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.88

Title

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.

Belt No.102

Decorated with pretty lilac motifs, this version is cut from pale purple and white cotton and has a relaxed calf-length silhouette. Wear yours over swimwear or belted with sandals for summer lunches or trips to the local market on hot sunny days.

Kaftan No.102

Belt No.80

Belt No.3

Belt No.41

Belt No.12

Single panel mini kaftan in blue and dark red stripe with mustard design.

Kaftan No.295

Single panel midi kaftan in neon yellow design.

Kaftan No.301

The green tones of Kaftan No.271 seem to ripple upon its white cotton foundation like the sparkling depths of the Mediterranean sea. Fit for such a destination, this kaftan is hand-woven in a single panel silhouette and sits above the knee to show off sun-kissed pins.

Kaftan No.271

Single panel mini kaftan in blue tie dye design.

Kaftan No.340

Pippa Holt's kaftans are handcrafted by artisans using traditional methods and take one month to make. Woven from naturally dyed ochre cotton with watermelon pink motifs by Juana Reyes and her team of artisans. This colour combination is difficult to perfect, making it a limited edition kaftan in the collection. Each panel is stitched by hand with matching pink, taking up to four days to complete.

Kaftan No.105

Pippa Holt describes her artisanal kaftans as "holiday heroes" - effortlessly chic, easily packable and unlimitedly versatile. No.187 features a bold pink base with bright candy-hued, hand-woven geometric motifs in an assortment of colours. It’s a bright an uplifting style for any holiday wardrobe. Style with colourful accessories for chic pool-side attire.

Kaftan No.188

Three panel midi kaftan in neon yellow and white stripe with black design.

Kaftan No.262

The ultimate summer companion, Kaftan No. 236 has one thing in mind – vacation! Drawing inspiration from the ocean with its blue and white stripe design, its hand-woven musk pink motifs give this design a cheeky twist. Why wait for sandy shores to wear this lively piece? Pair it with pristine white kicks and a fine cashmere knit for a downtown look.

Kaftan No.236

Three panel midi kaftan in blue and white tie dye design.

Kaftan No.300

Kaftan No.206

Pippa Holt's kaftans are handmade by artisan weavers on a traditional backstrap loom - each piece takes one month to complete. This style features black and white stripes, peppered with multi-coloured motifs and is the single panel version of maxi No.40. It works equally well with a belt in the city as it does worn loose on vacation with a straw basket and sunhat.

Kaftan No.98

Three panel midi kaftan in white with blue design.

Kaftan No.314

Belt No.98

This simple single panel kaftan exudes elegance. A solid tan stripe breaks up the white base and the large multi-coloured motifs keep the overall effect classic yet artisanal. A kaftan for all ages and perfect with red accessories.

Kaftan No.47

Pippa Holt describes her artisanal kaftans as "holiday heroes". Statement-making in bold red and blue stripes No.184 features exquisitely detailed mustard-toned woven details. Style with black accessories for an urban, yet far-flung look. This is the mini version of No.132.
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.184

Kaftan No. 217 is pink perfection. Designed with ease and versatility in mind, it’s subtle pink and white stripe base is offset by the iconic ‘People’ motif - symbolising family, love and unity – in dyes of pink and burgundy.

Kaftan No.217

Pippa Holt's kaftans are handmade in collaboration with artisan weavers on a traditional backstrap loom. Childrens Kafatn No.73 features purple and white stripes and is covered with rainbow coloured motifs.

Children's Kaftan No.73

Size

No.100 offers the ultimate in prettiness. Its pink, blue and mint colourway is ideal for sun drenched holidays. It takes four days to complete the panel stitching - everything is done by hand and often the men in the Mexican community are drafted into to help.

Kaftan No.100

Kaftan No.197’s subtle blush pink and white designs is brought to life with it’s simple yet effective combination of purple and burgundy motifs. The the classic single panel silhouette means it packs like a dream – the ultimate summer essential.

Kaftan No.197

Single panel midi kaftan in pale pink and neon pink with yellow motifs.

Kaftan No.329

Pippa Holt grew up on the beaches of Australia and was inspired by her grandmother's style of dressing for the tropics. This pretty and statement making maxi kaftan is elegant with its soft colour palette of musk pink and baby blue. Naturally dyed, the cotton thread is woven into cloth using a backstrap loom, an ancient weaving technique that has been used by generations in this community.

Kaftan No.113

Three panel midi kaftan in khaki and white stripe with black design.
Approximately 80 cm wide x 130 cm long.

Kaftan No.268

Pippa Holt works with Mexican artisans to create handmade kaftans using traditional techniques. With its naturally dyed yellow background and punchy bold black motifs, this is a statement-making kaftan. Its oversized shape and maxi length allows it to be cinched at the waist or left loose. As chic a look worn to a party with heels as it is when worn with bare feet on the beach.