ABOUT

THE BRAND

MDV suggests a contemporary approach on millinery design. Through meticulous craftsmanship, the juxtaposition of felts and hardware, an eclectic use of materials  — from the most extravagant to the most subtle variety of shapes — we create unique headpieces to complement our customer’s personality.

Before a hat comes to life, it must go through an extensive process of intricate craftsmanship. Our Panama Straw procedure starts in Ecuador, where toquilla fibers are grown and hand-woven by skilled artisans —Taking up to 8 hours to finish a single hood. Manufacturing a felt hood requires no less work. Natural fibers must go through a process of nearly 50 steps of a combination of handwork and machinery before finally being crafted. The creative process continues at our local studio in Mexico where we hand-shape, embellish, and complete each design.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Our collections and OAK(One of a Kind) designs are an extension of our Founder and Creative Director’s curiosity that arises from her personal cultural experiences in today’s world. 

“I am mostly intrigued by the nature of things, the behind the scenes of an extraordinary outcome. Understanding why something behaves the way it does fascinates me. Which is why research became the longest and most significant phase in the creative process of this brand. By understanding the essence of things, design flows naturally. I like to research in text before I look for images, this way I can create my own vision and interpretation of the subject. Then I collect fabrics, materials, and images that gets me in the mood of the theme. I place the hoods of different colors along with everything else I collected and then start to play by mixing it all together repeatedly until perfect harmony is achieved between the collection.”

Mariela Alexandra, Founder and CD