Former British Vogue Stylist Pippa Holt has collaborated with a community of weavers in Mexico to create a line of  handwoven belts to wear with the kaftans.
Originating in a town called Santo Tomás Jalieza, known as the ‘belt town’, this group has been making belts for many years in techniques passed down from their ancestors. The colourful pieces are handwoven in cotton on a backstrap loom. Master weaver, Abigail, weaves the finest and most intricate of patterns on small looms on her well lit patio. Her work has won national awards.
This is a pre-Hispanic technique that continues to be used without major changes over the centuries. The complexity of the work that can be created on this loom is limited only by the skill of the weaver. The entire loom with the weaving in progress can be rolled up at any time and carried from place to place.
The belts feature depictions of sacred animals, geometry, feather dancers and the animals and plants they see in their daily life, which is interwoven with fine cotton in vibrant details.
The technique of using a backstrap loom consists of securing an end of the loom to a tree or post and the other end to the waist of the weaver, maintaining the tension with the weight of the body, the women sit on straw mats, feet folded, wide leather belts sit on their lower backs, providing hand placement that is conducive to the creation of sophisticated patterns.
* Each belt comes in a handmade clutch bag made from palms.

Stylist Pippa Holt launched her eponymous line of luxury, hand-crafted kaftans in 2016, celebrating her love of fashion design, textiles, far-flung travel and beautiful, original holiday attire.

Pippa Holt Kaftans

Belt No.28

Title

Pippa Holt's kaftans are handmade by artisan weavers on a traditional backstrap loom - each piece takes one month to complete. This irresistibly fun style features chic, wide hot pink stripes. Ideal as a holiday cover up, it works equally well with a leather belt in the city. No two kaftans are the same due to the way they are hand crafted.

Kaftan No.57

This tan maxi kaftan is made from naturally dyed cotton. Wear yours over swimwear on holiday or belted with gold sandals on hot, summer days. The terracotta colour is made using splintered oak logs which are soaked in room temperature water for a few days and the boiled for 2-3 hours to produce the dye. It is difficult to find the right bunch of logs which produces the exact shade that is required. Therefore no two kaftans are the same.

Kaftan No.39

Pippa Holt collaborates with artisans to make kaftans that are handmade using traditional techniques.  Each piece takes one month to complete. This style features statement yellow and orange stripes and is decorated with multi-coloured motifs for a bold colour pop. It works equally well in the city, styled with black accessories, as it does in the sand.

Kaftan No.87

Belt No.10

Woven for a loose fit, this three-panelled striped kaftan is peppered with multicoloured motifs. It is the maxi version of the much-loved No.22 and works well left loose, cinched with a belt at the waist or fastened on the hips for a more bohemian feel. Just add sandals and sun kissed skin.

Kaftan No.72

Pippa Holt’s kaftans are handmade by artisan weavers on a traditional backstrap loom – each piece takes one month to complete. The traditional Mexican ‘people’ design is a recurring theme in this lilac kaftan, symbolising family, love, unity.

Kaftan No.10

Pippa Holt Kaftans have ease and versatility in mind - "they pack small, work day and night, on a beach, in a city, with or without a belt," she explains. Designed for a loose fit, this white kaftan is woven with candy pink thread motifs. The white base makes it a great neutral and ideal to wear on over your swimsuit pool side, with white sandals, or belted with heels for dressed up Summer nights.

Kaftan No.70

Pippa Holt describes the kaftans as "holiday heroes". Handmade by Mexican artisan weavers, this style is made from weighty cotton and decorated with candy pink thread. Works well left loose, but if you prefer a more defined shape this piece looks chic belted too. No.32 is the quintessential pool-side staple. “It’s very simple,” explains Holt, “but crafted in the prettiest pink and on a crisp, sophisticated white background. It makes a great neutral.”

Kaftan No.32

No.66 is a ‘limited edition’ kaftan as it takes two months to make. A true collectors item, the process is explained here in detail by artisan, Yuridia, who created the piece:
“Only very skilled artisans are able to weave this kaftan. The necklines represent the spine of a snake that appears after the rain. The sacred snake represents the rainbow therefore the spine is a rainbow forming the shoulders of the kaftan. No.66 is made with finer thread then other kaftans, so the artisans need to weave with more strength to give the kaftan the thick structure and durableability. Each weaver measures out the number of warp threads needed. In this fine striped kaftan, they interweave the white and the purple strands until they make 295 pairs of threads. Typically a regular kaftan has the lines 8 threads wide. The motifs are placed in the neckline of the kaftan with no space between them, therefore just very dedicated weavers are able to weave kaftan No.66."
*Just a handful of No.66s are available.

Kaftan No.66

Hand-woven on a backstrap loom by artisans, this white cotton kaftan is carefully decorated with an array of kaleidoscopic colours - no two are the same. This easy to wear kaftan — which also comes in a ‘supermini’ style — is supremely comfortable. The woven figures are sewn thread by thread and are made from little short pieces of thread, which are used to create a pretty rainbow effect. Wear belted with one of Pippa Holt's vibrant cotton belts, or loose for a sense of ease.

Kaftan No.28

Pippa Holt’s handmade cotton kaftans symbolise ease and versatility - "they pack small, work day and night, on a beach, in a city, with or without a belt," she explains. Cut for a loose fit, this coffee and white striped style has sophisticated aubergine motifs. Slip it on over your bikini for trips to the market or a poolside lunch.

Kaftan No.54

Pippa Holt's kaftans are handmade by artisan weavers on a traditional backstrap loom - each piece takes one month to complete. This simple style of navy and white offers a crisp and classic look to throw on for the beach or the city. It works equally well with a leather belt in the city as it does worn loose on vacation with a straw basket and sunhat.

Kaftan No.95

Have some fun with colour this summer in Kaftan No.195. New for SS20 its naturally dyed pink three panel design plays the ultimate backdrop to the riot of colourful motifs. Based on the much loved kaftan No.55 this maxi version’s symbols represent various elements of the weavers culture.

Kaftan No.195

Pippa Holt has collaborated with artisans to create hand made kaftans, using traditional methods. Each piece takes one month to make. No.3 is a limited edition whereby only a small number are made each year. The green, naturally dyed cotton thread is very rare and difficult to make. Mexican tarragon (collected in spring time) is used for the dye but its colour can range from a brilliant yellow to a light butter cream depending on how long the yarn is left to soak. The results depend a lot on the temperature and no two batches are the same. An extremely limited and cherished style in the collection.

Kaftan No.3

Pippa Holt describes her kaftans as ‘holiday heroes’. “They pack small, work day and night, on a beach, in a city, with or without a belt," she explains. Handmade by artisan weavers, No.15’s bright colour combination of purple and orange make it a versatile choice. The colours of the threads are dyed from natural processes using vegetables and flowers. Style with gold accessories.

Kaftan No.15

Working closely with Mexican artisans, Pippa Holt has created a range of kaftans for the beach or city. Cool and minimal, this paired back kaftan is elegant with its monochrome colour palette of white and black stripes, with black 'little animal' motifs and woven geometric patterned sleeves. No.158 is effortlessly chic to wear in the city with a cotton white shirt underneath.

Kaftan No.158

Made for your 'mini-me', Children's Kaftan No.5 is a charming companion to Pippa Holt's classic No.5 kaftan. Handwoven by Mexican artisans in white cotton and blue motifs, it is the ultimate summer style for your little one.

Children's Kaftan No.5

Size

The naturally dyed kaftan No.67 is so difficult to master that stocks are low. The sublime blue of the motif is derived from the Indigo plant and the brown basecloth is from Oak Bark. Both plants are native to the village in Mexico where the weavers live. Due to the natural dye process, kaftan No.67 is very rare.

Kaftan No.67

Pippa Holt’s kaftans are hand crafted by artisans using traditional methods in Mexico and take one month to make. No.85 is an uplifting and pretty kaftan working just as well in the city as it does on vacation. Perfect styled with gold or brightly coloured accessories.

Kaftan No.85

Pippa Holt creates kaftans with Mexican artisans that are handmade using traditional techniques. Decorated with burgandy motifs, this version is cut from mint and white striped cotton and has a relaxed calf-length silhouette.
The burgundy colour comes from the cochineal insect from which the natural dye ‘carmine’ is derived. Native to the village in Mexico with the kaftans are created, this insect lives on cacti feeding on plant moisture and nutrients. These insects are found on the pads of prickly pear cacti, then are brushed off and dried to create the dye.
*Due to the natural dye process, No.65 is a limited edition.

Kaftan No.65

The naturally dyed khaki hue of ‘limited edition’ No.91 is obtained from the Nanche Tree. The green thread is the result of treating Guayaba Tree leaves with natural fixating agents to really flesh out the tone for the cotton. Both plants are native to the weavers’ village in Mexico.
*Due to the natural dye process, No.91 has only few units on offer.

Kaftan No.91

This mini style is a versatile, easy-to-move-around in style, which falls to just above the knee and makes a fun alternative to longer length styles. The colourful 'people' motifs on the magenta base are symbolic in this traditional Mexican community of weavers of family, love and unity.

Kaftan No.58

Pippa Holt's kaftans are handmade by artisan weavers on a traditional backstrap loom - each piece takes one month to complete. This unique and striking kaftan, in an original shade of ochre, makes a chic city or vacation staple. Its rare and textured weave make it a sophisticated piece with a feel of the far flung. The oversized shape means it looks just as great belted, as it does worn loose.
The naturally dyed ochre thread takes six months to dye for each batch, making the amount of kaftans made per year in this style extremely limited.

Kaftan No.27

Pippa Holt's kaftans are created with ease and versatility in mind - "they pack small, work day and night, on a beach, in a city, with or without a belt," she explains. The aqua and white stripe base cloth of No.11 accentuates its weaver’s colourful motif designs of ochre and green. The colour process takes many months to perfect for this style, therefore stock is limited.

Kaftan No.11

Handmade by Mexican artisan weavers, Pippa Holt’s children's version of the classic No.15 has a bright colour combination of purple and orange. The colours of the threads are naturally dyed using pigments from vegetables and flowers.

Children's Kaftan No.15

With its maxi style, this is a statement-making kaftan. Decorated with burgundy motifs on a mint and white striped base, this is the maxi version of No.65. The burgundy colour comes from the cochineal insect, where the natural dye ‘carmine’ is derived. Native to the village in Mexico where the kaftans are created, this insect lives on cacti, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients. The insects are found on the pads of prickly pear cacti, and are then brushed off and dried to create the dye.
*Due to the natural dye process, No.93 is a limited edition.

Kaftan No.93

Pippa Holt works with artisans to create kaftans that are handmade using traditional techniques. Woven on a backstrap loom, this white cotton kaftan is carefully decorated with an array of small, colourful motifs - no two are the same. Its simple, extra short style makes it a natural wardrobe staple and a versatile piece to wear during hot summer months. Perfect styled with white accessories.

Kaftan No.79

A collaboration between weaver, Juana, and her daughters, No.169 features white and blue striped base with bold red motifs. Pair with a contrast belt and shirt for the city, or chic white sandals for the beach-side escape. To create the rich red dye for the yarn, weavers look to Cochineal, a parasitic insect that lives on nopal cactus. It is a very laborious process to cultivate and harvest cochineal for use in dyeing. While some weavers have a small amount of the live bugs, it usually is purchased from a professional grower. The insects look like white spots when alive and small grey pellets when dead. Before adding them to boiling water, they are ground to a fine powder on the metate.

Kaftan No.169

Pippa Holt's kaftans are handmade by artisan weavers on a traditional backstrap loom - each piece takes one month to complete. This purple and pink style is on Fashion Editor's holiday hit lists globally. Simple and bright, it adds artisan charm to any vacation.