The Los Altos-based 7Hands Design creates clothing and jewelry described on its website as “traditional with a modern twist.”
Lindy Lopez, who co-owns the business with Erandeny Torres, is participating in the Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival for the first time this year.
An interview with Lopez follows.
Q: Have you previously done showcases and exhibitions of your pieces? If so, what were those experiences like?Â
A: We show regularly throughout California, Arizona and New York. For years, we showed our work at the Aegis Gallery in Saratoga. We were recently featured in Brooklyn Fashion Week and will be showing our spring 2019 line at New York Fashion Week in September. The experience of selling directly to customers is invigorating and helps us to identify needs and opportunities. We love sharing our enthusiasm for handmade fabrics and our unique designs.
Q: Are there any special pieces that you plan on showing at the Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival?Â
A: Our pieces are mostly one-of-a-kind, due to the nature of the handmade fabrics that we use. We will have many pieces done from African, Guatemalan and Mexican fabrics.
Q: How did you first get interested and involved in designing and creating clothing?
A: I started sewing as a 10-year-old and made all of my own clothes in high school. As a college student, I made costumes for the theater department and also sewed outfits for the Mexican dancing troupe at Stanford University. My parents encouraged me to use fabrics that they collected in their international travels. The type of clothing we make has evolved into much more original designs to showcase the unique fabrics that we collect and use.
Q: What compelled you to use the particular fabrics and materials you use?
 A: The beauty of handmade fabric is incredible. Having grown up with these fabrics, I learned to appreciate them from an early age.
Q: What is your inspiration for the clothing and jewelry you create?Â
A: My inspiration comes from the fabric and beads that we use. We always try to showcase the materials and have developed a patterning method that makes it possible for us to see the fabric underneath the pattern so that we can cut to maximize the impact. Our jewelry is designed to showcase the clothing and create a complete and cohesive look.
Q: Who do you find tends to be the typical customer for your pieces?
A: Our customers are generally well traveled and appreciate handmade clothing and jewelry. Our customers make decisions quickly and often buy one piece and then come to see us at show after show to grow their collection. We make clothing and jewelry for people who don’t want to look like everyone else and know what they like. We often joke that every piece we make has an owner, and we just need to wait for that owner to show up and take their piece home.
Q: What do you hope to achieve or convey through your artwork?
A: We hope to convey our love for the beauty of the materials that we use and the woman who appreciates our work.
Q: Since you began designing, how has your work evolved?
A: We have begun to incorporate more modern and original designs while using very traditional materials. The designs have become more complex and fit a wide range of sizes and shapes.
Q: What are some of the favorite pieces you’ve created?
A: My favorite clothing pieces are our jackets in indigo or embroidered fabric. I love how they age and the knowledge that someone has painstakingly designed and produced the fabric using traditional methods and materials.
For more information on 7Hands Design, visit facebook.com/7HandsDesign. s
