For centuries, Mexico’s culture and customs have given the nation’s northern neighbors some serious life. I thought there was nothing more I could ask from the homeland of all that is good—from tacos to tequila, Frida to Selena—but I was wrong. For their first collection, TRUSS founders, leg-end-ar-y (insert the clapping emoji at every syllable break) OC alumna, and all around homegirls Gillian Tozer and Elise Durbecq have partnered with a group of weavers in Oaxaca, Mexico to produce a series of bold custom bags based on the region’s traditional market totes. On a visit back to Elise’s native Mexico City, the pair fell in love with the Southwestern Mexican community’s killer carry-all, immediately picturing its vibrant colors, geometric patterns, and straight-up sturdiness a part of every girl’s life back in New York City. But beyond the bags’ quality and aesthetic, TRUSS is all about the preservation of Oaxaca’s artisanal network, and supporting those who help it thrive by donating a portion of their profits.
Realizing that not everyone has had the gift of watching the pair drain a couple Mezcals before launching into a karaoke duet of Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” I figured I better let y'all get to know the hilarious TRUSS team, too. After shooting at FAO Schwartz, I caught up with Gillian and Elise about how they became best friends, texting via Tinder, and the best places to stay tipsy in Mexico City.
Shop TRUSS Here
EMILY MANNING: What do you guys do, outside of TRUSS?
GILLIAN TOZER: I’m a content director. Basically, I create and produce photos and words for digital platforms—it's fun and I feel very lucky to do what I do.
ELISE DURBECQ: I design spaces—mostly sets and retail, among other things. I also love my job! It’s such a thrill to see your ideas come to life, and it’s really hands on.
How did you guys meet?
ED: Opening Ceremony! We never actually worked together as we were in separate offices, but we had mutual friends, notably Anna Mackenzie.
GT: I was having my, um, "twenty-first" birthday party at Tatiana (a Russian cabaret in Brighton Beach that's a little like Cirque du Soleil on a shoestring) and I thought, I need fun people to come to this. So, I just asked Elise to come and we started hanging out after that.
ED: Let’s just say, it was love at first BYO vodka shot.
If you had to describe the one another using only three emojis, what would they be?
GT: That's really hard 'cause Elise is A LOT of things: Let’s go with, winky smiley face with tongue out + two beers clinking + the “perfect” hand emoji
ED: Definitely cry-laugh face + the monkey sitting + the Pina Colada!
What do you guys like to do together?
GT: We really like talking about SNL [and] relaying our favorite skits. This season past we died a million deaths over the SoCal skit...
ED: "It's just a kicker dude..."
GT: ROFL. We’re constantly fantasizing about quitting our jobs (but not TRUSS) so that we can focus on becoming SNL script writers.
ED: We are
Realizing that not everyone has had the gift of watching the pair drain a couple Mezcals before launching into a karaoke duet of Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” I figured I better let y'all get to know the hilarious TRUSS team, too. After shooting at FAO Schwartz, I caught up with Gillian and Elise about how they became best friends, texting via Tinder, and the best places to stay tipsy in Mexico City.
Shop TRUSS Here
EMILY MANNING: What do you guys do, outside of TRUSS?
GILLIAN TOZER: I’m a content director. Basically, I create and produce photos and words for digital platforms—it's fun and I feel very lucky to do what I do.
ELISE DURBECQ: I design spaces—mostly sets and retail, among other things. I also love my job! It’s such a thrill to see your ideas come to life, and it’s really hands on.
How did you guys meet?
ED: Opening Ceremony! We never actually worked together as we were in separate offices, but we had mutual friends, notably Anna Mackenzie.
GT: I was having my, um, "twenty-first" birthday party at Tatiana (a Russian cabaret in Brighton Beach that's a little like Cirque du Soleil on a shoestring) and I thought, I need fun people to come to this. So, I just asked Elise to come and we started hanging out after that.
ED: Let’s just say, it was love at first BYO vodka shot.
If you had to describe the one another using only three emojis, what would they be?
GT: That's really hard 'cause Elise is A LOT of things: Let’s go with, winky smiley face with tongue out + two beers clinking + the “perfect” hand emoji
ED: Definitely cry-laugh face + the monkey sitting + the Pina Colada!
What do you guys like to do together?
GT: We really like talking about SNL [and] relaying our favorite skits. This season past we died a million deaths over the SoCal skit...
ED: "It's just a kicker dude..."
GT: ROFL. We’re constantly fantasizing about quitting our jobs (but not TRUSS) so that we can focus on becoming SNL script writers.
ED: We are