Lottie Bertello has always grown up with fashion in her life. She comes from an artistic family and was always encouraged and supported in her interest in textiles and fashion.

As a native of Peru, where textiles are a big part of the cultural heritage, Lottie has always valued textiles, and pursued an education in fashion from high school through college.

She, like so many others in the industry, became disillusioned with fast fashion and its low emphasis on creativity and the value of artisanal labor and of quality raw materials. The only part of fashion she still loved was thrifting!

So naturally, Lottie became interested in upcycling and alternative material and labor issues. She started her fashion label LOTI, which caters mostly to femme fashion and endeavors to bring upcycled clothing into mainstream fashion.

Lottie’s three main goals for every garment are for them to be Comfortable, Effortless, and Elegant. In addition, the company is based in Peru and everything is done in Peru, which is important in terms of social and labor issues as well as sustainability issues (did you know alpaca fiber is much more sustainable than cashmere!?).  

And here she is! Lottie is our guest for Episode 31 of the Rags to Riches Podcast! (AND a speaker at our recent Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Summit!) 

Are you ready to feel inspired, energized, and supported? Get comfy and dive right in! This is the Rags to Riches Textile Upcycling Podcast with Crispina ffrench!