Get Away with Nick Fouquet
The sought-after designer crafts hats at Las Ventanas al Paraíso
Written by Elizabeth Varnell
This March, designer Nick Fouquet is adding his own style-driven twist to a revitalizing sojourn at Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort along the desert coastline of Los Cabos in the Baja Peninsula’s southernmost region. From March 23 to 26, the Topanga-based hatmaker is hosting a pop-up shop at the resort where Mediterranean-Mexican architecture blends with desert landscapes dotted with succulents and winding infinity pools, crafting bespoke toppers alongside local Wixarika artisan Don Victor Florentino.
Fouquet is creating an exclusive hat style made of toquilla straw, a sustainably harvested, renewable resource created from the Ecuadorean plant’s large palm-like fronds woven into a braided texture. The straw, shaped into lightweight sun blockers, can be customized on site by the designer himself and embellished with Florentino’s intricate Huichol beading.
“We worked on several iterations of beaded hat bands backed with leather,” says Fouquet. “I think it’s important to bring the craftsmanship of the area to the work we’re doing.” The original bead patterns are a nod to Florentino’s heritage and craft, and Fouquet says the colors “evoke the ocean and land” on the property where 83 suites—all with personalized and complimentary butler and concierge services—and serpentine swimming pools meet the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. Drawing inspiration from the resort’s architecture and plants, including the bright red and pink hues of bougainvillea, Fouquet set about formulating chic Las Ventanas–centric designs.
The hats themselves are resort essentials, ideal for afternoons spent on the sun-drenched balconies of on-property villas with private pools, the terraces of penthouse or spa suites, or a stroll to the spa for a range of holistic therapies and treatments inspired by Baja’s indigenous healers’ rituals incorporating plants, water, crystals, sage smoke, and stones. Similarly, Fouquet’s creations shade guests walking to meals at Las Ventanas’ restaurants and bars stocked with tequila flights and culinary menus designed around the region’s fresh seafood, including Eastern-influenced Arbol, Oaxacan-tinged Alebrije, shellfish-rich Sea Grill, the sushi-fusion offerings at the property’s Tequila and Ceviche Bar, favored vintages at La Cava wine bar, or a host of innovative cocktails and mocktails at the Prohibition-inspired speakeasy bar, La Botica, where singer Rosalía de Cuba is the artist in residence. And the toppers are sure to be a favorite among those who book the resort’s Tequila Sign class and hone a personalized tequila profile by blind tasting the blancos, reposados, anejos, and mezcals on offer. With one’s hat tipped just so, afternoon siestas don’t even require a change of location. +52-624-144-2800, rosewoodhotels.com/en/las-ventanas-los-cabos
