ector Esrawe is a Mexican designer
with an international reputation who
looks to his own backyard for inspiration.
‘A constant reference is the National
Museum of Anthropology in Mexico
City,’ he says. ‘I’m seduced by the stone
carvings that appear on everything from
ceremonial utensils to monumental
sculptures.’ This pre-Columbian treasure
trove, filled with Aztec goddesses and
Mayan murals, is one of the capital’s
unmissable sights and has informed all
the limited-edition, handmade pieces
Esrawe has made under his Ewe label.
Ewe was founded last year by
Spaniard Manuel Bañó, Estonian-born
Age Salajõe and Esrawe (pictured above,
left to right), and draws on the skills and
techniques of Mexican craftsmen. ‘We
travel all over the country researching
everything from clay and wood carving
to copper,’ says Esrawe. ‘We then
collaborate with artisans, translating
their skills into new languages.’Ewe’s new Alquimia collection, which
launched at this year’s Zona Maco art
fair, includes the ‘Magma’ lamp,
handblown in volcanic stone moulds by
Mexico’s Nouvel Studio; the burnt steel
and oak ‘Humo’ table featuring black
marble from Orizaba; and the three-
legged ‘Ceniza’ chair, assembled using
an ancient technique called espiga vista.
A few years ago, launching limited-
edition Mexican objects with price
tags in the thousands, in Mexico, would
have been unthinkable. But the country
is becoming a major player on the world
design stage. ‘We still can’t talk about
a consolidated design scene in Mexico,’
says Esrawe. ‘But we do have a rich
tradition of craft, more consumers
wanting Mexican design, and a young
generation of designers looking back
to their heritage with pride.’
Above, ‘Magma’ floor lamp, $14,800;
‘Humo’ table, $27,000; ‘Ceniza’ chair,
$2,400, all by Ewe, ewe-studio.comDURO OLOWU
Our new columnist and founder
of Cru Kafé Bodil Blain shares
coffee and creative small talk
with the Nigerian-born, British
fashion designerBB: How do you take your coffee?
DO: I like it strong: a macchiato or a
short espresso. I am a second-wave
coffee drinker – I like it Italian-style.
How old were you when you got
your first creative urges?
I remember being in kindergarten,
being told what to draw and thinking,
‘I am not doing it that way’. I have
always wanted things to be detailed
and stylish. I was born in Lagos to a
Nigerian father and Jamaican mother,
and we travelled a lot in the summer.
If I ever said to my parents ‘I’m bored’,
they would say ‘go make something.’
So I would make cardboard sculptures
and draw costumes.
What were the key pieces of clothing
that inspired you growing up?
As a child, the woman you see the
most in your daily life is your mother.
This is where you usually get your first
ideas about women’s clothing. At least
I did. She had this openness to flipping
things, mixing traditional tailor-made
Nigerian clothes with Yves Saint
Laurent and other European labels.
She would visit me at school wearing
a silk scarf around her head, printed
shirt-dresses and beautiful shoes. If
there was one aspect I picked up, it was
the length of her skirts, which were
always two or three inches below the
knee. I never cut dresses or skirts in
my collections shorter than that.
What gives you the most satisfaction
in your work?
I work by instinct. Fabric is always the
starting point for me. Creating and
experimenting with fabric in a way that
works for different shapes and moods.
Do you have other creative outlets?
I curated a show at the Camden
Arts Centre in 2016 called ‘Making and
Unmaking’. It turned out to be a huge
success, partially I think because I
mixed things up in a non-conventional
curatorial way. It featured more than
70 artists, from Anni Albers to Lorna
Simpson. I’m also a huge fan of
the artists Lynette Yiadom-Boakye,
Lisa Brice and Michael Armitage.
What have you seen that you wished
you had designed?
A Grecian gown by French couturier
Madame Grès, or the American Bar
in Vienna, designed by Adolf Loos.OUT OF OFFICEMAD ABOUT EWE
Seduced by its country’s rich craft traditions, a Mexican
furniture brand is producing exquisite limited-edition objects074 ∑ PHOTOGRAPHY: PIA RIVEROLA WRITER: EMMA O’KELLY