The company’s latest collection, crafted from onyx, exudes refined elegance.
Onyx sconces, part of the DBH 02 collection from Mexican design studio Bandido.
Six years ago, after working together on a student project through Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey, Alejandro Campos and Joel Rojas decided to launch their own design studio, cheekily named Bandido. The finalized school project—the compact, dimmable CTR 02 table lamp—was the jumping-off point for the company, which has grown in size (associate partner Ana Martinez joined in 2017), as well as aesthetic maturity over the past six years.
A pendant and wall sconce from the new DBH 02 collection.
“The concept of Bandido seeks the duality that has to do with light and shadow,” Rojas says. “We visualize lighting transforming spaces into concepts that promote wellness and seek to design and produce high-quality products that can transcend time and generate a circular and local economy through the different artisanal and semi-industrial processes.”
Working from a 16th-century hacienda in Puebla, Mexico, Bandido embraces a creative approach that involves experimenting with material combinations. “[We are] looking for those special characteristics that make materials express their nature, history, and composition,” Rojas explains. “Part of the process is to mix different materials, textures, light, and contrasts that fit these design concepts.”
“Light can transform atmospheres, spaces, moods, textures, and materials.” —Ana Martinez, Bandido
Images from the production process.
The recently launched DBH 02 collection, which includes pendants and sconces, started out as an exploration of onyx, a simple material that glows warmly to create a serene, calming atmosphere.
A group of DBH 02 Colgante pendants grouped together to make a candelier-like lighting installation.
“Each onyx piece tells a different story through its unique composition of veins and coloration of the material,” Martinez says. Bandido works with local craftspeople with a long tradition of working with the material to achieve elegant, artistic lighting forms. These partnerships are a cornerstone of the company’s ethos, which seeks to celebrate and empower the local economy.
“Mexico is a country rich in textures, flavors, aromas, colors, and materials,” Rojas notes. “We are always looking to reference the context and country in which we live. That's why we work with families who are experts in materials because we want to showcase their work and the richness of Mexico.”