13 Latinx Designers on How Their Culture Informs Their Work
By Barry Samaha, Bianca Betancourt of ELLE |
When Oscar de la Renta founded his eponymous label in 1965, he had already fine-tuned his skills under the guidance of couturiers at leading European houses. But unlike many of his contemporaries who followed the same trajectory, his designs highlighted a different perspective. From flowing dresses with ruffles and skirt suits in bold prints and colors, de la Renta riffed off the traditional dress of his native Dominican Republic, imbuing his collections with his Latinx heritage.
Over the years, other talents from Latin American countries followed suit. Carolina Herrera brought the frills and volume of Venezuelan aristocracy to the doyennes of the Upper East Side in the 80s. Cuban-born Adolfo Sardina also catered to the same coterie during that period, offering bouclé suits in bright hues. And two decades later, Narciso Rodriguez (whose family is from Cuba) and Maria C