Texcoco Collective, founded by Monique Montfroy, is a luxury fashion brand committed to eco-conscious design, environmental conservation, and thoughtful consumption.
Monique launched it to be a voice for sustainable thinking and to share unique, high-quality designs with the ethos of nurturing the earth. Texcoco offers a range of high quality, beautiful handmade vegan leather handbags, crafted from cactus leather by Mexican artisans.
Texcoco Collective heralding environmental conservation
“I wanted to send a message that we can enjoy beautiful goods without harming the environment. It is important to me to make conscious choices and be aware of my environmental footprint, while still being practical and looking elegant,” Monique says.
After researching how leathers were produced, Monique was shocked to discover the enormous waste involved. “From the water wastage to the impact on our planet, the effect on human lives, and of course, animal cruelty…I knew there had to be a better solution.”
“A few years ago, I did an artist residency in Mexico for three months. It was as part of an environmental volunteer group. I had also been dabbling in documentary photography for eight years, doing projects around peoples’ lives and living conditions.”
“I was involved with commentary and social issues for a while through my photography.”
“During this residency, I saw the impact behind overconsumption, as well as the effect that first world countries have on developing nations. One day whilst in Mexico, I bought a cow leather handbag. I asked the vendor who made it where it had come from and so on.”
“He didn’t seem to know and there wasn’t any traceability, which concerned me.”
The Texcoco founder draws inspiration from her mother
“It seemed clear to me that my next natural step was to create my own range of accessories. I partly took inspiration from my mother, who was an extremely talented designer and seamstress when I was growing up.”
“She was a bespoke designer for one-on-one clients, and she instilled a love of design and fashion within me. I will always remember her hand-beading diamonds into wedding dresses and creating the most incredible garments – all the while being the mum to five children.”
“She truly taught me the importance of attention to detail.”
“With Texcoco Collective, I also want to be connected with people and community and the betterment of society as whole, no matter where they are from.”
“I found this a possibility through handbags, so I reached out to One Tree Planted.”
Texcoco Collective offers a stylish, meticulously crafted range of six everyday bags for the modern fashionista. To purchase the bags, go to www.texcococollective.com
