Luis Enrique Gonzales

"This to me means the materialization of what started as a dream I shared with my wife, and to this day it continues to fill us with great satisfaction."

"I grew up in land filled with natural riches such as fertile fields and local animals, including alpacas. I was born in Cuzco where my father looked after a hacienda and my mother worked as a secretary. I was a very active kid who loved socializing, singing and dancing… and I still do!

"I was also a very curious boy and I loved accompanying my dad, who taught me about nature and its products. I decided to study agronomy, which allowed me to combine everything my father taught me with what I was being taught.

"When I married Carmela Sierra, who is a Novica featured artist, I also became enthralled with the world of handicrafts. Carmela specializes in handbags and she comes from a Cuzco family who has for generations worked in traditional artesanías. This marked a new beginning in my life, and Carmela and I started by creating ceramic pieces all the while learning new techniques from a variety of products. Eventually we decided to specialize in apparel, which we make with natural Andean materials.

"In 1992 we were able to start our own workshop, where we created our own designs and selected our materials with extreme care. We transformed our enthusiasm into original designs and our collections were so well received that we started to get invited to fashion shows in Lima.

"Suddenly, during one of these shows a reporter approached me and asked for the name of our brand -- but we didn't have one! Not wanting to admit as much to the reporter, I quickly made up one combining mine and Carmela's name!

"My designs are about elegance, style, fashion, presence and above all, my designs are about sharing with the world the artistry of Cuzco artisans. This to me means the materialization of what started as a dream I shared with my wife, and to this day it continues to fill us with great satisfaction.

"Of all my achievements, the ones I am most grateful to God for is to have been able to give my children a good education, to have been able to develop in this field, and above all to have formalized our efforts into a family venture.

"Please know that each piece that comes out of our workshop carries with it all the effort and love of my family and that of the artisans who work with us."