Alberto's story is not an ordinary story. His life and professional career is so extraordinary that his neighbors in the village are still rubbing their eyes to believe it.
Alberto López Gómez was born in the municipality of Magdalena, in Aldama, a remote spot in the Altos de Chiapas where the Tzotzil ethnic group lives since pre-colonial times. accustomed to a simple lifestyle, marked by a strong family structure and by traditional customs with very defined gender roles, Alberto's neighbors couldn't understand why the boy wanted to learn to weave, something unthinkable for a man who was supposed to be destined to perform other functions in society.
Thus, hidden from everyone, young Alberto's mother, Margarita taught her son all the secrets of the ancient art of the backstrap loom, a pre-Hispanic technique that some indigenous communities of Mexico have perpetuated to this day. He was the laughing stock, the different one, the boy who wanted to knit and the one who never wanted to get married to have a large family.
Albert Lopez.
TRADITIONAL FABRICS
"I didn't understand what was wrong with a man wanting to weave. He beats us to machismo," laments Alberto. But despite criticism he secretly persisted in his apprenticeship –Always supported by his mother – until he decided to leave the village and settle on his own in San Cristóbal de las Casas. This colonial and tourist city acts as an economic engine for the entire region and the Tzotzil boy – like so many today who sell handicrafts in the streets – saw in her a way out, a little light at the end of the tunnel. But that would not be easy at all.
Alberto didn't speak Spanish to begin with. And he didn't even have to eat. He first lived on the street and later he was able to settle in a corral. He saved some money giving workshops in a town store and little by little he began to sell his fabrics.
"My mother tongue is Tzotzil, but I learned the Spanish language from the tourists who came to the store," says the designer. "As my fabrics were selling, I created my own textile firm Kuxul Pok. My dream was that one day my neighbors would recognize my talent and be able to reach have a catalog with my own designs".
Kuxul Pok fabrics.
A DREAM COME TRUE
And the beginning of that dream that would become a reality came from the hand of a journalist who did a report for the German Network for Human Rights in Mexico. The video went viral in Europe.
"After that I started selling many huipiles (traditional clothing) and everything was very fast. They called me from everywhere," López explains. “In 2020 I was invited to show at New York Fashion Week, me, who had never left this region, who didn't even have a passport and who of course had never gotten on a plane. I was interviewed on all the national television networks, I received orders from all over the world and now I am preparing the collection of huipiles that I will present in the next parades that I have confirmed in the United States, Canada and Europe".
Kuxul Pok at NY Fashion Week.
Alberto López did not deny his village neighbors who laughed so much at him. Today the designer employs 150 people in his municipality, Aldama. The majority are Tzotzil women – who take about five months to weave a single huipil – but also (and this is totally new) some men have joined the team of weavers.
"In the end, what I want is that the men we weave are respected like the rest. And it is also necessary value the work of these people who used to undersell their crafts for a few pesos. It takes months to create a single garment and that has its price," concludes the Mexican.
Weaver in Aldama.
Alberto López Gómez achieved his dream despite all the difficulties. He broke the mold, he stood up to all the stereotypes and he has not only brought prosperity to an entire town, but he has made known (and has valued) traditional tzotzil clothing all over the world. His talent is recognized from Vancouver to Milan and in 2022 he will once again participate in Mercedes-Benz (New York) Fashion Week, among many other fashion meccas.