Constanza Fuentes was born in Tucuman, a beautiful small colorful city located in northern Argentina, where many of the people she loves still live. In 2005 Costanza moved to the US with her neo-hubby Willy, to pursue their studies in architecture. Texas was first and New York came shortly after…
Constanza’s business is now split between her work as an architect in Manhattan and her brand new venture: the design of textile accessories, which she developed under the name of Alas del Sur.
And weather you think about the building she designs or about her unique accessories, Costanza’s style is an interesting mix of modern, simple and polished, to which she constantly adds the coziness and colors typical of her traditional roots…
:: Why and when did you started Alas del Sur? After a few months in NY I was eager to resume what I have been setting aside for one reason or another, I always liked knitting and sewing but I never thought this love for designing and making handmade objects could take me to a new level as a textile designer.
Everything started when I attended a lecture/workshop at NYU “Project”,a woolly celebration of the intersection of geometry and handcraft, and a testimony of the disappearing wonders of the marine world. This was my first contact with the craft from a completely different perspective, I never thought it was possible to combine math with handcraft to save the marine world!
That was the beginning of everything! I started to attend various lectures, exhibitions and workshops. One of them was a public-art installation organized by Knitta Please; the goal was to dress 69 Meters at Montague street, a beautiful street in Brooklyn Heights, New York. In each of these workshops I realized that knitting is an activity that not only produces utilitarian objects such as sweaters, but also it’s considered as a form of art.
In the middle of this flow of motivation, I started with my textile accessories collection. After each conference I would come out full of energy and ideas believing I can achieve everything I propose.
::Where do you get your inspiration from? Materials inspire me a lot! That is why I go to the stores to look for new materials almost every day. The variety is unbelievable and the atmosphere in each store is so different and unique! MOOD & Down Town Yarns are among the stores I usually visit.
That is where Project Runway designers buy their fabrics. They have a great selection, lots of fabric, very easy to get overwhelmed.
Downtown yarns -which is on 45 Avenue A, NY10009- has a different atmosphere: smaller and cozier. The store is very sweet with really nice window displays and lots of examples hanging around the store for inspiration. From their real screen door to their hand written patterns this place is like a trip out of the city.
I also love to sit at a café on the sidewalk and observe, observe and analyze! Not necessarily have to be nice things; there are times that even the ugliest thing can inspire me, it just must have something to do that click in my head and suddenly all the ideas flow. New York is special for that, I really enjoy this city, after an afternoon walking around I would came back to my house with lot things inside me.
:: Who is your ideal buyer? Alas del Sur’s ideal buyer is a young in spirit woman who appreciate handmade work, who likes to wear unique pieces with everyday cloth like t-shirt and a pair of jeans. A woman who dresses from day to night with an effortless look but at the same time she likes to catch the attention of the people while she walks on the street. She goes to the market, then for a coffee, later to the museum and finally for dinner with some friends.
She is a very active woman full of live and fresh!
:: What is your favorite NYC place? I love NYC green spaces; there are many of them along the city you just have to discover them! One of my favorite places in NYC right now is Bryant Park, probably because that is where I meet with my husband to have lunch together almost every day. It is a beautiful place, as an architect I love the layout of the park: very rational, clean & modern, the big green lawn enclosed by lines of extremely tall trees and as a background in one of the sides … the New York Public Library Building , a Beaux-Arts masterpiece right in the middle of Manhattan, what else can you ask for? Another beautiful park is the one in Tudor City, on the east side of Manhattan. I love to go there to have a very peaceful lunch in the middle of Manhattan -which is something almost impossible in such active city!- and it is only 5 minutes away from my office! I enjoy going there and having lunch while I knit one of my necklaces.
::Do you think New York can still be considered the place-to-be for young creative? Definitively! I think that New York inspires you a lot. When I moved to New York I had the feeling that the city woke me up! I truly believe that in NYC everything is possible, if you are talented and persistent you will definitively have a chance to success.
:: Where do you shop in NYC? There are many places, neighborhoods and stores where I love to shop, it depends what I am looking for. If I want a book, I’ll go to Strand. To keep me up-to-date in the fashion world, I’ll visit the Strand magazine in Bryan Park. If I need supplies, I’ll go to M & J Trimming, Down Town Yarn or Mood. When I want something special, I’ll go to Pearl River, while if I am in the mood for some vintage stuff, what goes around comes around, but I especially love Hell Kitchen Flea Market, thrift stores, and the garage vintage sales.
:: If I say Italy, you say…? Well, as an Argentinean I feel very close to the Italian culture, even though I never had the chance to visit Italy yet but as an architect I am very familiar with so many Italian buildings that I feel that I have already been there. If you say Italy I say: architecture (of course), culture, fashion, great food, colorful streets full of people, coffee shops, fountains, so many beautiful things. Rome and Florence are my next destination for sure, I hope I can be there soon!
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