DIALOGUES WITH CATERINA PÉREZ – LA VORA

Caterina Pérez was born in Sant Cugat, Spain, in 1978. After studying drama at the Instituto del Teatro, she decided to train in the world of fashion. Since then, she has been linked to the world of textiles and image, creating her own accessories brand, designing costumes and working as a stylist and art director on photography projects.

In 2016, she decided to begin her writing journey, training at the Ateneu Writing School and publishing some of her stories for adults.

Currently, Caterina has opened her own sewing school, La Vora , in Sant Cugat, where she shares her passion for fashion and sewing with her students.

Looking at your biography, we realise that we are dealing with a multifaceted woman, who has always been closely linked to culture, words and trades. After studying and working in the world of fashion, what led you to take up writing?

In fact, fashion is also about telling stories. Like writing. Through clothes we project the story of who we are, or who we want to be, we project a state of mind, values, a world. In writing, even if you write fiction, you also reflect your story, your state of mind and your world. So I feel that everything is very linked.

However, what led me to understand that the coexistence of fashion and literature made sense to me is simple: I had a brand of handbags and accessories, and after five years developing the project, I realized that what I liked most was telling the story of the process, telling the story behind each piece, whether through the written word or the image. So I decided to sign up for the writing school at the Ateneu barcelonés. There a whole new world opened up for me.

Now that I have sewing and writing classes in my life, I am fascinated to see how stories complement sewing; because after all, spinning a story is very similar to sewing, to building a piece… And because sewing moments between women are great sources of stories , where thoughts and life are shared spontaneously.

We have read you in Núvol and in Kireei, the publication of our dear Cristina. What inspires you when writing?

I can't say anything specific, because for me writing is a way of looking at something.

In the case of these stories you mention, or in the stories in the book “Ruderals,” there is a lot of play; they are like a testing ground for some of the tools that writing provides you with.

I can say that writing is a way for me to escape, to pay attention to the seeds that life gives you, and also a way to travel. For me, writing a story is a lot like molding a vase, giving it shape and time to rest, and impregnating it with something of the essence of the moment you are living. Also the music you are listening to, or the book you are reading… all of that, in one way or another, remains in that vase, like little secrets in its structure.

Sewing has always been a part of your life, both professionally and professionally. How did the idea of ​​opening a sewing school, La Vora, in Sant Cugat come about? What motivated you?

I had been teaching sewing for more than ten years and I knew that I liked it. I like teaching, watching, growing, giving, learning, trying to find a way to offer useful content. And I also love the social part: being with people, nourishing, taking care of myself (which is not the case with writing, which is very lonely!). And suddenly I had the need to set up my project, gather all the experience of those years, and create my own tailor-made school, which could make me grow, or equalize at my pace of life.

What values ​​are promoted at La Vora ? Do you think that sewing can be a tool of expression?

Absolutely. And independence, too! I mean, there's nothing more satisfying than being self-sufficient in the basics of life; and dressing is one of them.

In recent years, at La Vora, I have tried to put the focus on the concept of patience. Something that has a lot to do with sewing, good sewing. Often, we sign up for sewing with the idea of ​​calm, of doing things well. But when push comes to shove, I see that it is difficult to shake off that consumerist impulse to produce many garments, that are quick and not difficult, and without paying much attention to the finishes. And I think that, at La Vora, we are working on that slowing down, that understanding that perhaps we do not need so many garments, that it is worth learning the techniques that are more difficult for us, putting all our senses into what we are creating… We can do the easy and quick things at home, we go to La Vora to go a little further.

Beyond sewing, there is another thing that I think is worked on at La Vora: the feeling of community, of companionship. Sewing together is a very ancestral thing , and the group forms itself, but I must say that the school is designed so that this happens in a more compact way (fixed, quarterly groups, table layouts...) And above all , the coexistence between generations, this is something very enriching and beautiful.

Of the entire process of creating a piece, what part do you enjoy most?

I could say that searching for or choosing the material is a wonderful moment, because you deploy your creative capacity and honesty with your abilities, but also surprise and flexibility. You begin to shape out of nothing. I also find the moment when the piece begins to appear very exciting; there you already have the first inklings of whether it may end well or not. But when I enjoy it the most is not in a specific “part”, but when all your senses are focused on that stitching, or that ironing, as if you were really in dialogue with the material. When this happens, success is assured.

Get to know the La Vora school in Sant Cugat.