Valdes equates choosing the material she works with, - shimmering satins, fancy cut crystals, sequins, metal mesh, and semi-precious stones - to falling in love. She lets the material be her muse: “I see where it can go and what it can be, it is like finding new words to tell the same story.”
Constantly exploring and experimenting with new techniques, Valdes and her artisans push the boundaries of their creativity to create stronger and stronger collections. Her atelier began with one beader, but today she has over 40 craftspeople working for her. She likes to think of the atelier as a “little
community”. For Autumn/Winter 2010, Valdes’ collection entitled Neuromantics is a futuristic take on her signature style, where metal mesh, chains and wires take center stage. While her new collection explores the future and technology, Valdes is keen to preserve the high touch craftsmanship of her work. She explains; “when we first began a single bag would take about 30 days to complete - and it still does! I’ve discovered that speed does not necessarily equate to efficiency, and we’ve been more interested in craft and not velocity.”
