Missibaba’s Buenos Aires diary

At the beginning of each year we find ourselves hungry for inspiration and eager to get our creative juices flowing. The first port of call when starting to
dream up a new collection is always a trip overseas, which provides some much-needed stimulation and retail therapy in the form of stocking up our leather supplies.

We source our base colours locally, as we have recently found the most fantastic tannery that supplies glorious, buttery-soft leathers right on our doorstep, but when we are looking for all things glittering, gold, iridescent, and holographic, a jaunt to Buenos Aires is always on the cards. We have been on regular trips over the past five years to gather leather in this incredible city.

We have forged strong relationships with our suppliers, who are very dear to us, which makes it an absolute delight to visit for business, as well as pleasure.
In late February we took a week-and-a-half to explore  and expand our imaginations in Argentina’s vibrant capital. We stayed with a wonderful family, via Airbnb, in a sprawling apartment on the border of Palermo and Recoleta.

This location was very central, and within walking distance of some of our favourite hot spots, which include wonderful restaurants, glorious public parks, local fashion destinations, and some fantastic architecture.

We started each day with a stop at our local patisserie. Our morning fix consisted of caffe, pastry, and a pie — and my goodness, was it heavenly!
Being so central allowed us to experience the city on foot and there is nothing quite like pounding the pavements to integrate yourself and really
discover hidden gems like  a local. We seem to be drawn to public libraries when looking for inspiration, and the National Library did not disappoint: the architecture is absolutely mind blowing.

Staying in the literary space, the Libros Del Pasaje bookstore in Palermo is also a must-visit. The Planetarium was a location of absolute wonder, and had us both in tears. The experience definitely struck a chord; seeing the constellations dance across the domed ceiling left us in awe of the creation we are part of. Our visit was the starting point and stimulated the creation of The Zodiac Collection, an assortment of delicious tote bags inspired by each sign of the zodiac, which we released earlier this year.

We spent many hours drooling over and fondling luscious leathers, while sourcing for our soon-to-becreated collections, but we made sure that we set aside some time to trawl the local markets too. A favourite was the San Telmo
market, an utter treasure trove.

The market is a kaleidoscope of colour and pattern and boasts heavenly vintage lace and linen, delicious fresh fruit and vegetables, floor-to-ceiling
leather pieces, and hot men thrown in for good measure. What more could a gal want? Sultry days that overflowed with wandering, sightseeing, and retail therapy meant that we worked up quite an appetite and our restaurant of choice for a late-night nibble was definitely La Carniceria. It has the most delicious steak, glass of Malbec, and fiery Colombian hot sauce in town!