Five Mexican fashion designers you need to know

Born in Merida, Mexico, Barbara Sánchez-Kane is known for menswear that makes bold statements, specifically about Mexican stereotypes, gender norms, our own relationships with our nature and form, and often all three. “Macho Sentimental” is the red thread that connects many of her collections, unbuckling the confines and hard edges of masculine tailoring with soft drapes and curves, culminating in a gender-fluid, unisex clothing brand that doubles as performance art. Her fashions have come to be appreciated not on runways but among the art circuit at galleries and exhibition spaces, eschewing models walking down an elevated platform for tantalizing performance art and installations like XYZ.

Like Sánchez-Kane, Georgina Treviño’s fashion brand doubles as cultural commentary, often finding itself integrated into national and international art exhibitions. Many of her small-run collections recontextualize the fixtures that have come to define both Cholo and rave kid fashion: doorknocker earrings cemented in gravel (a collaboration with artist Ozzie Juarez), curated vintage jewelry from the ’90s and ’00s presented on gold plates with Spanish descriptions like “Mi Primer Piercing” or “Aretes Finos,” “Charro” boot pins with septum piercings. Born in Tijuana but based in San Diego, Trevino has created custom pieces for a number of celebrities, including Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, Camila Cabello and Lady Gaga.

Though he founded his eponymous label 15 years ago, all eyes turned to Roberto Sánchez when Bad Bunny sported a stark white look stamped with a crying baby clown. From that moment on, the “Payasito” would become a publicly iconic marker in the Mexican designer's story, though it had appeared in his designs five years prior. Sanchez creates avant-garde, one-of-a-kind pieces sold both online and at his Roma-based boutique HI-BYE, which Vogue named Mexico City’s Coolest Concept Store in 2020. He is part of a new wave of designers within the nation’s capital that are redefining what fashion means.

Chicago pride sweeps through the Windy City, and thanks to Emmanuel Cabrera’s Gente Fina, Chicagoans wear theirs on their sleeves. The moniker is stamped on T-shirts, towels and varsity jackets, and the label collaborates heavily with local brands, be it restaurants like Sub Shop J.P. Graziano or the Chicago Bulls themselves. Gente Fina (fancy people in Spanish) is Cabrera’s tribute to the perseverance and hustle of Latino immigrant culture, of which he is a product. After dropping out of high school, he began driving trucks just like his father and grandfather before trading in his keys and opening up his own truck supply business. Soon after came his streetwear brand, which debuted last year at New York Fashion Week. With a scorpion as its logo, Gente Fina is itself a fine collection of casual clothing inspired by workwear, western wear and hip-hop culture.

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You may recognize Coral Castillos’ dramatic macramé gowns from Project Runway, coming in as the runner-up in the show’s 19th season. Born in Mexico City, the designer grew up watching and helping her mother sew dresses for select clientele, and she credits this as the launch point and inspiration for her career. It was during the pandemic that she began integrating macramé into her work, weaving a rich tradition of Mexican artistry into her glamorous creations, always evocative of feminine strength and power. In addition to intricate designs, she pulls inspiration from every corner of her native country, whether it’s influencing Otomi patterns into thigh-high boots or mini dresses or crafting entire collections based on Mayan goddesses and figures.