Transparency
Every Casa Nushki garment passes through many hands before it reaches yours.
Each collection begins in my sketchbook in London before being developed with an independent pattern cutter. I source luxury deadstock fabrics, which travel to Karen Álvarez's women-run atelier in Mexico City to be individually cut and sewn. I then take them to Oaxaca, where I spend several months a year living alongside our collaborators, where they are hand embellished through embroidery, crochet and, where applicable, natural dyes.
For me, collaboration means imagining contemporary but timeless silhouettes that indulge space for the extraordinary women who carry these embroidery traditions. Together we create garments that combine original Casa Nushki silhouettes with techniques that have been practised and passed down for generations, carrying the energy of folklore, femininity, strength and softness. Embroidery is its own language, and every woman has her own handwriting.
The women I collaborate with are artists, businesswomen, mothers and teachers. Many have been embroidering, crocheting or weaving since childhood, run their own talleres, teach workshops and have spent decades refining their craft. They bring not only extraordinary technical skill but also creative judgement, entrepreneurial knowledge and a deep understanding of the value of their own work. Our conversations are not about deciding what their work is worth - it is very clearly precious, tangible memory - but more about imagining together what we want to create through intricate stitches.
Every collaborator sets her own rate according to her work involved. The cost varies from piece to piece depending on the complexity of the embroidery, the number of pensamiento flowers, the amount of colours used, the techniques involved and the time required. Because every garment is unique, there is no single embroidery price or fixed breakdown that accurately represents every piece. Every woman tells me what she will charge before work begins, and I pay that agreed amount directly, without middlemen.
Casa Nushki is a self-funded, one-woman business in its early stages. Every collection is produced in very small quantities - often one of one, one of three or one of five. This allows me to work slowly, to invest in long-term relationships rather than volume, and to ensure that every garment receives the time and care it deserves.
As Casa Nushki grows, I hope to collaborate with more women and more families across Mexico and beyond. But relationships cannot be rushed or forced. They are built slowly through trust, conversation, shared meals, creativity and time, and that pace is one of the values at the heart of the brand.
Below, I'd love to introduce you to some of the extraordinary women behind Casa Nushki.
Meet the Women
Alejandra
Alejandra has collaborated with Casa Nushki since 2024. A master embroiderer, crochet artisan and illustrator, she has been practising her craft since she was eight years old. She has an extraordinary eye for colour and detail, often reminding me that flowers always begin with the darker thread at their centre because that is what nature teaches us. Together we develop embroidery placements, crochet details and finishing touches for many Casa Nushki pieces.
Zoila
Zoila was the very first friend I made in Ocotlán de Morelos. We met at a craft fair in Oaxaca, and she introduced me to her family, her community and eventually to Alejandra. She played an essential role in bringing my very first Casa Nushki dress to life, and our friendship remains at the heart of everything we continue to create together.
Patricia ("Pati")
Pati is an embroidery artisan who works alongside her sisters and mother in a village outside Ocotlán. Together they continue a tradition that has been passed down through generations, bringing extraordinary patience, precision and warmth to every piece they create.
Lucrecia
Lucrecia is part of the women's artisan collective Duu'nga'a in Teotitlán del Valle. Alongside the collective, she and her husband Manuel run their own taller from their home, where they design and weave rugs using an extraordinary palette of natural dyes, including cochinilla, añil, pericón, pomegranate and other flowers and plants that grow in the valley around them. She learned these techniques from her father as a child and takes great pride in continuing and evolving them today, sharing her knowledge generously through workshops and collaborations.
The Families
Alongside Alejandra, Zoila and Pati, Casa Nushki also collaborates with two other families in the Ocotlán region. Every family has its own techniques, rhythms and creative language, making each garment subtly unique.
Duu'nga'a
Duu'nga'a is a collective of women artists, weavers and entrepreneurs based in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. Together they preserve and reimagine traditional natural dyeing and weaving practices, creating rugs, bags, homeware and jewellery using dyes such as cochineal and indigo.
Alongside their own work, they run talleres (workshops) for local children and visitors from around the world who want to learn about the history, science and beauty of natural dyeing. Their work is a celebration of living knowledge, shared generously across generations.
We first collaborated through a natural dye workshop, where together we developed three naturally dyed Casa Nushki dresses. We are now working on a handwoven jacket together. My main collaborator is Lucrecia, alongside the wonderful Hermelina, Ana, Julia and Petrona, each of whom brings her own knowledge, creativity and expertise to the collective.
If you are ever visiting Oaxaca, I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Duu'nga'a and learning from them directly.
Karen Álvarez Atelier
Every Casa Nushki garment begins its physical journey at Karen Álvarez's women-run atelier in Roma Norte, Mexico City.
Karen is a pattern cutter and designer in her own right, and together with six other women, she runs a beautiful atelier specialising in small-scale production and sampling for independent and luxury fashion brands. Every Casa Nushki garment is individually cut and sewn there before travelling to Oaxaca, where it is embroidered, crocheted or naturally dyed.
Working with Karen means every piece is produced thoughtfully, in small quantities and with exceptional attention to detail.