Roberto Lopez

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I was born in the cradle of alpaca textile arts, Arequipa. I went to a Jesuit school whose motto was 'Be More to Serve Better,' something that has always been present in my life as a goal to strive for.

My interest was born when I was working as an engineer helping artisans in over 100 textile workshops. I was lucky to share in their happiness and sadness whenever they’d invite me to sit at the dinner table with them after a long day’s work. I listened to their comments about their art work, spiking my curiosity and defining my future path.

"I followed through with different specialization courses, and I still take them according to the demands that this type of work requires on a daily basis.

"We work with alpaca fibers, and we're always searching for ways to improve processes and materials. We look for blends with natural fibers and now we've been able to develop a method to create apparel and accessories that are always softer, have a better fall and shape.

"I love having the opportunity to innovate, like when we successfully created seamless apparel when everyone told us it wasn't possible. This is how we also came up with new methods for washing, designed new finishes and of course, create new designs.

"My daughter Renata is my muse — her curiosity and sense of surprise when she discovers new things continuously inspire me. I don't want to lose that. I want to keep on creating new things, new products, new designs.

"My sister Leslie and I started this new venture and we design together. We try new processes to improve our designs, including new stitches and shapes. Not only are we interested on creating new and better products, but we like to share them with other artisans and workshops.

"We are convinced that it is everyone's responsibility to preserve the alpaca textile industry, small and large workshops included."

Roberto Lopez received the Lima Textile Innovation Award in 2018.