The Copahue and the Lihuen outline Maydi’s aesthetic. The $700 “sluggish luxurious” turtleneck sweater options an Aran sew, batwing sleeves, and ribbed finishes, all crafted in Argentina from ultra-soft 18-micron Patagonian Merino wool. The $755 Lihuen jacket follows swimsuit, sculpted in 17-micron Merino with a ramification collar, gently puffed sleeves, and gleaming pearl buttons. Each items rejoice the southern fringe of South America.
Regenerative and wildlife-friendly licensed Merino wool sits on the coronary heart of the model. This strategy helps accountable grazing and encourages concord between sheep farmers and native wildlife.
Inside its Buenos Aires atelier, Maydi embraces the pure palette of Patagonian camelid fibers. Impartial hues reign, whereas delicate accents emerge from botanical dyes drawn from native crops—Tara, Palo Amarillo, Guayacán, Quebracho, and Cochineal amongst them. “Patagonian fibers with a conscience” isn’t only a phrase right here; it’s a promise.
Maydi founder and artistic director Maria Abdala Zolezzi remembers the motivation behind her pioneering imaginative and prescient. “After I created the model in 2013, honest commerce wasn’t a mainstream dialog. I wished to champion handmade craftsmanship utilizing native labor to strengthen regional economies. I turned the primary Argentinian designer to acquire the Wildlife Pleasant certification, guaranteeing full traceability for the Valdés Peninsula Merino wool we use.”
Her Franco-Argentine heritage informs each sew. She smiles when recalling her nickname—Maydi—taken from a childhood storybook character. Even then, she designed attire for her dolls, a spark that may finally form her profession.
After finding out promoting in Buenos Aires, Maria refined her craft on the London Faculty of Style. Twelve early life in Paris adopted, collaborating with influential visionaries together with Kuki de Salvertes and the group at Totem, who helped launch Raf Simons and Haider Ackermann, alongside homes reminiscent of Sonia Rykiel, Isabel Marant, and Patricia Lerat.
Her philosophy facilities on folks as a lot as product. “My creations guarantee honest remuneration for Argentinean artisans. We defend their heritage, elevate their expertise, and enhance working situations. Many can work at home, benefiting their households whereas retaining dignity and independence. And we proudly champion equal alternatives for ladies—guardians of life, reminiscence, and tradition.”
Maydi additionally preserves ancestral methods. Loom weaving — one of many oldest indigenous textile traditions — stands alongside crochet, which traces its lineage from South America to Arabia and China earlier than discovering roots in Europe centuries in the past. Each fiber used is pure and 100% biodegradable.
This respect extends to the animals and ecosystems that maintain these fibers. Guanaco fleece from Payunia in Mendoza is hand-extracted utilizing time-honored strategies. Llama and child llama wool from La Puna mirror shared stewardship. Vicuna — revered as “the silk of the earth” — is gathered by the sacred Chaccu ceremony, an annual ritual that helps fragile high-altitude ecosystems. Child alpaca, prized for its weightless heat and hypoallergenic really feel, completes the gathering’s noble supplies.
Vicunas play a significant position in biodiversity at altitude, trimming the land and decreasing fireplace threat. Their wool, as soon as thrown skyward in gratitude to the Apus — the sacred protectors of the Andes — stays a treasure of cultural and ecological significance.
At present, Maydi stands as Argentina’s bespoke knitwear vanguard. The model celebrates nationwide textile heritage by a made-to-measure service that unites designer, artisan, and consumer. Consumers personalize their clothes — from cloth to silhouette to a sublime palette of Black, Ecru, Army Inexperienced, Gentle Pink, and Sandalwood.
“This strategy eliminates pointless inventory and waste,” Maria notes. “Our shoppers join emotionally with their clothes. They’re selecting a aware different to quick style—luxurious outlined by intimacy, intention, and respect.”
Maydi embodies the idea that refinement needn’t compromise duty.
“True luxurious is connection—craft, tradition, and the earth itself.”
