The Inspiration Behind Alebrije Phone Cases
There are many theories about the origin of alebrijes, these beautiful creatures that combine realism with fantasy, using fluorescent and vibrant colors. In the Central Valleys region of Oaxaca, Copal wood is abundant. Artisans from the region cut and carve it into animals or fantastic figures, then paint them with many more details typical of the region.
We spoke with Uri, Creative Director of Someone Somewhere, about how the idea for a collaboration with alebrije artisans came about, and he told us the following: "Today we have many embroidery and thread craft techniques, but there are other important techniques in Mexico such as painting, pottery, glass, and resins. When we started to see that there could be more technical products, we didn't just think about threads, but we looked for what else we could play with. We realized that there was a demand in the market for wooden and painted phone cases, so we thought, why not do it with the inspiration of alebrijes and thus support the work of the artisans? It seems very rich to me that Someone Somewhere starts to explore other types of craftsmanship and thus maintain the main mission: to generate work."
After defining the idea, the founders traveled to Oaxaca to visit different workshops where the carved wood painting technique is practiced to better understand the impact they could generate in their communities. They discovered many, including: Copal Mágico, Zeny Fuentes, Huizache and Lucamo. They learned everything involved in creating a workshop, the different techniques, how they organize their work, and during this search, they met Luis Ángel, an entrepreneurial artisan who seeks to generate jobs for more young artisans in his community. In addition to having his home and family workshop, he visits schools in the region and gives workshops to encourage young people and children to follow their traditions and learn about alebrijes. But what caught their attention the most was his incredible proposal: ecobrijes, which emerged as a response to the indiscriminate felling of copal and proposes to create alebrijes not from wood, but from the resin produced by this beautiful tree.
After agreeing on the collaboration with Luis Ángel, the project began. Gloria, our Senior Designer, worked closely with him until they reached the incredible idea of painting alebrije abstractions on the cases, thus achieving a balance between fresh design and pure craftsmanship. In this case, two incredible alebrijes were chosen: the winged wolf and the inverted fox. Both with very striking colors and meanings such as the adoration of beauty, new beginnings, and respect.
Discover all our models and sizes of iPhone cases. Explore the result of this incredible experience that now opens the doors to the TECH world! Enjoy them!
Photographs by: Nina Courjon and Alfonso Flores.