The Real Story Behind Mexico City’s TikTok It Girl Bag — A Daughter’s Promise and the Family Legacy Behind the Viral Purses

If you haven’t heard of the TikTok It Girl bag, you haven’t been paying attention. These bejeweled, handcrafted purses dominated feeds last summer, with influencer after influencer gleefully flaunting their Mexico City market hauls. And at the center of it all? A gem of a bag so striking, it became an instant obsession — putting Arte y Diseño Torres on the social media map.

Deep in the belly of San Ángel’s El Bazar Sábado at the Tianguis Artesanal San Jacinto, a humble table draped with a black cloth is laden with gleaming purses, cuffs, rings, trinket boxes and more. Lean in closer, and you’ll find each golden treasure adorned with stunning designs of semi-precious gemstones.

But it was the bags, with their one-of-a-kind look, that unexpectedly captured the attention of TikTok influencers around the world — becoming both a symbol of Mexican craftsmanship and social media chic.

The Heart of the Craft

But TikTok was far from the beginning for Arte y Diseño Torres. Thirty-seven years ago, family patriarch Marino Antonio Torres Hernández began handcrafting these innovative bags in his workshop. Focused on creating exclusive and distinctive designs, he led a dedicated team that brought his vision to life.

When Torres Hernández passed away due to COVID-19, his daughter Gabriela Torres Zaragoza took over the family business. “He passed his knowledge down to me,” Torres Zaragoza says. “I’ve been involved in the design, production and sale of bags for four years.”

A doctor by day, Torres Zaragoza is an artisan at heart. She knew that carrying on her father’s legacy was her calling.

“What inspired me was the effort, dedication and hard work my father put in to create innovative designs,” she says. “Since this is an artesanal craft and 100 percent handmade, no two bags are exactly alike. Each one is a truly unique product.”

Upon taking the reins, Torres Zaragoza revamped the sizes, shapes and designs of the products, breathing new life into the brand with a fresher, more modern look.

Family Craftsmanship at its Core

The seven-person team, plus Torres Zaragoza, runs the family business — five in the workshop, two in sales. Her mother, Antonieta Zaragoza Torres, and Jesús Casanova handle sales and customer service. In the workshop, Pedro Zurita leads as manager, with Germán Zurita overseeing production. Leticia Chaparro and Esteban Zurita craft the bezels, while Eulalio Suárez polishes each bag. Torres Zaragoza manages materials, coordination, process design and public sales.

The meticulous process of crafting one of these time-honored works of art begins by defining the size, shape and style of the bag. Torres Zaragoza then carefully selects stones or pearls based on their color, shape and rarity. She sources them from Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru and the United States.

Next, the base of the bag is cut, and the walls are shaped by hammering them from the inside out against a wooden base. The team uses three metals sourced from Taxco: alpaca, an alloy made of copper, nickel and zinc, forms the base; brass to seal the parts together; and copper for the bezels that hold the stones and pearls.

Once the stones or pearls are set into bezels, the bag’s walls and parts are welded together. It’s immersed in acid to whiten the metal, dried and polished. The stones or pearls are mounted in the final step.

Crafting each bag takes between three and four days.

Becoming the It Bag

While Arte y Diseño Torres had already built a thriving family business and loyal clientele, there’s no denying that TikTok catapulted the company into the global spotlight. Yet the bags’ appeal remains rooted in a Mexican craftsmanship that spans generations. Each piece reflects the passion and dedication of a family business built from the ground up.

“In July 2024, an influencer from the United States asked for my permission to record a video of my bags for her TikTok,” Torres Zaragoza notes. “After that, a significant number of buyers told me they had seen my bags on TikTok and wanted to purchase one. To this day, there is always someone who mentions that.”

As demand surged, the team worked to increase production while carefully scheduling deliveries, especially for international shipments. But even with strategic planning, the bags remain difficult to secure. “If you don’t get here by 9:30 am, we’re already sold out,” Casanova says, reflecting on the bag frenzy.

A common refrain is that customers fly to Mexico City specifically to purchase the bags. “Most people tell me they’ve seen my bags on TikTok and come all the way here for the sole purpose of buying one of our creations,” Torres Zaragoza says.

“Someone from London recently came to pick up a bag. My strongest customer base is in the United States, but his girlfriend saw me on TikTok. The power of social media!”

From Father to Daughter — Preserving A Legacy

While TikTok propelled Arte y Diseño Torres to international fame, the mission to preserve and honor the family legacy remains unchanged. “It’s a great satisfaction to know that people love the work we do,” Torres Zaragoza tells PaperCity. “I receive many compliments from buyers. Their comments highlight how beautiful the work is, how unique it feels and how they’ve never seen anything like it.”

Torres Zaragoza feels immense pride in being part of a family of Mexican artisans, whose work has been carried out with effort, dedication and love for years. “We are now known in many parts of the world,” she says with a deep sense of fulfillment.

Although every design is one-of-a-kind, thanks to the variety of stones and gems, Torres Zaragoza has a special connection to one bag in particular: the rectangular pearl bag.

“It’s an elegant and understated piece, but above all, it was my father’s favorite design,” she says. “It marks the beginning of his family craft project — the one that launched our family business. Now it’s the design I carry forward in his memory.”

Torres Zaragoza’s bond with this piece not only highlights the artistry behind each bag but also underscores the deep, personal history that continues to guide the family business. As she leads the team today, this connection to the past remains at the heart of their work.

Every bag sold is a reminder of the smile, warmth and generosity with which her father ran the workshop, always sharing his knowledge with the team.

With Torres Zaragoza at the helm, the future is sparkling for the family legacy. She and the rest of the family remain committed to preserving the traditions passed down through generations. “Our upcoming plans include creating new bag designs,” Torres Zaragoza says. “However, while the bags have gone viral, we also offer other products such as bracelets, rings, necklaces, jewelry boxes and decorative crosses.”

Plans also include creating a direct sales channel to the United States and training additional family members to meet increasing demand.

To view current Arte y Diseño Torres designs or to buy your own piece of Mexican artisanal history, go here.