The Hands Behind Vendimia

Rounding the corner of Patricias Mendocinas and Gutiérrez streets, a flicker of color catches your eye.  There´s something peculiar about the house on the corner – something that tugs at the corners of your curiosity, and entices you to walk through the front door.

Every room of what once had been a lavish home belonging to one of Mendoza´s most prestigious families, is now filled with women in brightly colored floral aprons, bustling from one task to the next, shuffling fabric across the tables as they work.

On one machine, a woman in her late forties meticulously folds the pleats of yellow pants, and presses them beneath the heat of an industrial iron, sending a whoosh of hot steam into the air.  Another carefully holds the layers of baby blue gossamer in place while her partner makes the first cuts.  To the left are rows of women stationed at sewing tables, crafting skirts and belts and bobbles from all manner of colors.

This is the small team of people responsible for the design and construction of the costumes that will appear on the 2014 Vendimia Festival stage.  This is where they work, eight hours a day, five days a week.

Alejandro Grigor, local Mendoza artist, is the man behind the designs of the 2014 Vendimia costumes, but these are the women whose hands check every stitch and finish every seam.  They consist of 18 dressmakers, a handful of fabric cutters, a handful of multitasking helpers, a team of managers and Omar Lateana, tasked with carrying out Grigor´s designs.

“This year, the costumes will have a lot of volume, different dimensions and special effects incorporated into them,” says Omar. “In accordance with the title of the festival we want to achieve a symphony of color, and a true symphony of textures.”

Every year, the head designer chosen to direct costume construction is tasked with using 80% recycled clothing from previous shows and may incorporate only 20% new material.  It´s a creative challenge, certainly, but it´s also a necessary eco-friendly and economic measure.

Throughout the old house are hangers upon hangers of old folklore dresses, bombachas (traditional gaucho pants), vests and accessories – each patiently awaiting their turn to be invented into something new.

“We´re still deciding what to do with these dresses,” says dressmaker Susana Giménez, as she runs her hands over the bold red floral pattern of last year´s outfits.  “We´re not sure yet how to change it – or what we can add to it – so that it becomes new again.”

Susana has been a part of the Vendimia dressmaker´s team for 7 years now, the most senior group of sewing veterans in the corner house.  But when she looks across the floor and sees the many hands at work, all she sees are a strong group of women with a shared purpose.

“There´s a very strong sense of teamwork,” she says, “we´re here because we get to live Vendimia through different eyes.”

In the weeks to come, the women will receive shipments of new fabrics and will begin construction on the remaining 20% – but that part that will have to remain secret until the night of the first show.

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