Diotima
Emerging · $700–$1200 · New York, United States
Handwoven crochet and tailoring rooted in Jamaican craft, where heritage technique becomes the structure.
Think: Caribbean craft, sensual form
The buy: the crocheted dress
What to buy
the crocheted dress
Categories
Occasions
Sustainability
Why Diotima is worth it
Diotima turns handmade Jamaican crochet into sensual, grown-up ready-to-wear, set against tailoring sharp enough to hold its own.
Every collection is built on crochet worked by hand in Jamaica, used for net dresses, trims and panels running down a trouser leg, then played against tailoring in UK tweeds and Italian wools. Hand finishing does the rest: crystal-studded mesh, visible hand stitching, intarsia drawn from Caribbean art. The pieces read as Caribbean without a single cliché, and they feel made rather than merely designed.
Diotima picks
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About Diotima
Rachel Scott, born in Kingston, Jamaica, spent years designing in Milan and New York before founding Diotima in 2021. It began with Jamaican crochet artisans who lost their tourist trade in the pandemic: she turned their starched, doily-style work into clothes.
The name comes from Plato's Symposium, where Diotima teaches Socrates about love. Three years after its debut, the label took home a CFDA award as American womenswear designer of the year.
- Founded
- 2021
- Founded by
- Rachel Scott
- Based in
- New York, United States
- Made in
- Crochet handmade in Jamaica, other pieces in New York, India, China and Italy
- Made of
- Cotton crochet and knits, wool tailoring, viscose, silk and crystal-trimmed mesh
- Shipping
- Ships across the US, with returns accepted within 14 days on a label the brand sends; it also ships internationally, but international orders are final sale.
- Where to buy
- Diotima's own site · Our Diotima picks
What shoppers say
From reviews and try-on videos, in our words.
- Fit
Sizes run 1 to 4, which the brand maps to US XS through L. Stockist fit notes call the crochet styles true to size with a slim cut, and the brand answers sizing questions by email before you order.
- Where it's made
The crochet is made by hand in Jamaica, even on pieces finished elsewhere: trousers sewn in New York, sandals made in Italy. Much of the tailoring is made in New York, while some shirts, blazers and crystal-mesh styles come from India or China.
- Care
Almost everything is dry clean only, and the knits should dry flat and be stored folded rather than hung.
- Returns
US orders can come back within 14 days, unworn with tags, and the brand emails a return label once it approves the request. International orders are final sale, so settle the size first.
What Diotima is made of
Cotton · Wool · Viscose
- Natural
- 68%
- Plant-based
- 16%
- Synthetic
- 16%
Works most in: cotton, wool and viscose
From the fabric listed on 91 pieces · 99% of the range lists it · Checked October 2026
Diotima in our edits
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Diotima, answered
- What is Diotima?
- Diotima is a New York womenswear label by Jamaican-born designer Rachel Scott, known for crochet made by hand in Jamaica, set against sharp tailoring and hand embellishment.
- Is Diotima a good brand?
- Yes. We like it for real craft: every collection rests on handmade Jamaican crochet, the tailoring is cut from UK tweeds and Italian wools, and the label won the CFDA's American Womenswear Designer of the Year award in 2024.
- Who founded Diotima?
- Rachel Scott, a designer born in Kingston, Jamaica, founded Diotima in 2021 after years designing in Milan and New York.
- Where is Diotima from?
- Diotima is a New York label, designed and made between New York and Jamaica.
- Where is Diotima made?
- It varies by piece. The crochet is made in Jamaica, much of the tailoring in New York, and other pieces in India or China; the crochet sandals are made in Italy.
- Does Diotima run true to size?
- Mostly, yes. Sizes run 1 to 4 (US XS to L), and stockist notes call its crochet styles true to size with a slim fit.
- Does Diotima ship internationally?
- Yes, but international orders are final sale and can't be returned, so check sizing with the brand first. US orders can be returned within 14 days.
- Where can I buy Diotima?
- On the brand's own site, or through our Diotima picks.
- What is Diotima made of?
- Across the 91 Diotima pieces we could read in October 2026, about 68% of the fabric is natural fibers, 16% plant-based fibers like viscose and 16% synthetic. The most common fabrics are cotton, wool and viscose.
- Which brands are like Diotima?
- If you like Diotima, look at Gabrielle Venguer, Azulu, Kris Goyri and Padova.