Tramando at Designers: Martín Churba’s Surrealist Party

By Lucia Levy

A huge metallic Orwell eye was watching Cronopios Room at Centro Cultural Recoleta. Beyond, an enormous coffin caught the attention of those who were waiting for Martin Churba’s fashion show. At the corner, a structure with cylindrical brushes resembling those of car washes was guests’ favorite spot  to take selfies. The surrealist touch was in a pair of woman legs pedalling a bike going nowhere while a red carpet added a dose of glamour, and at the back, a podium blessed with a cross made of screens was the perfect image to complete the scene.

All these artworks are part of “Naturaleza Muerta/Still Life”, the exhibition of Doma, an artistic group that showed unknown works for the first time in ten years in Argentina. Surrounded by these artworks, the models showed Tramando SS19 Collection, “Ensayo sobre croma líquido/Test on liquid chroma”.

Both the catwalk and the music reflected Churba’s artistic and unorthodox style. Models arose  from the coffin, walked through the flashes of the red carpet and then arrived to the podium from where they then came out renewed out of the brushes: Churba primped them there. Music, on its part, was a nostalgic mashup of electronic beats coming out from a Nokia 1100 cellphone, the snake game, MSN and Mario Bros. A vintage sign that contrasted with Doma’s staging.

Churba’s creations can be distinguished from far away. Trendy colors such as yellow, lilac and metal were at the center of the collection. The skill of the designer with textiles, specially with irregular dresses is striking and it can be perfectly seen in his SS19. Protagonists were outfits, such as a pair of white oversize bermudas and blazer with black and blue brush strokes; a powder coral waist-deep jacket and pants; and the favorite of the night: an oversize pant with a really long patchwork jacket.

Enjoy.