By Erika Brown
Nearly 40 years ago, Livia Cowan turned her passion for travel and craftsmanship into Mariposa, a global brand known for handcrafted gifts and tableware. Based in Manchester, Mariposa is celebrated for its sustainability and high design. Last year, Livia opened Mariposa’s first retail store, Mariposa & Friends, a curated collection housed in a renovated historic barn on Elm Street. We sat down with Livia to discuss her decision to bring the company full circle—back home.
Q: You grew up in Gloucester, but it seems travel played a major role in your early life.
Livia Cowan: Well, I had a good start because my family was addicted to travel. My older sister hitchhiked around the world in 1969, sending us incredible letters from places like Italy, Turkey and even Cambodia—yes, in 1969! That sense of adventure seeped into me. By high school, I was studying abroad in Mexico, traveling the country with my sister in a camper, meeting artisans, and discovering craftsmanship firsthand. That experience laid the foundation for Mariposa.
Q: What was the turning point when you knew you wanted to turn these experiences into a business?
LC: It was a bit of a whirlwind. After briefly attending college in Mexico City, I realized I was more passionate about business than school! I joined my sister in New York, selling handcrafted items to high-end stores. Within a couple of years, I formalized the business and took it out on my own, setting up our first real warehouse in Gloucester. From there, we expanded, sourcing from artisans in Italy, France, Turkey, and the Czech Republic and always seeking out the best craftsmanship.
Q: Mariposa started with handcrafted goods from Mexico but evolved significantly. How did you decide what to expand into?
LC: It was organic. We started with glassware made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles, which I developed alongside Mexican glassblowers before sustainability was trendy.
It got picked up by stores like Gump’s and Neiman Marcus, which was huge. That success led us to explore new materials—ceramics from Italy, fine glassware from Europe. Over time, we expanded—always staying true to an idea of craftsmanship—into serveware and giftable items.
Q: Collaboration seems to be a big part of Mariposa’s DNA. How did you start working with designers like (artist) Michael Updike?
LC: Michael was an old classmate, and it all started with an ugly cast metal mirror I saw in Mexico that I just knew had potential. Michael took the idea of cast metal and sculpted our first pieces out of dental plaster—rabbits, seashells—and from there, we developed an entire line of sand-cast aluminum serveware. He was raised in a creative environment, with his father being the renowned author John Updike! Our collaborations, whether with Michael or other artists like Jilly Walsh and Elizabeth Barrett Roche, always have a sense of playfulness at their core.
Q: Playfulness is a great word …
LC: We’re always looking for ways to bring a wink into our designs.
Q: Last fall, you opened Mariposa & Friends. What led to that?
LC: Funny enough, it started during COVID. The downstairs space in our headquarters (a restored barn) was being used for storage, so we converted it into a showroom because we couldn’t attend trade shows. We started giving virtual tours, and sales skyrocketed. Then, last summer, we thought, “Wait—we own the space, the product, and we have a great team. Why not open it to the public?” And the Mariposa & Friends showroom was born.
Q: It’s more than just a store, then. It’s a showroom and an event space, yes?
LC: Yes. We carry Mariposa pieces alongside complementary brands like Caspari and Vietri—plus food and entertaining items like olive wood boards, table linens, gourmet salts. Earlier this month we hosted a wine and cheese night with two local partners, Nick Savignano’s Italian imports from Beverly Farms and Vin au Fromage in Wenham. The goal was to bring the community together and showcase artistry in a way that feels personal. It was amazing.
Q: And earlier this year you collaborated with J. McLaughlin for an event. What a great idea.
LC: They’re a natural fit. Our customers overlap, and these collaborations create a fun, social shopping experience. The event was on a freezing February night, but people came out, shopped, and connected. That’s the magic of retail done right.
Q: What trends are you personally excited about?
LC: There’s a move toward irreverence in gifting—things with a wink, a bit of sass. I love that. We’re bringing in fun, unexpected offerings like British matchboxes with cheeky sayings and Bong Appetit Cookbooks. It’s about personality, not just utility.
Q: What’s next for Mariposa?
LC: More collaborations, more in-person experiences, and staying true to what we do best: beautifully crafted, meaningful designs that bring joy to everyday life.
