Our Story

How We Got Started

ZOCALO (formerly known as LOVEleigh Designs) was founded 7 years ago in Mexico, by Morgan Leigh. At the time Morgan had started her clothing company 3 years prior, where she hand sewed pieces herself, made out of limited edition fabrics she sourced while working on humanitarian aid projects in developing countries.

Open in 2014, Morgan’s dreams of a shared space for local artisans started to take shape. Beginning with only her designs and two local talented Mexican women, who were making jewelry + yoga mats, Morgan opened her flagship store in Pescadero in 2014. Flash forward, the second ZOCALO store was opened in late 2020.

The purpose of this store is different from most stores you will encounter. Everything in these jam-packed little shops, give back to someone, in some way. Everything is ethical, fair trade, and socially responsible. On top of this, a portion of every sale is donated to three local charities Morgan works with personally, see below!

Our Founder

Morgan Leigh

Morgan started ZOCALO as a social enterprise, to help give back to the incredible communities in Baja where she fell in love with the rugged beauty of the Mexican desert. With a background in Human Rights + International Relations, Morgan wanted to start something not only to encourage those talented artisans around her to thrive, but also to help those in the community in need.

At ZOCALO Morgan strives to not only offer local Mexican artisans a space to showcase their products, but also to encourage collaboration, promote preservation of ancient traditional techniques with a modern twist, and to honour and celebrate the Mexican community.

Our Ethos

Craftsmanship

The majority of our brands and pieces are Mexican made (with a few of our favourite ethical international brands). We promote and celebrate ancient generational traditions of weaving, dying, and making. With a modern day spin these Mexican artisans (I often calls Wizards, as their talents are second to none!) fuse the perfect combination of old meets new, to deliver and incredibly unique, and stunning product.

Culture

Something that runs deep in Mexico, and something that we celebrate whole-heartedly at ZOCALO. We believe culture is to be respected, cherished, and enjoyed. Our variety of Mexican artisans, as well as a few cameo’s from special international makers, makes ZOCALO a melting pot the celebration of culture, traditions and makers themselves.

Community

ZOCALO stand for “meeting place” it is often called “El Centro” in many cities and villages across Mexico. We feel our meeting place draws in makers, story tellers, the ethically minded, and those looking for something more from the pieces they buy. On behalf of you, the buyer, we donate a portion of every sale (in store and online) directly back into our community.

We believe wholeheartedly in

Giving Back

Not only do we work directly with the artisans to help generate an income for them and their families, but a portion of every sale is donated back into our Baja community, to those in need.

We currently support: A local dog rescue, Dog Prana (@DogPrana); a local recycling center, Punto Verde (ecorrrevolucion.org); and a Non-Profit, Ecorrrevolucíon AC (Punto Verde) (@PadrinoChildrensFoundation), which helps children in Todos Santos gain access to necessary medicines, surgeries and therapies. We also help fund projects for individuals in need in our area.

Shop some of our favourites