At some point there was a joke that Buenos Aires had more fashion weeks That buyers, the joke is effective when it translates a truth, but the changes in the industry and in the way of consuming made that joke expire.
Today, carrying out any Fashion Week in Argentina is practically a feat, which is why the recent tenth anniversary edition of Designers BA it is not a small thing. The Week that summons consecrated names came not without effort to fulfill the objective of remaining in a rather complicated local scene in which fashion, paradoxically, seems to be out of fashion.
With BAFWEEK On hiatus until spring the resurgence of COVID knocking on the door and a late date to present the season, Designers opted for a hybrid format with friends from the house, who have been accompanying the initiative for a long time William Azar.
Other regulars like Pablo Ramírez, Kostüme or JT They weren’t in the game. And in that review of names, memories of other editions arise, such as the one in which Bandoleiro installed a mechanical bull with models dressed as cowboys in a kind of crazy “Secret on the Mountain” or when Emilse Benítez opened her collection with a dominatrix in pure whip. Today those risks would be unthinkable, the fear of losing the few sponsors that remain, in a business that has been shrinking at a fast pace in recent years, repels any attempt at innovation. And therein lies the trap.
In that sense, fashion and Argentine cinema are quite similar, after Lucrecia Martel, Pablo Trapero or Damián Szifron there was no sustained generational change and neither in local design. The replacement for Martín Churba, Jessica Trosman or Pablo Ramírez is still on the way, it’s like that delivery that says “your order already left half an hour ago” but the pizza never came home. The current Argentine fashion faces its greatest challenge, which is to refresh the references, restart the system with new names, more workers than media.
The history
The crisis of 2001 produced a generation of clothing designers who indulged in imagination. Today, hyperconnectivity and the power of networks have radically changed the objective. The tension between post-pandemic extreme luxury, that craving for an unrestrained post-war party that can be seen on “red carpets” and European collections, coexists with a huge public that consumes at neighborhood fairs, cheap fast fashion brands or on Avellaneda street. In today’s Argentina, Zara is a luxury for few occasions. How to occupy that space between the illusion of fashion and the reality of the pocket is an enigma.
Rebooting means testing, and Designers made a number of bets. Tramando presented “Cowardly Kisses”. the label of Martin Churba, undisputed reference currently dedicated to textile art together with another pioneer, Jessica Trosman; For some seasons now, he has trusted the young designer Bob Honors, who commands a proposal close to the brand’s DNA with a less “arty” and more wearable drop.
Tramando seeks to win over new generations by reading global trends that have been installed for a long time, such as “oversize”, retro-futuristic metallics or the overlapping of garments with a wink of their own. He’s on the lookout and that’s always welcome.
Prior to the parade, a performance sponsored by Natura, the main sponsor of the event, could be seen, but it did not materialize. A few years ago a certain “insider” of the local fashion world asked for originality on the catwalk and a famous producer replied “don’t complain about the parades that the ‘perfos’ are going to arrive and I want to see you there”. He was right.
Lucia Chain made a virtual presentation from the Italian region of Piemonte, in which he inquired about the return to the origin. Resetting, in his case, implies going back to nature and finding his own traces. Chain is one of the few names under 40 that has earned a preponderant place within a generation that raises sustainability as a flag, but which finds it difficult to achieve a brand concept that escapes the mere collection of garments. The loose silhouettes, the natural dyes and the contact with the landscape are the keys that he continues to investigate.
For your part Nous Etudions delivered a presentation via TikTok that followed the development of their capsule in collaboration with Desserto Pelle, developing highly sustainable vegan leather made from Nopal, a Mexican cactus.
Fabian Zitta celebrated its two decades in fashion with a traditional proposal aimed at its loyal public. Parade like before at the Four Seasons Mansion, reversing all their greatest hits for the fans. There was no shortage of pleats, a certain severe tailoring and its characteristic “cut to rule”. Corsets and harnesses in sheepskin were not lacking to lower the age target of “pret a couture”, a task that was not easy. Selling is a very important part of the equation, whoever denies it is wrong.
And in that sense Evangelina Bomparola perhaps it is the one that best found the way to work for its clientele adding a twist. Accompanied by Automartin, she carried out a virtual reality experience where spectators, dressed in 3D glasses, could choose their own final collection, a kind of “Choose Your Own Adventure” wrapped in silk. Along the way, she did not lose her impeccable tailoring, her devotion to quality fabrics and her daring for color to subtly break the traditional structures that she never renounces. Move something without everything falling.
Generating conversation on networks is the other objective to work on in national fashion. In this sense, BAFWEEK knew how to take advantage of its alliance with Flow: people saw, criticized, celebrated and gave their opinion about the content in the comfort of their home. The audiovisual industry rules the world, if you don’t think about how many platforms you pay per month.
Perhaps it is a time for ingenuity to triumph. Something new, something old, something borrowed. We will remain married to fashion.
by Marcela Sovereign
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