These made Armando the first Mexican fashion designer to be appointed as an official spokesman for Save the Children Mexico. Armando Takeda is focused on praising tradition, diversity, and culture; leading to the improvement of the artisans’ lives.

Each season, the designer and his Japanese wife visit diverse villages in Mexico, where they sit together with the artisans discussing and experimenting to modernize their artisanal work in order to create desirable fashion items. The finest materials from around the world are brought to Mexico, where they are merged with artisans’ souls and craft, with the commitment to help the marginalized communities that collaborated in the creation.

The brand carries 2 main lines: the exclusive artisanal line, made in collaboration with the artisans, counts for approximately 60% of the collection. The other line, not containing artisanal handwork, counts for 40% of the whole collection. The artisanal items carry a serial number, and they are treated as one-of-a-kind art pieces. Their production is limited to 20 to 50 items, depending on the difficulty of the creation.

The brand has won several international awards including Best Latin American brand by Vogue, in Vogue Who’s On Next 2106. It is also the only Mexican brand in history to be named consecutively as VOGUE TALENT by Vogue Italia (2018, 2020, and 2021). Armando Takeda himself is a graduate from Central Saint Martins in London and has worked for Alexander McQueen and Bruno Pieters, later headhunted to work as creative director at one of Tokyo FASHION WEEK'S leading brands, Dresscamp. Later, he goes back to his native Mexico to start working with local artisans, creating cultural and ethical high fashion pieces.