A Journey of Fashion and Peace
Last week Colombia rejected president Santos' peace deal
with the Farc, what does that mean for the country's multimillion-pound fashion industry?
On Monday, October 3rd the two distant realities of fashion and politics simultaneously moved Colombians at home and abroad. In Paris, where the streets exuded glamour and celebration, Colombian-born designer Esteban Cortázar presented his most recent Ready-to-Wear collection at fashion week, affirming a sense of pride for the country's expanding fashion industry and talent.
Back in Colombia however, it was announced that the peace deal between president Manuel Santos’ government and the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) was rejected by a majority of the population via referendum. A document previously signed on September 26th in Havana, Cuba and developed over four years of negotiations, the peace deal (or lack thereof) now leaves millions feeling uncertain about the country’s future. The fashion industry is no exception.
Colombia and Fashion
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Colombia, one of Latin America’s strongest economies with a population of nearly 50 million, has a stable and highly collaborative fashion industry that's flourished over the last few decades despite the armed conflict with the Farc. 'Ours is one of the leading sectors in the country,' explains Alejandra Araque, communications coordinator at the Institute for Exportation and Fashion (Inexmoda). 'We generate employment, exceed national GDP targets and have wide potential within internal and external markets, in terms of exportation'. With a great talent pool trained locally and abroad, as well as large-scale fashion weeks, trade shows and business schemes, the multimillion-pound fashion industry now faces uncertainty.
It was around 1907 when the Colombian apparel and textile industry began to rise through the appearance of local textile manufacturers. Inexmoda was created in 1987 as an internationally renowned entity that researches and promotes fashion through its various platforms, perhaps the most important of them being Colombiamoda.
Colombia’s largest Fashion Week and tradeshow, Colombiamoda takes place every July in Medellin and gathers over 60.700 visitors, 1.700 of them being international buyers from over 50 countries. The tradeshow offer, which includes over 650 exhibitors, ranges from haberdashery and leather suppliers to children's and menswear wholesalers. The three-day event is rounded up with fashion shows, talks and workshops, and sales this year are expected to be worth £275 million.
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It is however in the country’s capital, Bogota, where a more international and design-based industry is rising, with 38% of the nation’s fashion production and business – as well as the Bogota Fashion Week– taking place there. Moreover, most major international and national brands have set up shops there as well, and branches for global fashion publications such as Vogue and Glamour continuously report on and draw inspiration from the regular emergence of new designers, shops and events.
Colombian talent is not to be underrated. While many designers such as Johanna Ortíz and Silvia Tcherassi flirt with their Latin origins by imbuing colour, hourglass silhouettes and femininity into their creations, others such as Vanessa Gómez and Nicolás Rivero’s A New Cross, and Miguel Mesa Posada – winner of a special mention last year at London Fashion Week’s International Fashion Showcase – follow more avant-garde aesthetics, playing with alternative materials and shapes.
Interestingly, in recent years it is young talent and international liaisons which have given Colombia’s fashion industry a boost amongst global fashion platforms. Individuals such as Nina García, Haider Ackermann and Esteban Cortázar were all born in the South American country, yet pursued their fashion careers elsewhere. True to their origins however, they have helped promote the country’s creative reputation. Inversely yet equally fascinating is the amount of designers (mostly from wealthy backgrounds) studying abroad at the world’s top fashion universities. This has helped promote the country while importing knowledge from abroad.
Daniela Castellanos, founder of Castellano Ethnic Origins, is a 27-year old Colombian who came to London to set up her socially entrepreneurial business. Having studied journalism in her home country, Castellanos turned her dissertation project into a lifetime passion inspiring an innovative business model. Today, her brand sells jewellery and accessories manufactured by women of the Wayuu indigenous population in La Guajira desert. The idea came to her after seeing the creative potential of the community, slowed down by the lack of electricity and clean water and infant malnutrition in the region. 'These backpacks were being sold without a story and a vision behind them,' says Castellanos. 'I wanted to develop a brand that would help acknowledge the work of these women through public exposure and financial welfare'. Castellanos sells the bags at various shops, tradeshows and festivals as well as the brand’s website, and she feels that her business has benefited from recent interest in the country, giving it context and deeper meaning. Another upside? 'A brand such as mine helps distract from other Colombian stereotypes, such as drug trafficking,' says Castellanos.
Some self-inflicted, others considered far-gone clichés, the stereotypes that follow Colombians and their fashion industry by default, are ones that have cast a shadow over governmental and educational achievements, as well as helped build social misconceptions. This is explored in 'Fashion Week International: Colombia', a documentary by VICE UK where Medellin’s fashion scene is heavily criticised, often mocked for its 'narco-beauty', a term referring to women as highly objectified subjects with an appetite for plastic surgery and skin-tight clothes. Hit shows Narcos and Sofia Vergara’s Modern Family are two examples echoing such beauty and cultural standards, ones that only represent a percentage of the country’s population.
A long-lasting conflict with the Farc
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The Farc first appeared in 1964, in a time where there was great government dissatisfaction and heavy revolutionary influences in Latin America. The armed forces grew in size and power, generating an environment of fear across the country and forcing over 6 million Colombians to flee their country or deal with the consequences of staying. Over 260.000 have died since in what is considered to be one of Latin America’s most enduring and violent conflicts.
Four years ago, president Juan Manuel Santos began a dialog process with the Farc employing Havana and the Cuban government as mediators, a process that culminated with the signing of the peace deal last September. It was also decided however, that the people of Colombia would cast their vote over that peace deal, which controversially aimed to pardon guerrilla fighters their crimes in exchange of their confessions. Controversy won, and last week the peace deal was rejected.
Four days later it surfaced that President Santos had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which he accepted 'on behalf of all Colombians, especially the millions of victims of this conflict who have suffered for more than 50 years.' The Farc, represented by leader Rodrigo Londoño has said it wants to keep the peace and will leave open channels for negotiation.
The armed conflict has deeply scarred Colombians, yet initiatives have transpired to find solace, to move on and to reintegrate victims into their communities. At Colombiamoda this past July, fashion show Somos Color (We are colour) showcased works by Cleiner Cabadías and María Dora Sánchez, two victims seeking to rebuild their lives through fashion. Similarly, business strategy Crisálidas was designed to promote products created by over 150 conflict victims. In the 2016 edition of the fair, they took part in industry workshops and sold their product to visitors. 'I hope this is the last Colombiamoda under conflict,' said Colombia’s president at the tradeshow’s opening ceremony.
Speculation over what lies ahead
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According to Castellanos, the conflict has divided the country in two, with major cities such as Medellin and Bogota seeing everyday industrial, business and tourism operations run normally in spite of it. Rural areas however, are the ones at stake. 'Upon hearing the news of the referendum my first concern was whether the war would return and put the Wayuu women and their families in danger,' she says. 'It benefits my business if there is a peaceful environment in the country.' She's about to launch a kickstarter campaign this November to spread her venture.
Similarly, Araque points out that the local fashion industry is for peace and already has a plan set out that is independent of political changes: 'At Inexmoda we're preparing to strategically offer opportunities amidst the post-conflict. We want our sector to welcome victims whose resilience has allowed them to create economies of their own through the making of artisanal work; this type of potential must be seized as soon as possible'.
Uncertainty threatens Colombian industries and their international partnerships, mostly when it comes to reputation. Although the fashion industry is no exception to this, strong business strategies combined with talented manpower will offer better chances for a bright future where creative ambassadors such as Cortázar and Castellanos will take centre stage.
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Published on October 14th, 2016 by the online student publication _shift.