We’re Swooning Over Dondolo’s Spring Dresses
Giving-oriented Dallas designer Dondolo just released new spring and Easter collections! We think you'll love their story as much as their clothes, bathing suits, and home decor.
The word Dondolo means to swing. Catalina Gonzalez Jorba, the founder of this charming Texas-based clothing line, chose the delightful-to-say Spanish word for her brand name, inspired by her belief that βthe love you give comes back to you in a beautiful swinging motion,β she says.
After Catalina had her first child, Santiago, her heart grew in ways she never imagined β a refrain often heard from first-time mothers. But as Catalina was soaking in every tender moment of motherhood, she realized something was missing. What about all the mothers in Texas (where she lives), Colombia (where sheβs from), and beyond, whose love for their families is met with a struggle to maintain basic needs? βI wanted to share that love with not only my family but those who may be in need,β Catalina says. And so, Dondolo was born.
The Beginnings of Dondolo
Coupled with her strong desire to give back β especially to children, mothers, and their communities β Dondolo was a way for Catalina to explore and nourish her creative side. Sheβs long had a knack for bringing detail-oriented designs to life through textiles. βI have always loved art so much,β she says. βI have a minor in art, and the classes that I enjoyed the most were my painting classes. I loved mixing colors, drawing, and just being in front of a blank canvas and creating.β
Catalina even chose an all-green orchid motif for her wedding β something very different than the norm in those days. βI loved how color can create a feeling and a story in everything in life,β Catalina continues. βIn my 20s, I was insecure and didnβt know exactly what I loved as far as my personal style. But in my mid-30s, I became unapologetic about what I liked and what truly made me happy.β
Building Her Ever-Evolving Designs and Personal Style
Catalina initially imagined that Dondolo would be a website she could manage from home. But it has developed into something so much bigger. Today, Dondolo is a thriving luxury lifestyle brand that makes irresistibly charming, heirloom-quality clothing in her native country of Colombia.
βI was still insecure for years!β she says. βWill people like [the designs]? Will they sell? It was not until last year that I decided to fully believe in myself and embrace what I wanted to give to others! It was so beautiful and fun to see myself confident in what I was creating,β Catalina adds.
βThere is a misconception that you have to be a big fashion name to own and make your own prints!β she says. βI started making my own prints because I always want to create the most unique clothing, and when I started seeing that other childrenβs brands were doing or using our same fabrics, I realized I needed to do something more special,β Catalina says. She then sent a direct message to an illustrator that ignited the process of making her own prints.
The Latest Collection: Easter, Hello Spring, and Love
βThe process of making your own prints as a designer is so incredible because there is a story from the start of the product,β she says. βThere is a sequence and itβs so beautiful to see the final product. In the Easter Collection, I worked with four different amazing, talented, and incredible illustrators!β she adds.
We cannot get enough of this yearβs new collection. Itβs separated into three parts. Easter is filled with tender pastels and detailed imagery of bunnies, flowers, carrots, and mushrooms. There are even Easter baskets, big bows, and ceramic eggs to complete your familyβs Easter look β from the Easter egg hunt to the brunch after.
The second part of this yearβs line is Happy Days,Β and itβs all about statement-making swimwear (for men, too!) and beach-ready accessories like sarongs. The womenβs suits are form-flattering with chic oversized puffy sleeves. While the boysβ line features classic stripes, the girlsβ and womenβs pieces have festive ruffles ready for any spring or summer soirΓ©e. Finally, the third part, The Love Edit, is a smaller collection with tender heart emblems and lavender and blush hues.
βDonodolo Givesβ Back
From the beginning, Catalina has aimed to give back by supporting her native country of Colombia and the local community of Dallas. βSince I had the thought of starting a company, I wanted to be a company that gave back to children and moms,β Catalina says. βI grew up in Colombia and saw the poverty of a third-world country every day, and sadly I just became used to it. When I moved to the U.S. to go to school in Dallas, I knew I needed to do something to help Colombian mothers and children. I didnβt know how until I started Dondolo.β
βThe heart of Dondolo is Dondolo Gives. It is what gives purpose to everything we do and how we do it. We empower and employ women to help them better their lives and the lives of their children and families. We employ more than 150 in the factory, and 50 more do all the embroidery by hand and with so much love,β Catalina adds.
In addition to the Colombian women making the clothing, Dondolo supports dozens of local Dallas non-profits, schools, and events that help women and children. βIn Cartagena, we help women who live in communities with no running water or electricity,β she adds.
Over the years, Dondolo has trained and employed single moms so they can earn the funds to raise their children. The company also donates clothing and builds playgrounds in these underserved communities. In light of the recent passing of Catalinaβs father, the team is currently raising funds to help fulfill Catalinaβs dream of opening a community center in her native country for the families she serves.
We asked Catalina for the best advice sheβs ever gotten. βTo follow my gut,β she says. βAnd trust Godβs timing. You are in the moment you are supposed to be in. Live it with purpose! And always lead with love for yourself and others.β
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Catalina! Explore Dondolo online for many unique Easter and spring gift ideas, and visit the flagship store next time youβre in Dallas.
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Zoe Yarborough
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.