Lucia Echavarría is a Colombian designer with a penchant for costume, cultural handicrafts, and aesthetic objects. In 2015 Lucia launched Magnetic Midnight, a lifestyle brand of statement pieces that reflect a unique aesthetic imbued with a love for tradition and craftsmanship. Her intricate designs stem from her passion for cultural history and tradition as reflected through dress and adornment, and a constant desire to explore the nature of different materials and techniques.

Can you tell us more about your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in design, particularly focusing on cultural handicrafts and aesthetic objects?

I am Colombian but grew up abroad most of my life. After finishing Rugby, I went to America for University where I studied Comparative Literature and History of Art at Brown University. I never had any formal training in design but was always creating things. After graduating I did an internship at the Guggenheim Museum in New York for six months, but quickly realized that I wanted to do something more hands on.

What led you to establish Magnetic Midnight in 2015? What was the inspiration behind the name and concept of the brand?

After finishing the internship at the Guggenheim, I was uncertain about what I wanted to do next. I thought seriously about studying costume design; at the time I really loved making my own costumes, and I thought it would combine my love of art, history, and fashion. My family and I went to Iran and in Shiraz we visited an amazingly beautiful  mosque whose interior was covered in mirrors. It was very inspiring.  

Once I was back at home and working on a costume I had this idea to make a headpiece out of mirrors. That was the first piece I made for the collection Persepolis, with which I launched Magnetic Midnight. Since then, my focus evolved and Magnetic Midnight began working solely with artisans and Colombian traditional craft techniques.

What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in building and growing Magnetic Midnight, and how have you overcome them?  

It is very difficult to create and grow your own business,  but it is also a great learning experience. One of the biggest challenges is that at the beginning you have to learn to do everything yourself and you are responsible for making every decision. It adds a lot of pressure, but it also taught me how important it is to trust your instinct. From the beginning I had a vision of how I wanted my company to be and grow.  I also learned how important it is to hire good people to do the things you don’t know how to do, but I also learned to value the importance of learning to do it yourself first.

Could you walk us through your creative process from conceptualization to the final product?

In addition to working with artisans,  I make most of the headpieces myself. For these, the process is very organic, and although I have a palette or materials in mind, I design it as I make it, almost like a collage. Since I started the furniture, the process has changed, as there are many more considerations to take into account, such as comfort and functionality and the multiple steps in each pieces' production. For me, it’s very important to research and have an understanding for each material that I work with, this makes it much easier to design.

How do you ensure that each piece is unique and one-of-a-kind?

Since every piece is entirely handmade, by definition, no two pieces will ever be the same. However, I also make sure that every design is different, whether it’s a variation of color or pattern so that no two pieces will ever be identical. This creates a true sense of uniqueness and makes every piece special.

What achievements are you most proud of?  

I am proud to be able to showcase the beauty and diversity of Colombian craft and to be able to contribute and provide a livelihood for so many artisans as well as helping preserve techniques that may be in danger of getting lost.

As a Rugbeian, has your time at the School had any influence on your approach to business and creativity? Are there any memories, experiences, teachers or friendships from your time at Rugby School that have stayed with you and continue to influence your work?

I have very fond memories of Rugby particularly of the art department and my art teacher, Mr Howard. One thing that really stuck with me were the artbooks we had to do, in which we had to do research on artists and materials to accompany and relate back to our own work. Research is a crucial part of my creative process to this day.  My Classical Civilizations and English classes also really stayed with me in terms of learning to analyze language, stories and similarly draw comparisons between texts. After Rugby, I went on to study Comparative literature and Art History at university, and I believe this has had an immense influence in the way I think about design and from where I draw inspiration.

What are your future aspirations for Magnetic Midnight? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you're particularly excited about? 

Our collection will continue to be on display in London at 32 St George until December.

Furniture provides a much larger canvas in which to design so I am excited for what’s to come. We just showed our collection during Milan Design Week, where hundreds of thousands people come from all over the world, at a fair called Alcova, and will be showing at Design Miami in December during Art Basel which are very exciting milestones, especially so soon after launching.

We are also launching a collaboration of some exclusive pieces for Cabana Magazine which I am also excited for.