May 29, 2026 |
How can we dress ourselves in a healthier way? This is a question that has racked the minds of the fashion industry for decades now, and feels ever more apposite as we experience the hottest weather ever recorded in May. For Alessandro Tondolo, the young Mexican-Italian designer who operates his eponymous brand, Tondolo, from London, this question is his guiding principle.
Led by the motto uniforme umana, or human uniform, Tondolo is an attempt at sartorial harmony, between one another and our species and the world we inhabit. Looking at the cultural background of the Central Saint Martins graduate, it’s easy to see why he is driven by this ethos. “I am Mexican, Italian and Swiss, and growing up between those three worlds gave me a very particular way of seeing things, a kind of layered identity that we hope comes through in the clothes,” he says. Where his Italian grandfather was a tailor, providing Tondolo with a deep appreciation for clothing made with care and intention, his Mexican side carries a matriarchal femininity. “My aunt is a shaman and my mother used to do traditional Mexican dance. There is something deeply spiritual and connected to nature in both of those things,” he says. “I think that is where our relationship with the natural world comes from.”
He continues, “For me, the brand is really an ongoing conversation between those two worlds. The precision and restraint of Italian tailoring meets the spirituality and vibrancy of Mexican culture, with nature as the common ground where they find each other.” Whilst the Tondolo colour palette is certainly more muted than vivid (save for hints of salmon and emerald), the designer’s almost mystical design discipline builds these bridges between his influences. Take his signature line of cotton gilled pieces, for example. Each shirt or hoodie crafted using this technique is top-stitched by hand to create a world like that of mycelia which embraces the imperfections of nature without skimping on craftsmanship.
Tondolo’s penchant for the natural world isn’t merely a result of his lineage, however. He had to find his own passion for Earth’s ecosystems. Surprisingly, this came from old biology textbooks from around the ‘70s to the ‘90s, which he finds on eBay or in charity shops, wherever he can get his hands on them. “There is something about the way nature was illustrated and documented in that era that feels incredibly beautiful and precise at the same time,” he says. “Nature itself is always there too, whether that is visiting Kew Gardens or going on hikes. I take a Facebook mum amount of pictures whenever I am outside.”
The designer can reel off his references – vintage Armani and Katharine Hamnett, military surplus, family photos, the photography of Pablo Ortiz-Monasterio and Mark Jay Goebel Juarez – but the variety in them synthesises into a unique, comprehensive design sensibility. It’s this consideration which draws his army of young creative followers into the Tondolo fold. “The Tondolo customer is honestly quite hard to pin down, and I think that is something we are proud of,” he says. “We have had people come to us who brew their own whisky, or friends who organise hikes and reclaim green spaces for people of colour. There is a real breadth there that I find genuinely exciting.”
Earlier this year, Tondolo presented his AW26 collection, which was inspired by the protective symbolism of arboreal flowers, in a showroom in Paris, a milestone for both the designer and the brand. “I think AW26 feels like a moment of maturity, not just for the brand but for us and for our customer too. We are all growing together and the collection reflects that.”
There is a more palpable sense of intention in the clothing as Tondolo continues to build the brand’s world, finding elegance amongst the whimsy and playfulness. The pleating, for example, appears in a more refined way whilst more emphasis was placed on the details and accessories of the collection. The designer still recognises his youth though, and embraces the challenges that come with his standing in the industry. “Like every brand, we have to be conscious of where we are at this moment in time. I think that tension between ambition and awareness actually pushes you to be more creative rather than less.” He continues, “More than anything we want to build a strong and stable foundation, both for the brand and for the community around it.”
Going forward, Tondolo wants to embed the brand further into its burgeoning community rather than simply chasing growth for the sake of growth. “It is genuinely at the core of what Tondolo is about and what we want that to be felt beyond just the clothes.” Of course, there are plans to grow the business – through collaborations, an expansion into womenswear, catwalk presentations – but it’s always people, the planet and the relationship between them first. Perhaps it’s best to think of Tondolo not as a fashion brand, but as a site of communion.
Photography courtesy of Tondolo.
