DAYDREAMING with Ariane Dutzi

Dec 01, 2022

Written by Denise Hooper

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Ariane was born and raised in Germany. She also lived for a time in Paris where she worked as a foreign correspondent in Fashion, Art & Design, a move to NYC followed and this would be her next stop for another four years. She then had a mid life crisis or sudden epiphany as we creatives do at some point in our lives (speaking from my own experience) She needed a break from her fast paced life in the big cities, so she took off for the Yucatan. This is where her alter ego life would flourish and Dutzi Design would be founded. I've admired Dutzi Desgin for quite some time and I love how she followed her heart and her daydream. The bags are impeccably made and the design esthetic is gorgeous and so unique. I am so lucky to carry her bags in the shop. The handmade process helps an entire community of women in a nearby village. The women are paid per bag which encourages productivity. They go to the studio and pick up all of the supplies so they can work from home. Dutzi employs over 20 mayan artisans in the this indigenous community. I was so honored to visit and meet these lovely women. Dutzi was formed out of a need for change and direction so the company had to be different, something to reflect her beliefs in sustainability, quality and making a statement through this design concept. The materials used are eco- friendly with most of the bags being made from recycled burlap sourced from Mexico. Each bag is handcrafted, one of a kind and most importantly changes the landscape of these women's lives and their families and communities.

1. ETHICAL COMPANIES THAT INSPIRE YOU?
Maiyet, who works in collaboration with Nest. I love their esthetics.

2. STYLE CRUSH?
Audrey Hepburn. Love her timeless elegance.

3. ZEN ZONE?
Tulum in the low season. I love being on the beach. My favorites are meditation, walks on the beach with my dogs, swimming in the Caribbean. Life in the Yucatan couldn't get any better!

4. BUCKETLIST?
I would love to visit more of Latin America. Brazil and Punta del Este are definitely on the bucket list.
But my all time favorite is Europe. I love Paris and I love to spend summers in Croatia and Sarajevo. Last year I went to Laguna Beach & Los Angeles and loved both places. As you can see, there are so many inspirational places so It's hard to choose a favorite .

5. LOCAL GUIDE?
Merida and Izamal. Izamal known as the yellow town is just gorgeous and so peaceful. Merida is hopping these days. Every time I go there, they've opened a new restaurant or a new art gallery. I love the combination of the old and the new. The food in Merida is also a highlight.

6. LIFESTYLE?
Friends of friends opened a hotel in Tulum. It was called Las Ranitas. At the time Tulum was an off the radar destination, there were only four hotels. I was in desperate need of a break from my NY life. I took a sabbatical and went to Tulum. I didn’t know much about it, but I saw pictures of the beach and said, that's where I need to be. It was in the middle of January in NY and freezing so I decided to take three months off. I loved Tulum the the moment I arrived. And yes, it was exactly what I needed. Three months became a year and then another 6 months and so on. First I helped my friends with the hotel, then I met Nicolas Malleville (a famous Argentinean model aka known as the founder of Coqui Coqui perfumes and hotels) who was embarking on his dream to design and develop hotels in the Yucatan. After doing this for awhile, I decided that maybe it was time to go back to NY. I moved back to NYC, but spent part time in Tulum. I got a job running a Vintage show room in NYC, created by the former Vintage buyer of Ralph Lauren. Eventually I missed my Tulum life too much so what was meant to be a three month sabbatical turned into a long term affair. I decided to buy a house in Valladolid and renovate it. Valladolid is a beautiful old colonial city which is only 11/2 hours from Tulum. I just didn’t see myself living alone as a single woman on the beach of Tulum with no electricity and no hot water. I am not good with generators and the rustic life. I love the peacefulness of Valladolid, the culture and the architecture. The town is nearly 500 years old. I bought a colonial house, which I restored and then started my company here utilizing the many artisans in and around Valladolid. Valladolid has turned out to be a perfect home base. We are only 11/2 hours from Tulum, Cancun and Merida. From here you can explore the beaches of Holbox, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and the culture of Merida with their surrounding haciendas.

7. INSPIRATION?
I travel a lot. Most of my inspiration comes from nature. It could be walks in the jungle or Upstate NY (I still spend a lot of time in NYC and Upstate NY).

8. COLOR INSPIRATION? I definitively love the colors of Valladolid and in general the colors of Mexico. This is one thing, I am so attracted to in this country.

9. SPANISH~were you fluent already?
Yes, absolutely. I am also thinking about finally learning Maya. It’s something I wanted to learn for a long time. But restoring my house and starting my company didn’t leave me with much free time. I love the mayan language and most of my artisans speak maya and not Spanish.

10. JUTE AS MUSE?
I was looking for a material, which is used nearly all over the world. For me jute is symbolic. I truly believe, that we are all connected. My grandparents had a farm in Germany. That’s where I grew up. I was always close to Mother Nature. The smell of the Earth is one of my first memories. I wanted to work with a material, which leads us back to Mother Earth. That’s why the jute sacks were perfect. You transport from seeds to a finished product like coffee in them. So for me they are the homage to Mother Earth and to my grandparents and their life on the farm. I also love the prints and the fonds on them. They are like a piece of art for me. It couldn’t be better.

11. BEAUTY SECRETS?
Drink a lime juice first thing in the morning. It cleanses your body, which gives you clean and radiant skin. If you can drink one lime first thing in the morning without diluting it...it will have the most benefit.

12. MEXICAN ARTIST CRUSH?
Francisco Toledo and Guillermo Olguin

13. LIFE HACK?
Find YOUR place first. Get inside yourself, travel and find your passion. Nothing is easy in life, that’s why you need to have passion for it. Passion and love for something will make it easier to overcome the difficult times.

PHOTOS BELOW FROM MY TOUR OF THE BEAUTIFUL MAYAN WOMEN CRAFTING DUTZI STYLE FROM HOME (so they can take care of their children) PLUS THE GORGEOUS DUTZI BOUTIQUE AND STUDIO~

https://www.daydreamerswanted.com/products/dutzi-pouches

FIND ARIANA CREATING BEAUTIFUL GOODS HERE~

DUTZI IG @dutzistyle

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DAYDREAMING with Ariane Dutzi