Behind the Label | Hacienda Montaecristo

It is rare for a brand to be able to translate beauty, creativity, and innovation evenly across product categories, but Francesca Bonato and Jacopo Janniello Ravagnan, the designers behind Hacienda Montaecristo, have consistently achieved this feat with their label across clothes, bags, jewelry, shoes, and home accessories. With high-quality Mexican handcrafting and weaving techniques used to produce her pieces, Bonato and Ravagnan have successfully maintained a brand that is uniquely true to her heritage and universally appealing.

It is rare for a brand to be able to translate beauty, creativity, and innovation evenly across product categories, but Francesca Bonato and Jacopo Janniello Ravagnan, the designers behind Hacienda Montaecristo, have consistently achieved this feat with their label across clothes, bags, jewelry, shoes, and home accessories. With high-quality Mexican handcrafting and weaving techniques used to produce her pieces, Bonato and Ravagnan have successfully maintained a brand that is uniquely true to her heritage and universally appealing.

 

Jacopo Janniello Ravagnan and Francesca Bonato
 

Jacopo Janniello Ravagnan and Francesca Bonato stumbled upon an old abandoned factory in the Yucatan Peninsula (2007), Mexico while driving around in an old 1972 Ford truck.  ?We found an abandoned factory where on an old piece of wood it was a merely readable sign saying ?Montecristo?, it was a sign for us: in one simple casually found word it was our whole dream in it. The word Hacienda came because of the system and organization we have been using since the very beginning was very similar to the old working mechanism, location and organization of work proper to the ones of the old haciendas. We involved whole families working with us; the women are embroidering, sewing and tailoring while the men works the leather and weaves the rebozos.

Photo ? Hacienda Montaecristo Archive

 

Hacienda Montaecristo was officially found in August 2007, after years of travel, experiences and work with local artisans. The company now gathers 25 artisans specialized in Rebozo weaving, pedal loom weaving and standing loom weaving, tailoring, embroidering, leather tanning and shoe making; everything is conceived, developed, created, designed, produced and packaged by us. We take care of every single step in the production and do not buy any additional accessories like fabrics or leather. The same artisan that makes the Rebozo bag in 25 days is the same who will finish the packaging in leather and wood.  The only component that Hacienda Montaecristo purchases from an outside supplier is zippers and buttons from Mexico City.

 

 

Photo ? Hacienda Montaecristo Archive

 

We are very proud of our work because differently from everybody else who uses a mechanical way of producing, we still use very antique techniques. Every piece is produced in Valladolid, Yucatan: this region is in a very remote area in Mexico. We have built everything here, from the looms to teaching our workers how to work on every detail from the leather till the weaving, coloring, sewing.

 

 

Photo ? Hacienda Montaecristo Archive

 

The Rebozo is the most important piece in the Mexican women?s wardrobe. Over the past three centuries, Mexican women have considered the Rebozo a unique and essential piece for their look. The Rebozo is not only an attractive, various, and elegant piece, it is also practical. They use it to protect themselves from the sun, from the cold, for mourning, for carrying their goods and their children?

 

 

Photo ? The Selby

 

 

 

Photo ? Hacienda Montaecristo Archive

 

Hacienda Montaecristo has been collecting antique handmade Rebozos for the last eight years from all around Mexico; we have more than 300 old pieces from the beginning of the 1900 to the 70?s.

 

 

Photo ? Hacienda Montaecristo Archive
 

We rebuilt the antique wooden looms thanks to our artisans who transmitted heir knowledge to us. We gathered the best artisans from all around the peninsula to help keep  this ancient tradtion of eaving silk arrive.  All of our products are 100% handmade; no machines, no mass production.

 

 

 

Photo ? Hacienda Montaecristo Archive

 

The Hacienda Montaecristo collection is built from intricately woven scarves, braided leather shoes, and fringed leather necklaces. It takes three weeks to weave a Rebozo on the wooden looms, the fringe will take anywhere from ten to thirty days according to the style. Each Rebozo, whether vintage or newly prepared carries a unique story with it; a small beautiful piece of history.

 To shop the Hacienda Montaecristo, please click here.