Continental Collab
Gonzalez and her Rocio G partner, Lolo Tanoira, fit a model with designer Johanna Ortiz.
Written by Gina Tolleson
Argentine designer Rocio Gonzalez splits her time between Buenos Aires and her hillside home in Carpinteria.
Argentine designer Rocio Gonzalez’s eponymous brand Rocio G is known for its bohemian artisan leatherwork and its ’70s California-inspired vibes. Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz’s tropical resort wear is effortlessly seasonless and stands out as easily on the streets of Paris as on Coast Village Road. In honoring their rich Latin American cultural heritage, the two friends came together for a Moda Operandi collection that reflects the designers’ love for the sea. (Think jewel tops with hundreds of hand-stitched puka shells.) There are also handcrafted leather totes paired with fabrics woven by the indigenous Wichí community in Argentina and iraca pieces by Las Juanas, a native artisan collective in Colombia. “Spending time with Johanna and her family made us realize how similar we are. We work in our studios, then go to the polo club to watch our kids’ matches, drink maté…just like my life here in Santa Barbara,” says Gonzalez. The Johanna Ortiz x Rocio G collection is available through modaoperandi.com.
