18. Chevere means: Deconstructed Treasures with Banzo

Today's guest is Diego Purizaga, the creative behind Bendito del Perú. Bendito is a brand that focuses on organic Peruvian cotton basic t-shirts. What started with a simple plain black shirt, and it's counterpart in white, has grown into a beautiful community connecting Perú with Copenhagen, and Barcelona, and many others across the world. Diego started his journey in PR, and later founded Bendito del Perú as the project that felt naturally more aligned with him and his search for a bigger purpose and home. We chat about how he went from PR to launching this brand, how it's evolved since starting during the pandemic, and how he has always made it about community and being real. Follow Bendito del Peru for more, and shop their shirts at benditodelperu.com.

Welcome to our first Sobremesa of 2024, co-hosted with @wealldream.world. This episode is a celebration of sisterhood and community, love and femininity. We invited women in our community to come together and welcome spring with us over a delectable farm-to-table meal curated by the talented trio of @piasplate. Our gracious host for the evening was @gather_les, a new spot in the LES which we definitely encourage you to visit. Thank you for having us! In this episode, the guests of our Sobremesa shared their thoughts and reflections on their own journeys as women across different industries including fashion, tech, music, and more, as well as some reflections on what this new season means to them. So grateful for each and every single one of the people who attended our dinners, and to all of you listening :) Hope you enjoy this episode, and welcome to our dinner party. __ Thank you to our sponsors, ⁠@fallengrapewineco⁠, @myceremonia, and @saiebeauty, and as always thank you Maren for the artwork and Deb for the photos!

Mariana Vergara is the founder of Merci C'est Vintage, and the creative director and designer of Marlies Grace. Both of these projects combine her love for vintage and timeless design. Whether it's through sourcing archival pieces for Merci, or finding inspiration for the next collection of Marlies, she makes it a point to stay true to her personal style. As a Colombian woman who has made Paris her home, a lot of her inspiration comes from her heritage and her current surroundings, and in the end, for her it's all about building community and connecting with people who will get just as excited about a vintage gem as she does. She's created a beautiful world around Merci and Marlies and we're so excited to welcome her to CMC. Keep up with ⁠Merci C'est Vintage⁠ for her latest drops, and follow along her design journey with ⁠Marlies Grace⁠.

Danielle Juliao is the founder of Concordia, a creative studio and pop up gallery space in New York City. She focuses on highlighting Latin American emerging artists by giving them the space to show their work in somewhat of an untraditional gallery experience. With Concordia, everyone is encouraged to visit the space and join this community that goes beyond just the physical gallery space. Whether it's through artists chats, dinners, and other events like wine or mezcal tastings, Dani wants you to feel comfortable coming in and asking questions about the art, and move away from the idea that art is only for a certain type of audience. Concordia brings attention to Latin American talent in a very organic and beautiful way, and I’m so glad we got to talk about this project and more on today's episode. For more on Concordia, follow them @concordia.nyc. Hope you enjoy this episode! x

Nathalie Martínez is the creative behind Odissea, an ethical jewelry brand inspired by the details, shapes and colors found in nature. Born in Mexico, it was always important to Nathalie to give back to her community, which led her to partner with artisans in Taxco, Mexico, where her pieces are carefully crafted following old techniques passed on from generation to generation—the importance of craftsmanship is present in everything she does. We talk about what led her to start this brand, and how it's developed and grown over the last 5 years. You can follow Odissea for more @odissea.ny. thank you for listening x

Tintorería is a multi-layered project that focuses on showing the importance of natural fibers, natural dyes, and artisanal practices. Maria Romero, founder of Tintorería, shares the story behind this project and the journey it took to get to where the brand is now. Through El Closet, she has created a capsule collection focused on clean lines and silhouettes made with precious and natural materials—in the end, clothing acts like a second skin and the materials we're choosing to wear matter. You can keep up with Tintorería on Instagram @tintoreriacloset, and you can also find her pieces online at https://www.tintoreriacloset.com/.

We hosted a Friendsgiving! And we collaborated with @be_shen to come up with questions that made our closest friends reflect about their year. We asked everyone to bring something from home—from Peruvian arroz con pato, to a spicy curry, to a Brazilian passion fruit dessert, and lots of other yummy goodies, the evening was one of the most wholesome dinners I've had in a while. Be-Shen is a transformative guide, where Mona helps people understand their true nature and reconnect to their spirit and inner glow. Mona's calling is to help you find your own personal golden path and daily spiritual practice. Currently Be-Shen focuses on 1:1 work and also creates group ceremonies such as Tangerine's Mystical Mornings, which you can join IRL in new york or virtually from all over the world. You can learn all about these offerings here: https://www.be-shen.com/. BIG THANKS to all of the friends who joined us on this special Sobremesa — you inspire me so much with your creations, energy, hearts, and love! Los quiero <3

Today’s episode is part of our Sobremesa series— which for those of you who might be new to CMC or haven’t listened to a previous Sobremesa episode, we bring together a group of creators from all kinds of backgrounds, we sit down for a delicious dinner, and stay for a meaningful conversation.  This time I co-hosted the Sobremesa with Unidos, a platform that highlights Latinx creators from all over the world.  This sobremesa is a celebration of all of the different cultures that make us one, with our differences and similarities, at the end of the day it&#39;s all about community. Big thanks to our chef, Luis Eduardo, and to Casalú and Yola Mezcal for sponsoring the night. Also, thank you to La Obra for hosting us in their beautiful space, and to Sofi and Dan for being the absolute best collaborators. Last but not least, GRACIAS to our guests who each inspire me to dream big and reach for the stars. Hope you enjoy this conversation between new and old amigos 🌀

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programing :) This time we have Emma Larimer joining us. She&#39;s the creative mind behind Everyone&#39;s Mother, a beautiful brand I came across here in NY thanks to my friend Lau, who introduced me to Emma&#39;s belts and bags that immediately had me wanting to learn all about the story behind the brand. Everyone&#39;s Mother is a true labor of love, which you can see from all the details that go into creating these pieces—from sourcing pre-existing fibers, to making everything by hand which in turn makes each piece unique and one-of-a-kind, to being intentional about not wasting anything (she literally makes pillow fillings out of any scraps that can&#39;t be used for other designs!), and more. Talking to Emma was amazing and truly insightful...isn&#39;t it great when we hear from people who take the time to do their research? In this episode we chat about why she chose to be so intentional with her creations, her journey leaving the corporate world to start her own business, and how she&#39;s adjusting to match the growth that she&#39;s seeing with Everyone&#39;s Mother. It&#39;s a special story for sure! I hope you enjoy listening x Follow emma&#39;s work @everyones_mother_ for more!

As we wrap up summer here in NY, we got together for another Chevere means Cool Sobremesa —this time celebrating all those beautiful and refreshing summer nights. We co-hosted this dinner with @Sel.Aer at their showroom, showcasing incredible emerging designers from across the globe. This Sobremesa was an ode to another epic nyc summer full of late night meals, sitting outside, watching the sunset turn everything pink, and aperitif (or two), train rides to the beach, and new friendships. In the middle of NYFW, we decided to host a different kind of dinner, one without so much fuss and instead focused on sharing a home-cooked meal, meeting new friends (really hearing them out and getting to know each other), sharing a little bit of what our Chevere Means Cool community stands for, and it was truly amazing. We invited creators from different industries— from fashion to photography, textile artists to consultants and writers, and it was such an incredible mix of minds and perspectives that brought to life a truly unique dinner and conversation. Eduardo, from Arroces NYC, cooked the most glorious paella that transported us to the mediterranean, Casalú provided the refreshing drinks, and Sebas from Sastre curated the perfect playlist to go along with this meal. I&#39;m forever grateful for the CMC community that comes together to make these dinners happen, and who I continue to feel inspired by time and time again. Wherever your summer took you, we hope this conversation brings you right back to that summer feeling of freedom and joy. Hope you enjoy it! Massive thanks to Sabrina and Gabi, couldn&#39;t have done this without you. And gracias gracias to our guests: Deb Leal Nia Thomas Peter Staples Monica Santos Geno Pedrero Rolly Robinson Delfina Balda Cassandra Mayela Carla Flores Dan Victoria Jess Tran Tas Tobey xx hope you enjoy this episode! More Sobremesas to come...