Mexico City’s melting pot full of esteemed art, world-renown dining, and dynamic culture has inspired the birth of a new fashion scene in Latin America. The strength of Mexico’s Luxury goods industry is thanks to its ability to serve luxury consumers with both high-end products and experiences. The city’s design boom began in the late 2010s with a migration of creatives infusing their years of expertise and craft into the culture. The large influx of foreign designers came from established fashion capitals including New York, Berlin, Paris, and London. The ultimate turning point in establishing Mexico City’s position on the fashion map was Purple Magazine’s Mexico issue in September 2021, which highlighted young local brands based in Mexico City such as Sánchez-Kane, Blobb, and Scent.
This spotlight on Mexico City, or La Ciudad de México, brought about a shift from Latin American people being influenced by European standards, to prestige European fashion houses, such as Dior, taking influence from Mexico’s vibrant culture. Maria Grazia Chiuri (creative director of Dior) said that “in Mexico, there are many sources of inspiration; from surrealism to artistic expressions”. Her appreciation of Mexican art began at a young age when she saw a Frida Kahlo exhibit in Rome as a teenager. The effect of seeing a strong and engaging female artist stayed with her as a designer and led to Dior’s latest cruise show being inspired by some of Mexico’s most famous artists, both Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Additionally, Mexican designer Patricio Campillo also began by looking towards Europe for inspiration, but eventually went back to his “charro” (a type of Mexican cowboy) roots, allowing him to bring alive stories from Mexico.
Sánchez-Kane “Latino Couture”
Bella Hadid wearing Blabb Jewelry
Mexico’s design influence stems from its colorful roots, including lots of symbolism and inspiration from the food and music. Jess Gutiérrez, Elle Mexico’s fashion direction, describes the atmosphere of the city as “unpredictable”, stating how the people here are proud of their origins, a factor setting them apart from the rest of the world. Furthermore, Mexican model Tindi Mar, who has graced the cover of French and Mexican Vogue, always pays tribute to her Mexican heritage during fashion week by wearing garments made by Mexican artists due to their magic and symbolistic attributes. Mexican garments have the ability to stand out for their craftmanship, often handmade, along with vibrant colors inspired from the traditional vestments.
In recent years, more local shops are popping up all over the city, further inspiring visitations from people all over the world. Among these are Onora, a go to spot for home goods from local artisans, and Yakampot, a women’s shop that collaborates with local producers. Clearly, the city’s strength is thanks to its collaboration with local talents that offer unique products and experiences. One can pair a day of shopping for handmade and exclusive products with art experiences such as the Zona Maco event (the largest art fair in latin America), or visit one of the largest archeological collections at Museo Nacional de Antropología. Mexico City’s world renown food scene, which Food and Wine named the number 1 best international city for food in 2023, further attracts a large and growing crowd of visitors each year. With this combination, the city has charmed different groups such as Vogue’s Forces of Fashion. Mexico City, one of three locations for this event, hosted a panel discussing the most relevant issues impacting and redefining the fashion industry during a brunch and other networking spaces.
There is no doubt that the fashion scene is on an upward climb, with the luxury market’s steady growth contributing to healthy competition and expanded product range. The locals are delighted to see the flourishing style scene in their already vibrant and relevant culture hub. Their next step includes putting a greater spotlight with worldwide attention on their fashion week to promote local artists. Nevertheless, the subtle hints of influence from Mayan architecture, along with the high value in craftmanship, are carving a path for the capital of Mexico towards an even bigger and exciting wave of growth to put it on the fashion map.
by Anika Villasenor Gonzalez
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