EL POPOP Launches as Pop-up & Showroom in New York City May 29th: 

Featuring Home Décor, Textiles and Accessories Imagined & Handcrafted in Mexico and Guatemala. A shared experience for people to see, touch and feel centuries of Latin American craftsmanship. May 2018, New York, NY-Maud Lerayer, Founder & Creative Director of Behind the Hill and Maria Romero, Founder & Creative Director of Maria Romero Studio, come together to launch EL POPOP, a pop-up store & showroom featuring a selection of upscale home décor, textiles and accessories handcrafted with the finest materials sourced and naturally dyed in Mexico and Guatemala from both design houses respectively. The curation of products will include blankets and bed throws handwoven with native cotton and natural dyes, hand beaded wall art made by Huichol Indians in Mexico, cushions and tote bags made with handwoven Mexican seagrass, embroidered brooches and clutches inspired by traditional clothes of Mayan women in Guatemala from Behind the Hill.

From Maria Romero Studio, EL POPOP will include her textile collections “Spatial Relationships” and “Forget” featuring Alpaca pillows, wool blankets, handwoven rugs, home accessories and a capsule of handwoven naturally dyed cotton clothing for women and children. As part of Maria Romero Studio, the launch of TINTORERIA CLOSET will also be showcased displaying closet basics, naturally dyed in Brooklyn using food and plant waste donated by local community gardens and restaurants.

The Origins of EL POPOP:

Raised in Europe, spending their twenties in Mexico City, and both having arrived to New York City in 2012, Maud and Maria were fated to meet. After many years of working for large corporations in the fashion & design industries, their travels and time spent amongst the locals of remote communities throughout Mexico and Guatemala uncovered a world of craftsmanship and ancestral practices. By cooperating with and re-activating these artisanal communities, Maud and Maria have built their businesses on looking to the past as a means of forging the future through the creation of high-end products with deeply rooted cultural origins and a story to tell beyond the surface. Consumers are now focusing on the heritage of traditional craftsmanship, becoming more conscious of the “story behind the brand,” and participating in its ethos through the experience of purchasing bespoke pieces from companies like Behind the Hill and Maria Romero Studio.

This experience provides the opportunity for consumers to appreciate and support the integrity of the heritage of one-of-a kind commodities rooted in centuries of artisanal tradition. Maud and Maria act as mediators, connecting them with not only physical artistry, but also with the craftsmen and women behind them. Both Maud and Maria use natural raw materials that are sourced within the community of skilled artisans in Mexico and Guatemala to create their products, including dyes. All products are ethically made, eco-friendly and made by hand using ancestral techniques. Cooperative of master weavers in Guatemala

2 Rivington Street
May 29 – June 10 / 9am – 9pm
For media queries, please contact: press@elpopop.com

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