Mallorca boho slow fashion dreams come true at SunvibesJune 24, 2020

One sunny summer day recently, Charles Marlow Marketing and Social Media Manager Ida Carlsson and I took a therapeutic time out at the Sunvibes temple to Mallorca boho fashion in Palma.

Italian Elisa Bozzolini is the Founder and Creative Director of Sunvibes. She launched her boho fashion brand in Italy back in 2012. Four years ago, she moved to Palma.

Sunvibes sells mainly through its website and on Instagram but clients can also visit Elisa’s Sunroom by appointment. As she says, ‘clients often decide to visit us after following our slow fashion journey on Insta for a while. Meeting in person is always very special.’

Mallorca has had its own boho fashion at least since the first living breathing bohemians discovered the island in the 1930s. Hippy chic arrived with the 1960s and added its own flavour to Mallorca boho fashion.

Since then, laidback, floaty but elegant boho fashion has never gone out of style in Mallorca. It’s perfect for mornings spent drifting through Palma’s vibrant, colourful and aromatic markets, shopping for bargains in the twisting turning narrow streets of the Old Town, afternoons on the beach and sharing tapas and wine on the terrace of a funky café with friends.

You can feel the beauty and freedom of this slow-paced island life in the pieces Elisa’s designs and makes on Mallorca for Sunvibes. Each garment is printed with her original hand drawn designs and made using Italian fabric

As she says, ‘bohemian, vintage inspired, created with wild hearted women in mind, every Sunvibes piece is designed to make you feel beautiful, free and able to do anything you want, unique and special.’

For Ida and me, the experience of visiting the Sunvibes Sunroom was a delight.

Welcomed with a warming smile

Elisa welcomed us to her sunny terrace in the heart of boho Palma with a warming smile. The studio is a beautiful, light-filled space. Her cat was charming too.

Ida had her eye on a dress she’d seen on the Sunvibes website and was keen to try it on. ‘But,’ she said later, ‘there was so much to choose from. Elisa talked us through the styles and materials she used. Every piece is unique and handmade on the island. We could really feel the love that goes into every Sunvibes garment. Then Elisa left us to try on what we wanted. It was all very laidback.’

We ended up twinning. Ida went with the dress she’d seen on the website. I chose the same pattern and design but with longer sleeves.

Elisa made us each a gift of machine washable facemasks to match our dresses. ‘I’ve been using mine lots,’ Ida told me. ‘I’m not a fan of the single use, disposable ones. They must be terrible for the environment.

I can’t wait to wear my dress for the first time. I recently got engaged so I’m thinking I’d like to wear it for our family engagement lunch.

Talking Mallorca boho fashion with Elisa Bozzolini

Elisa moved to Mallorca because she felt it was time to go for her dream of island life.

She stayed because ‘The day I stepped off the airplane and smelled the incredible aroma of sea and pine trees, it felt like I was finally home, and my intuition was right. I still have the same feeling every time I arrive back from a trip. Mallorca is a lifetime love for me. It’s the place where I’ve been able to design a business and life that’s authentic to me and that I love.’

Today, Elisa is still madly in love with Mallorca. ‘I feel a great sense of possibility and freedom but also safety, community and belonging. And, of course, the island is so beautiful. In the summer, I adore going for a sunrise swim before the world is awake. I go oceanside glamping in my vintage pink caravan in the autumn. In winter, it’s heavenly to run in the woods.’

How would Elisa describe Mallorca boho fashion?

‘It embodies the bohemian dream of slow-paced island living come true – sunshine, sea, connection to nature, lightheartedness and, naturally, the seductive Mediterranean vibe. All these elements are present in my work because they’re the new DNA of my life.’

Is there such a thing as a typical customer?

‘Many are creative entrepreneurs like me. They’re globetrotters, wild at heart, and beautiful.’

Ida and I very much appreciated your gift of machine washable facemasks. How important is sustainability to your vision?

‘Our clients asked us to make the masks, to make the transition to wearing them easier and a little more beautiful. As for sustainability, it’s non-negotiable and the only way to go if we want to take care of our one and only precious planet Earth.’

What does the immediate future look like to you?

‘It looks like we have a new reality to design, and it’s scary and exciting at the same time. Covid showed us how things can change in the blink of an eye, and how being resilient and open to change can really help us thrive. In the long term, I will keep nurturing our beautiful Sunvibes community, telling the Mallorca boho fashion story through my clothes and starting our sewing circles once again.’

Read the story of making a Sunvibes Memory Dress

One of the most intriguing things about Sunvibes is the timeless, meaningful Memory Dresses Elisa cocreates with her customers.

Read the story of a Memory Dress collection she designed here. ‘It was such a special journey and an honour to be able to capture the essence of her Tree of Life,’ Elisa says.

Email hello@sunvibescollective.com to make an appointment to visit the Sunroom. Follow Sunvibes on Insta @sunvibespalma.