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Carmen Duran

"I was born in 1958, in a small village hidden away in the Zacatecas sierra. My fondest childhood memories are of playing in my parents' peach orchard, and living in harmony with nature. I also remember when I was first taught how to embroider. I immediately took a liking to everything textile, their colors and textures.

"Learning embroidery felt so natural and familiar, as if I had been sewing all of my life. I found that embroidering allowed me to develop my own creativity and concentration. It relaxes me and makes me feel good.

"Life takes us through unplanned paths, and I actually began in the world of arts as a ceramist. My sister and I had a workshop together, but by 1996 I acknowledged the feeling I always had within me, that is, that I should be working in the textile arts.

"I left the workshop and enrolled in Fashion Design at the Guadalajara University. All the old feelings I used to get when embroidering began to rush back. I set up another workshop where I could focus on hand-sewn apparel, and soon I was participating in exhibitions and fashion shows. Within a year people were recognizing my work.

"At the time, Mexican fashion trends were either too simple or too loaded, so I decided to develop a style based on manta a very Mexican cotton canvas. My designs go from casual, every day clothes to bride's dresses. I'm convinced that cloth can be look very fine or cheap depending on how it is worked, as well as the time and care you invest working on it.

"One of my greatest challenges has been to convince people to accept that manta can be worn on any occasion, because in ancient times it was only worn by people in lower social and economic status.

"The key to my designs is to combine very Mexican elements with contemporary trends. It's very motivating to see people's happy expressions when they try on my designs. When someone buys one of my creations, they get a piece of our heart and all the love with which we did that piece."