WMV Visvim (Photo: Courtesy of WMV Visvim)

New Mexico is having a moment. Its capital, Santa Fe, has long been known for its desert spas and rich Native American culture, but the city has lately become a destination for urban dwellers craving a little peace, solitude, and otherworldly scenery. Visvim’s Hiroki Nakamura and his wife, Kelsi, visit Santa Fe once a year—their friend Jed Foutz owns the gallery and store Shiprock Santa Fe—and when a Victorian house down the street became available, they felt it was the perfect setting for their first women’s-only Visvim store (also known as WMV Visvim). An unlikely location? Yes. But, as Nakamura says matter-of-factly: “We always like to do things differently.”

Fans of the label might say that’s an understatement. While the duo’s peers may have leaned into the streetwear craze or over-the-top runway shows, Hiroki and Kelsi are as focused as ever on fabric development and artisanal techniques like hand-painted washi skirts, rare natural dyes, and other time-intensive crafts. Fittingly, the new Santa Fe store opened on the same weekend as the city’s annual International Folk Art Market festival, which brings artists and makers from around the world together to show and sell their work. “Our products have a connection to the culture in Santa Fe,” Nakamura says. “People here have an appreciation for crafts and things made by hand, so Jed suggested we open the store during the festival, when everyone is in town. Bigger cities like New York and Tokyo are more commercial [in terms of fashion], but here, it’s really culture- and art-oriented.” […]

[Source: Vogue, “Visvim Opens Its First Women’s Store in—Wait for It!—Santa Fe” by Emily Farra on July 17, 2017.]