By Leah Jayasanker

The land of the Incas, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the Amazon River are all breathtaking wonders of Peru. Another extraordinary aspect of this South American country’s art, culture and exquisite hues is the clothing designs of Giuliana Testino. When Testino is not busy developing her next collection, she sits nestled amongst the ruins of Cusco or in London displaying her ready-to-wear line. After a visit to her showroom in Lima and briefing in New York City to view her latest collection, Testino gives Vis.A.Vis. an intimate portrait of her life.   
    
What started as a career in architecture soon bridged out into hand-knit garment accessories for women. “After watching my mother knit sweaters for my two brothers, who were living in cold climates, my sister and I decided to begin making our own knits. I was also advised by my brother, photographer Mario Testino, to return to my roots of design,” she states. Soon thereafter Testino found herself assisting a French designer under his label. Testino adds, “In time I branched out on my own and offered my ideas to many eyes hoping to get clients. I’d go boutique by boutique to find out what people wanted.” She explains that while in London a well-versed guide assisted her. In time, Testino realized Lima was the right place to continue manufacturing.
    
Her inspiration stems from her ethnicity and her love for the colors and art of her culture and country. “From my mother I learned about quality clothing. I love vintage things, the detail and quality—I’d like to continue in that direction, using my Peruvian roots for an old-world elegance. I think we are loosing vintage, I love modernity but through clothing we can look to the future but should also look to the past.”
    
The fabrics that make Testino’s creations so unique are Pima, Peruvian cotton, and Alpaca. She’d like to begin working with Vicuña, a relative of the Llama and the Alpaca that lives in the high Andes. Working with Vicuña is special as they produce very limited amounts of extremely fine wool; they are shaven only every three years. “The Vicuña hair is more refined, warmer, and flows and falls well. It is soft and not too heavy, a rare animal unique to our culture that I see using in coats and sweaters,” furthers Testino.     
    
The life of Testino’s work relays in part from recommendations given by buyers and customers. She claims, “Customers give good feedback that lets me know about my designing. Buyers teach me so much, they have contact with clients thus I learn real life feedback. Selling is not just for the money—it’s for the clients, and me to feel good with their feedback, and accept it.” She says, “I arrive at a product from many people, the clients, the buyers, etc.”     
    
Her current collection comes from a likeness to vintage crochet from Ireland and flying insects. “I’d love to fly and not weigh too much, so this is what came into the designs, the dragonfly. We added embroidery with crimsons and pearls to make it more sophisticated. It involved more work and time, but it was wonderful to work with our hands and forget our problems and let our minds free with sewing,” she adds.
    
As for creating a collection, the process is detailed. Testino states, “Before we had many tailors in the highlands, but this changed over time, as we needed to have more control on the work. Now we use less people who only focus on simple work.” She explains that in order to achieve a homogenous pattern the right needle with the proper tension is crucial. “We had to test each sewer initially to understand their technique.” Now Testino relays on roughly 14 women in Lima whom they meet with frequently throughout the week. She continues, “It is a lot of work, I do not complain, as I love it, and the more I do the more I learn and get closer to my goals.”
    
For the future Testino has a plethora of ideas. She mentions her ambition to start using a variety of yarns with more vivid colors, and begin making simple cardigans and pullovers for men using Vicuña. She voices, “I want to get to India and work on having more stores.” As far as goals, Testino discloses, “To have exclusive pieces in the right places for the right clients. I’d love to do a collection of one-of-a-kind pieces, as I love the artistic part of the business. In other words, I’ll have a showroom where only one sweater is available—a special garment where only one in the world exists.”

Giuliana Testino is available at Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Scoop NYC, Net-a-Porter and other high-end retail establishments around the globe. To learn more visit giulianatestino.com .