Mediterranean Sun, inspired by the crafts of Spain, Morocco and Portugal
_- What a beautiful carrycot!
- A friend from Colombia brought it to me.
Where is that bag from?
- I bought it in a small town in Portugal.
And these ideal cushions?
- They're from a souk in Tangier.
Where is that backpack from?
- I found it in a flea market in Bali.
How many times have you seen a wonderful piece and taken away disappointed to learn that he was hundreds of miles away?
The shell bracelets, the basket, the alms bag, the tassel earrings, the raffia clutch, the net bag, the fine gold-plated chains,... It is impossible to crown only one of them as the summer it accessory. We love them all and we love them all.
It is true that we can buy many of them in our country, but it is not the same to walk down the street with a bag that you will surely see repeated ad nauseam, have a unique piece, handcrafted and recently arrived from its country of origin and not from a chain production.
An –attractive– option would be go around the world collecting jewelry, kimonos, bags and other treasures.
But if becoming Willy Fog is very bad for you, we have the solution: ** Cuckoo B ,** the firm with which you are going to fall madly in love –as the singers have already done Russian Red and Anni B Sweet, the artist Miranda Makaroff, the actress Calu Rivero or the model Kate Dillon Levin.
Jungle in the city, with exotic dyes and accessories made with natural fibers
AROUND THE WORLD –WITHOUT LEAVING HOME–
yle and jesu are, in addition to very good friends, the founders of Cuckoo B. Jesu is a Chilean architect, a specialist in trends and product development, and Yle is a Spanish nutritionist who loves fashion.
The firm emerged a year ago in a beautiful garden on Capitol Hill (Seattle), where both currently reside, while catching up after a vacation in Japan (One had just arrived and the other was going shortly).
"We were chatting about all those pieces of craftsmanship that we brought back from our travels when we decided to create Cuckoo B," says Yle, "which comes after a real need for both to find pieces from different parts of the world in a single store with a history behind it and made through millenary craft techniques but with the added bonus of their own design”, she explains.
The objective? Give customers the feeling of be traveling without having to buy a plane ticket.
A TRAVELING AND DEMANDING BEE
“Cuckoo Bee is a type of nomadic bee that only feeds on the best nectars that she finds during her journeys around the world, ”explains Yle when we ask him about the name of the firm.
“Each of our products are those select nectars; 100% handmade bags, accessories and things for the house, inspired by history, culture and traditions from different geographical locations,” she exposes.
Jesu and Yle, founders of Cuckoo B
THE KEY WORD: CRAFTSMANSHIP
Most of the products are designed and developed by themselves in collaboration with wonderful craftsmen based in different countries.
“The pieces are made 100% by hand, one by one and based on ancient techniques that are passed from generation to generation”, they comment. It is that uniqueness that makes each item a timeless treasure with a story to tell.
“The idea is to keep growing our fantastic community,” says Yle. Currently they have artisans settled in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Turkey, Indonesia, Vietnam, Colombia, India, Mexico, France, United States, Chile, Japan and different areas of Africa.
A COLLABORATIVE AND CROSS-BORDER PROJECT
The stories and anecdotes of how these artisans have been discovered are endless. “We contacted them in our trips, by family and friends who seek contact with us, by social networks, by internet, by intermediaries that we have in some countries and they help us in our work, etc”, Yle and Jesu tell Traveler.es
“Many of them live away from what we know as civilization and that apparent difficulty is actually what makes all this even more unique, pure and special”, they explain.
The Dreaming of Japan collection is inspired by the land of the rising sun
THE HANDMADE: A RISING TREND
In the fashion world nothing is written, nothing is impossible and much less predictable. One season futuristic fabrics appear and the next advocates linen, raffia and cotton.
What we can say is that the handmade and the value of the artisanal, of the unique, is penetrating more and more. “It has its roots in the craft of a lifetime and is now booming as an alternative to chain production of large industries that resulted in items that were not very personal and that, often, everyone had”, comment the founders of Cuckoo B.
“Furthermore, handmade is closely linked not only to the fact of making pieces manually or by hand, it is also linked to the way of life of artisans. Especially with that commitment to good work and quality”, adds Yle.
And that good work is reflected in many things: the time invested, the final result, the exclusivity of each item... “For example, each Estela bag or each Carmen bag takes up to 3 full weeks to make because they are made thread by thread by the same craftsman. This for some is just another bag but for the vast majority, this is where the real luxury lies,” she comments.
Estela bag, made in Colombia by the indigenous Wayuu people, takes up to three weeks to complete
TIRELESS TRAVELERS, LOVERS OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS AND EXPERTS IN MIXING THEM
These two friends and partners find inspiration in untouched and wild places. "Its people, its history, its traditions... In all of that there is beauty and honesty," they say.
And it is that, sometimes, being patient, discovering places, without haste or deadlines, is the most beautiful way to learn and enrich yourself: “The muses of before and the muses of today. The colors and the noble and tame materials. People who still live in community and care about each other. Painting, history and good music. What is created over a slow fire and the passion for traveling”, Yle comments enthusiastically.
Yle she defines her style as sophisticated, classic and quite versatile while Jesu's is more comfortable, with an eclectic touch. Nevertheless, both coincide the key is to mix and, of course, they store in their cupboards valuable treasures brought back from their travels.
The Jane basket, inspired by the one she used to wear Jane Birkin
A trip that marked them? “I fell in love with Tokyo: I could go a thousand times more and it would still impress me . I was struck by its contrasts: the hustle and bustle of the city with the calm of the Japanese, ancient temples next to skyscrapers and neon signs, its cuisine that is simple and sophisticated at the same time”, says Jesu.
Yle recently returned from a road trip through Utah, Arizona and Nevada from Phoenix to Las Vegas passing through Sedona, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon or Monument Valley. "I enjoyed like a dwarf for its brutal landscapes from start to finish, its good weather, the great music that sounded on the radio and the best of the companies."
Her list of pending places is endless. Cuba, Alaska and the island of Maui lead Yle while Jesu opts for Bali, Palawan and Jamaica.
Now if it comes to choosing her favorite place in her world, no one hesitates when pronouncing the word family.
The Leandra bag is made by artisans from Guacamayas (Colombia)
THE PROBLEM IS DECIDING WHICH PIECE TO KEEP
Opening your website is opening a window to the different countries of the world without taking a single step. The Clarisa bag comes from the Portuguese region of Alcobaça; the Josefina model, made from henequen fibers and vegetable dyes, is typical of yucatan ; and the Sabrina model is made by artisans of Marrakesh with palm leaves.
We also found slopes –like these ones with tassels made in Mexico–, sunglasses, hats –such as this one from La Guajira (Colombia)–, scarves and even kimonos and decorative objects.
Gala fringed earrings, handmade in Mexico
Yle's favourites? “How difficult! I like everything! Our Rosario bag to give a casual touch to any look. Leandra to go out for brunch on Sunday and a bag from the Japan collection to go out at night; surely the Amaya bag with snakes and klein blue velvet and the Yayoi bag with bamboo handles. oh! And the porcelain Olivia earrings look like the bomb too”.
Jesus stays with Yayoi bag: “We designed it inspired by the work of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and it is made through an almost extinct Mexican technique through dried pumpkins. The Victoria earrings are another of my favorites.”
The next fall winter collection is inspired by Africa “and in all the wonders that this brutal continent can offer: its people, traditions, colors and craft techniques. Although we are constantly including new products in the rest of the stories”, they comment.
The Yayoi bag, inspired by the work of Yayoi Kusama, made of gourd and bamboo
WHERE TO BUY?
You can buy Cuckoo B's pieces in their online store –they ship to five continents!– and on pages like Amazon Fashion, My Peeptoes Store and Armoire. Furthermore, they are present in physical stores from the United States (Hitchcock Madrona) and Europe (Boutique Carot, in Santander ) .
“In the end, we believe that what is beautiful, unique, has a story behind it and is wearable fits into the look of all kinds of women wherever you are from, say Yle and Jesu.
The Aurora bag, handcrafted by Balinese artisans
LOOKING AT THE FUTURE
When we ask them about their plants, they are clear about their primary objective: “We would like to continue growing and continue betting on our own design, by the incorporation of more and more artisanal techniques and therefore; offer ideas that really please and surprise”.
Furthermore, “in parallel, we want Cuckoo B to continue settling in different locations through direct sales in highly selected multi-brand stores so that the customer can appreciate the product on the spot”.
And above all, its greatest challenge is continue enjoying this project as beautiful and personal as they have been doing so far "to the cry of #hailthebee".
The Sabrina bag, made with palm leaves in Marrakech