Trobat is far from being just a store. It’s a meeting point for emerging artisans founded on encouragement and respect for creation. The digital concept store established by Dolli Taylor blurs the boundaries of the art world. Weaving a network of artisans from around the world, the platform built on the concept of community - more necessary than ever in a market defined by competitiveness and accelerated pace - is committed to consolidating an online experience accompanied by physical events. A stunning 360-degree trip to congregate and meet like-minded individuals.
Having worked for twelve years as a marketing director, publicist and agency director for world-renowned luxury fashion and lifestyle brands and talents, Mallorca-based Australian Dolli Taylor is a collector. She explains “my curation of artisans I discover it is what I love and think others will love.” Trobat has already held two in-person events with a great reception in Mallorca, but its founder has told us the project is going abroad next year with different locations around the world. Stay tuned!
Dolli, nice to meet you! Before we get into your Trobat project, I'd like you to introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Dolli. I’m a mum to two teen step kids, one newborn baby boy and a French bulldog fur baby. I’m also a businesswoman and a collector. I have an obsessive personality, I’m notorious for too many words and I love Mexican food. Oh, and my star sign is Pisces, it’s supposed to mean something.
Originally from Australia and based in Mallorca, you define your project as “an all-encompassing ethos that celebrates the art of the find.” A concept built on the magic of discovery and where creativity becomes a fundamental pillar. What exactly does this initiative consist of and when did you decide to undertake the project?
I’ve always had a burning desire to do something like this as I’ve often found myself being a champion of the undiscovered—though I never made a move. A few years ago, I changed most things in my life and moved to Mallorca, Spain: a creative and philanthropic mecca. The change was the best thing I’ve ever done but it did not come without its challenges: I’ve learnt who I truly am, and what I truly want out of life. This beautiful island and these challenges inspired me to take the step towards my true passion, Trobat, a home for emerging artisans. It is a digital concept store showcasing art from a global network of undiscovered artisans, we ship worldwide.
I imagine your relationship with the artistic universe goes back years. Tell us, what have you studied and how did you first encounter art? Is there any creative discipline that you particularly love?
I actually studied for a business degree majoring in marketing and communications. In school, I studied art for my final year but this was only one subject out of many, so I am definitely not a certified art expert and I will never claim to be! It is less about art itself and more about the art of collecting, curating and telling stories of unearthed talented people. Collecting is in my bloodline and definitely has been influenced by my mum and dad - my childhood home was an eclectic maze à la Alice in Wonderland, thanks to my father’s insatiable love for antiques, and my interior designer mother’s sharp creative eye. My dad would find the collectable antiques and my mum would find the right places for them in our home, from there my passion was born. Trobat is my curation of artisans I discover, it is what I love and think others will love.
In Trobat you bring together the work of an eclectic mix of artisans from all around the world, coming from different artistic fields such as sculpture, ceramics or textiles. How do you find these artists and what is the process like from the moment you contact them to when you start working with them?
For me it is all about the art of the find, the journey to find these artists and to bring them into the Trobat family. In my career, I have been fortunate enough to travel to all corners of the globe and whilst there inevitably seeking out some hidden artists’ studio or boutique ceramics store as soon as my plane touches down! It started there but during Covid all I had as a tool was social media. I used Instagram as a tool to explore the undiscovered. Based on my obsessive searching, Instagram has learned to curate suggested profiles for me, and most of the time I go down the Instagram rabbit hole I come out with a bounty of hidden gems, each with its own story. I then reach out to the artisans, explain the Trobat vision, and cross my fingers hoping they wish to collaborate! The turnaround time will probably surprise people, I came up with Trobat one day and within 2 months I launched the website with 8 artisans and held a pop-up event to showcase their exclusive collections. I never work longer than 2 months lead time for adding new artisans, usually, I pull everything together for the event and the new collections in about 6 weeks. It may be short but it’s very intense.
The term craftsmanship appears in many conversations, and there are many brands that talk about championing craftsmanship. But it seems that some take advantage of this word to promote a marketing strategy that is not entirely true. What exactly is craftsmanship?
If these brands aren’t working with people who hand-make pieces with each piece being unique, then they are not using the term craftsmanship correctly. I agree many brands are token in their approach -talking about craftsmanship and claiming to be artisanal-, but then when you look at their offering you can buy multiple identical products and that is the opposite of what craftsmanship means.
Your project is defined as a digital concept store. Is it vital for all these types of initiatives to have an online presence and facilitate access to information and purchases through a website and social media?
For our business, our online community is equally as important as our physical in-person community. Why? Because they are all lovers of the concept and support the brand in different ways.
However, you accompany your online presence with pop-ups converted into meeting places for artisans and art lovers, making the events authentic immersive experiences, right?
Our model is to create a unique online and offline in-person experiences always thinking about how we can offer something unique to our clients. We create these for the creative community to be able to congregate and meet like-minded individuals, but also we create the event in a way that we are not exclusive and every one no matter their level of art influence, knowledge or interest can feel welcomed to come and enjoy. Come one, come all, we are not an exclusive club, art is for everyone to enjoy.
After the success of the inaugural Casa Trobat collection, you decided to organise a second pop-up event in Mallorca to celebrate the new collection under the name In Colour. How has the feedback from this second event been and what conclusions do you draw?
I felt a huge relief as soon as we opened the second edition of Casa Trobat, as it meant we had another event with incredibly strong attendance. It was validating for me, it wasn't just a fluke the first time. People genuinely loved our event experience and were returning for the second time. Plus I met many people at the second event that were there for their first time because someone who had attended the previous event told them they absolutely must come as the experiences Trobat create are unique.
Hannah Simpson, Mariadela Aurajo, Alfonso Reyes and Monika Gardyla were some of the six new guest artists in this collection, joining the eight debuting artisans in the debut collection. What do they all have in common and what makes them different?
In common, they each have a uniqueness about their art, each with something different that caught my eye. They are all unapologetically themselves and their art reflects this. For example, Hannah caught my eye with her quirkiness which you can see in the abstract shapes and the objects she creates, the form and the theme. I am especially in love with her little monsters. Oh, and what makes them different is exactly the same thing, their uniqueness.
Alfonso Reyes
I would like to know more about the Wanderings section of your website, where we find advice and recommendations to visit cities like Barcelona, Montevideo or Lisbon, among many others, from a special artistic interest.
Our customers can intimately get to know our artisans who take readers on a digital written and visual guided tour of their home city, this part is known as Wanderings. As artisans lead deeply creative lives, we take their travel recommendations as gospel, whether it’s the off-the-beaten-track monastery that is worth taking a three-hour hike to uncover, the neon-lit dive bar with the best martinis in the city, or the bolt hole art gallery that only locals know about, under Wanderings we deliver a comprehensive directory to far-flung locales from around the world, with recommendations approved by the artists who live there. We made it easy to navigate, so the idea is that someone can take a trip last minute to Lisbon, Portugal and decide they want to go to a restaurant and in a quick click they can see a carefully curated list of the best places to eat by clicking the city, then filtering by the restaurant.
In addition, the importance you give to the information shared by each of the participating artists is evident. The platform facilitates access to creative profiles, where they share their sources of inspiration, their relationship with art or their main references. Is it important to give access to this information contained in the final works to the final consumer?
Absolutely, it is essential to profile the artisans, not just sell their pieces. Selling their product and providing them exposure to help them grow is equally important. My goal was not only to create an e-commerce business, my intentions were pure, that is, to create a platform for the artisans that profiles them and provides them great exposure which can help them grow exponentially. And for the consumer, it provides them with the artist's story so if they buy some of their art, they know the artist.
And what are the most repeated questions you receive from curious people who want to know more about Trobat?
“How can I be a Trobat artisan?” I have been overwhelmed by the number of artisans that want to become part of our family, we are creating a real community and movement and I feel so honoured that such a talented network of artisans want to be a part of my creation. The response was so amazing that I had to create an application system so we don’t miss any coming through. Artisans can apply here.
You have also launched Trobat Casa, a line of household items that preserves the original spirit of the project, right?
I sure have! Our evolution, as people, is often reflected in our living spaces. Treasures collected on far-flung travels, well-thumbed books that changed our perspective, one-off furniture pieces snagged at a flea market and lovingly carried home. At Trobat, the home is the centre of our universe. The art we sell is intended to be added to the fold of your interior life, hung proudly, viewed and loved. It is in this ethos that I create Trobat Casa, an eclectic line of homewares instilled with the Trobat spirit. Ranging from hand-crafted ceramics created by me to a collection of natural linens.
And what are your future plans? Would you like to organise pop-ups in other cities or countries beyond Mallorca?
I have a lot of plans - my mind never stops. I will continue to host regular unique experiences where art is at the epicentre but we mix it with fashion, food, music and more. These will range from larger scale pop up events, like our one in October through to smaller more curated events with live art installations. Currently, they are taking place in Mallorca, but it will become a travelling experience next year with different locations around the world. I also have a dream to have a permanent Casa Trobat here in Mallorca, oh and a coffee table book (shoot for the stars to land on the moon!). I am looking forward to the future and whatever it brings for Trobat, myself and our incredible artisans.
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