Dallas, Texas, native Cristina Lynch (pictured below), whose mother grew up in northern Mexico, knew that she wanted to create a business that centered on her Mexican heritage when she founded Mi Golondrina, in 2013.
Photographs courtesy of Mi Golondrina
“I grew up with rich Mexican textiles used as bed coverlets and gorgeous embroidered tablecloths that my mother has collected over the years,” Lynch says. “And I kept thinking that there needed to be a high-end line that represented the beauty of Mexico I grew up seeing. When I started meeting with artisans in Oaxaca, I fell in love with the fact that the embroidery is very much an art to them. There are more than 100 women embroidering for Mi Golondrina who are so proud to show their work because it has been a part of their culture for almost 200 years.”
The name Mi Golondrina is a sentimental nod to Lynch’s roots, too. “Golondrina is Spanish for a swallow,” she says, “and they are referenced in many romantic poems and songs. My grandfather’s ranch house in Mexico had swallow nests under the roof, and so the bird has been in my life since my earliest memories.”
Her line includes one-of-a-kind and made-to-order dresses, blouses, bedding, and jewelry. “I tell people that I am less of a designer and more of a curator,” says Lynch. “I will modify artisan designs and use new fabrics, but there is no reason to change the embroidery these artisans are doing when it is so beautiful. Some of these pieces take over six months to make.”
Below are a few of Lynch’s classic, vibrantly colored pieces that incorporate a type of embroidery traditionally seen on heirloom wedding dresses. To shop, visit migolondrina.com
Left to right: Arroyo de Flores set; Arroyo de Flores decorative pillow; Arroyo de Flores short dress.
