Diego Olivero: MESO and a Global Design Vision

IRK first discovered designer Diego Olivero and MESO at Clic New York, where curator Beatrice Dupire introduced the brand’s distinctive approach to contemporary craft.

MESO is a home product company dedicated to original design driven by innovation and craftsmanship. It takes a forward-looking approach to the home and hospitality industries. At its core, the company brings together sustainable sourcing practices and handcrafted production. As a result, MESO creates objects that celebrate materiality and artisanal knowledge through a distinct and contemporary lens. Working across concept, product development, sourcing, and fulfillment, its multidisciplinary team operates between Brooklyn, India, and Guatemala. Therefore, MESO reflects a truly global design ecosystem.

“I first discovered the MESO brand through its exquisite glass pieces,” says Dupire. “However, after speaking with its founder, Diego Olivero, I realised that behind the collection is a designer and entrepreneur developing an original business model.”
-Beatrice Dupire

This expanded ecosystem reflects Olivero’s commitment to design as a cultural exchange between makers, materials, and markets. His model connects contemporary design with artisanal communities across different cultures.

“Craftsmanship lies at the heart of MESO, reflecting the values central to Clic founder Christiane Celle’s vision,” Dupire explains. “Beyond offering a vision of elevated living, both brands share a deep respect for process, excellence and uniqueness.”
-Beatrice Dupire

With more than twenty years of experience across Latin America, the United States and Asia, Olivero has developed a design language shaped by deep engagement with diverse craft traditions. From Guatemala, where his practice first took shape, to a decade in New York working at scale with global brands and artisan networks, and now Mexico City, where he brings these worlds together, his work consistently explores the dialogue between global influence and local knowledge. In other words, he builds bridges between design communities and traditions.

His studio practice, Diego Olivero Studio, recognized as part of the Architectural Digest AD100, spans interiors, product design and art-driven projects. Across both MESO and his studio work, Olivero continues to investigate how contemporary design can remain rooted in craft. Meanwhile, he embraces innovation, sustainability, and cultural continuity.

IRK: Your studio has moved between Guatemala, Brooklyn, and now Mexico City. How do these different places shape your design language?

Diego Olivero: Guatemala taught me craft and is where I set up my practice, and we still have a team in place there. For nearly 10 years, New York taught me how to design and produce at a global scale. I worked with large retailers,  brands, vendors and artisan communities across the world.  The vision for Mexico City, where I moved two years ago, is to bring those worlds together while still honoring Latin American design traditions. 

IRK: Your work at MESO is deeply connected to artisan communities. What does real collaboration with artisans mean to you?

Diego Olivero: Collaboration means respect, and you gain respect through understanding. It’s not about applying craft to a design idea, it’s about conversation and creating something together. Moreover, each party has something to offer. For example, in many artisan communities, generations have passed down the craft. We further understanding by allowing knowledge to flow each way and finding ways to continue to support artisan communities and craft. Therefore, both parties have a role to play. 

IRK: How do you balance innovation with respect for traditional techniques?

Diego Olivero: Innovation is most meaningful when it builds on existing knowledge and respect for the craft, materials, and use. So long as one honors this, tradition is only a foundation, not a limitation.

IRK: Many of your MESO pieces begin with material and craft. What does a material teach you before you start designing?

Diego Olivero: Every material has its own unique history, opportunities and of course, constraints. The more you listen to it, and to those who know the most about it, the more you are able to create and design a workable piece of designed craft. 

IRK: Sustainability is often used as a design buzzword. How do you define it in a more meaningful way?

Diego Olivero: For me, sustainability means supporting people and artisan communities, preserving historial craft knowledge, and making things that are meant to last with responsible materials.

IRK: How do you, through MESO, avoid turning cultural heritage into a trend?

Diego Olivero: It is important to stay engaged with the communities that hold that heritage. Authenticity comes from understanding the history, participating in creation, and appreciating and acknowledging the makers.

IRK: Your work crosses furniture, interiors, installations, and public projects. What connects all these different forms?

Diego Olivero: They all explore how design can create connection—between people, places, materials, and stories. I don’t limit myself. 

IRK: The Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó project transformed hundreds of homes through traditional color and pattern. What did that experience teach you about design’s social impact?

Diego Olivero: This is a bigger example of my cultural and community work. It showed me that design can strengthen identity and pride across socioeconomic and geographic boundaries. Sometimes the most powerful transformation is cultural, not physical.

IRK: During NY Design Week, your work was presented at Clic Tribeca. What did you want the New York audience to understand about the exhibition?

Diego Olivero: That craft is not a relic of the past. It’s an active living practice that continues to be viable at the highest levels of contemporary design. This remains true when paired with evolution and innovation.

IRK: The Clic presentation included recycled glass pieces made with artisans in Guadalajara. How did the material’s past life shape the final objects?

Diego Olivero: The history of the material became part of the design. We embraced its imperfections and let parts of previous life remain visible in the finished, imperfect pieces.

IRK: Looking ahead, what kind of future do you want design to help create?

Diego Olivero: A future where creativity generates opportunity for designers and makers, where cultural knowledge is valued and rewarded. In addition, design contributes to a more connected world.

---