By Leandro Infante
Latin America has an endless list of charms that are admired all around the world, however little is known about its creative platform, especially that related to fashion and design.
That’s why in Le Banana we’ll go through some Latin American countries and show you its best fashion talents.
COLOMBIA
Two firms that stress elegance and details embracing quality and style stand out in Colombia. Both of them create thinking of multitasking woman who always needs to look good and feel comfortable.
Carrizosa:
Carlo Carrizosa is a fashion designer characterized by his ready-to-wear luxury style, as he himself defines it. He is the favorite creator of the most important It girls and celebrities of that country. Hi designs show a relaxed elegance and it can be easily seen that behind each piece of clothing there is a handmade work. Carrisoza, a Parsons’ graduate, holds to simple materials such as cotton and gives them a sartorial style; and it is there where we see that subtle luxury that make his designs be perfect both for day and for night.
M2Malletier: @m2malletier
Behind this firm there is the story of two friends that got together and created one of the most important brands of the last fashion shows’ Street Style moments . Melissa Losada and Marcela Vélez were looking for something special and looking into old books and the illustrations of several medieval medical treatises they came across a straight and simple line that had the potential of becoming an icon.
That was muse to create an emblematic and unique purse with a totally different handle that is the favorite one of celebs such as Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift.
Three words define M2 malletier: surrealism, minimalism, and architecture; it is in that smart mixture of references where the firm emerges and builds up unique designs.
MEXICO
The colorful industry of this country adds geometrical shapes and an original rule-breaking style that also keeps the feminine touch from a classic and comfortable perspective.
Alejandra Quesada: @ale_quesada
The Mexican designer Alejandra Quesada uses prints, geometrical shapes and a great variety of colors in each one of her pieces. Alejandra targets a feminine, courageous, curious woman who enjoys comfort. It is a constant invitation to get dressed in a different way, to look for another style and other types of varieties within the huge Mexican fashion industry.
Sandra Weil: @sandraweilstudio
This brand is the result of the stories of two women. Sandra tries to find out the essence of the Mexican woman identity, using its strongest features. Whereas her partner, Maria, tries to connect and share experiences through each piece of clothing. Bothe of them created this project with the goal of make women shine through clothes. Their last inspiration? A trip to the 70’s is the idea behind their last collection.
Cihuah: @cihuah
It is the perfect fusion between fashion and architecture, its designer Vanessa Guckel, creates clothes for strong women who see fashion as a new way of expression and as distinctive strength.
Alfredo Martínez: @alfredomartinez_brand
Some people call hit he Latin Alexander Wang. And that’s because his shapes, designs and proposals are similar to those of the great American designer. But Martínez creates his own style with unique details: transparencies, hairnets, glitter and leather are some of the special things that this designer developed for his last collection.
OCELOTE: @ocelotenet
Both for women and for men, OCELOTE goes near mysticism, with no gender proposals that can be seen as unique pieces. The firm goes for comfort but also imposes a sober avant-garde elegance. In its last collection metallic colors are a must.
CHILE
AdeAntonio: @adeantonio
It is one of the most modern firms of the country. Unisex and with oversize shapes that are seen as artworks – since the firm has taken part in the most important contemporary art exhibitions. In its last collection, AdeAntonio gets into layering art in sober tones and finds in the 90’s a great source of inspiration.
Loraine Holmes: @loraineholmes_official
This Chilean designer graduated from the well-known Instituto Maragnoni of Milan and sees in Chile the ideal place to develop her fresh and avant-garde ideas. In her last collection she proposes a variety of light colors and wide sizes in which classic and modern style get mixed creating an interesting proposal.
Paola Thomson: @polathomson
Living in the United States but proudly Chilean, after having participated in New York Fashion Week, this designer set a turning point both in her career and in that of other Latin American designers. Contemporary and sophisticated: that’s how her last collection can be defined.
ARGENTINA
Among the Argentine firms that are emerging nowadays there are two elements to be highlighted: creativity and true freedom of expression that has finally found the place it has always deserved. Vanguardism and styles that are not determined by anyone or anything: those are the things that characterize contemporary national creators.
House Of Matching Colors: @houseofmatchingcolors
The end of the 80´s and the best of the 90’s have a great presence in House Of Matching Colors. Glitter and colors are the firm’s leitmotiv, which plays with superposition, and interventions with unknown materials. From unique pieces of clothing to accessories, the variety of HOMC is more that wide and original.
Vanesa Krongold: @vanesa_krongold
Eccentric, magical and funny. That’s how we define the firm of this Argentine designer. The color and a controversial timeless design are the central aspects of her collections, which are always characterized by vibrant colors and stamps.
Flockingbirds: @flockingbirds
90’s Sweet Grunge is successfully present in Flockingbird, a firm that plays with non-conventional materials to create absolutely non-conventional designs. Risky, sensual and daring: that’s how the clothes of this brand are like.
Bleach Shop: @bleachshop
Fresh and young but also clear and determined. Bleach Shop gives his first steps following the example of firms that have been turning points in fashion such as Nasty Gal and Alexander Wang.