Behind DOT+ABOVE

My name is Begoña Toledo and I created DOT+ABOVE.

I founded the brand after a successful career as a visual artist to fulfill a long-held ambition to create clothing. DOT+ABOVE is named after the idea that this is the next evolution in my career as a creative mind, DOT being a stop in what came before and ABOVE everything to come that is built upon that foundation.

My interest in clothing started at a young age, I was always drawing new designs since I was a child and I even managed to create a jacket that I sold when I was 10. I dreamed of starting a label, but I also had a great love of art and this is the direction I chose to pursue at first. I studied art at University of Barcelona and Stichting Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht, and worked as a visual artist after graduating, finding success under the pseudonym Boxhead. I created a character of a young girl that had a box as her head that resonated with a lot of people, she represented how I felt at that time, transitioning into adulthood carrying my childhood dreams, fears and other treasures.

The art I created as Boxhead started drawing more and more attention, first within the street art community and eventually in the mainstream art community. I was invited to take part in several group exhibitions all over the world and eventually asked to paint large scale murals for galleries and buildings including Rumney Guggenheim Gallery’s four story building in Brooklyn, Pretty Light’s concert background in New Orleans and Wynwood, Miami. Fashion was always in the back of my mind. I set out to teach myself how to sew, pattern cut, run a fashion business and eventually took a short course at Central Saint Martins. 
Today I combine my art practice and fashion design.

I started working on my brand by thinking about the key ideas I wanted to represent. I wanted my brand to be sustainable. I wanted my brand to be inclusive. And I wanted my brand to be both a ‘blank canvas’ and a statement of expression.

With everything we already know about the impact of the fashion industry in the planet and its peoples, I felt it was my duty to be as sustainable as possible from day one. For me there was no other way I could start my label. I wanted to challenge the notion of femininity portrayed in big part of the fashion industry. I wanted to provide something more than that. And finally, I wanted to provide something that the wearer would connect to emotionally, something that has a story and impact beyond being an item of clothing. An item of clothing that you would feel good, empowered and happy wearing, for reasons beyond just looking great.

My very first collection consisted only of 9 pieces – 6 garments, 2 bags and a hat. I sourced all the fabrics and components, dyed the colours myself and sewed each stitch. I launched this in the summer of 2019. That was the beginning and now, I continue to create for the women that look towards the future.