Living
Casa Chiqui, Cartagena’s Most Dazzling Store, Arrives in New York City for the Summer
June 6, 2017
Picture this: You find yourself strolling around Cartagena, Colombia, on a warm afternoon day. You stumble into a store, replete with magical finds from around the world, that’s as colorful as any one place you’ve ever been. That’s the experience many design and fashion enthusiasts have had upon visiting Casa Chiqui, Chiqui de Echavarría’s beloved boutique. But outside the realm of vintage purveyors, De Echavarría is something of a legend herself. A renowned hostess, De Echavarría is practically a local icon.
However, for those unable to make a jaunt to the Southern Hemisphere, there’s a new, but limited, way to purchase De Echavarría’s goods other than on the World Wide Web. Today, Madeline Weinrib, the carpet and textile designer with an undeniable eye for design, is debuting a collection of Casa Chiqui goods at her Manhattan studio that will be available through the end of the summer.
"I vacation often in Cartagena, so I have visited Chiqui's store, Casa Chiqui, many times," Weinrib says. "Last New Years Eve, I went to a wonderful party [at Chiqui's] fabulous home and came across the gorgeous hand-made werregue baskets. I thought they would look beautiful in homes here, and invited Chiqui to present them in my New York showroom this summer. We thought it would be wonderful to put together a selection of the best hand-made creations that you can find in her store, and decided to include beautiful hand-woven earrings and bracelets as well. Each time I travel to Cartegana, I bring them home as gifts. I think they are the perfect summer accessories.
Indeed. But out of the items that will be available through Labor Day, the pièces de résistance are undoubtedly the series of artisanal Werregue baskets, all of which are extremely large in scale. Each basket, created by women in the Chocoan jungle of Colombia, takes 30 to 60 days to create.
"It is an important craft to preserve," De Echavarría says of the baskets. "Madeline and I both share a love for discovering the work of artisans around the world," she continues. "Therefore, I could not think of a better person or place to introduce Casa Chiqui here in New York.
Above, an exclusive first look at the baskets, as well as a tour around Casa Chiqui.
