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Mexico’s rich history of fashion is getting international attention for the first time in a very long time. The stories that are told through the weaving, embroideries, jewelry, and rich tailoring are not just a source of inspiration for designers, but also a partner to collaborate with.
We saw a very successful collaboration in the Dior Cruise 2023 collection designed by Maria Grazia presented in Mexico City. Read more about this collection, its Frida Kahlo inspiration, and its feminist symbolism here.
Most recently, we saw another exciting chapter in Mexico's fashion history. One that brought together artisans, craftsmen, jewelry makers, and fashion designers to create a collaboration —leaving behind the days of appropriation.
Carolina Herrera presented a capsule collection at the Museo Anahuacalli in San Angel, Mexico City. The collection was inspired by Mexican sunsets.
Political Fashion’s editor, Javier Luna, spoke with the team of some of the key collaborators. Bibiana, daughter of Maria de Los Angeles, talked about the work, skills, time, and storytelling behind their embroidery and how the collaboration with Carolina Herrera came along.
Maria de Los Angeles's first language is Otomi, and her daughter Bibiana helps her connect with the press and the digital world and was fundamental in the communication between Maria de Los Angeles and Carolina Herrera's team.
For Bibiana and her family, embroidering is their way of seeing life. They grew up and learned to embroider at the same time as they learned to walk and speak. It is a skill that they learn from one generation to another.
The embroidering techniques have not changed significantly through the nick of time —it is the attention to detail and the craftsmanship that makes these embroideries so special. But the motifs and designs in the clothing have changed.
“Back in the day, the embroideries used to tell full stories. A story of someone getting married, someone being born, a girl becoming a woman or a farmer harvesting their crops. “ Bibiana recalls. “Today, we are seeing more embroideries inspired by nature, and with the shapes of nature, because this is what younger generations are more interested in seeing and wearing”.
Every embroiderer has their interpretation of the motifs they are embroidering, and there is an element of authenticity that comes with every garment. Even after embroidering the same design with the same color palette, certain elements make each piece of clothing distinct and unique. These are important characteristics that the Hernández family values.
A fascinating aspect about these embroideries is the variety of color combinations, seeming as though they are chosen with a sixth sense or a generational intuition. When Javier Luna asked about the process of color selection, given how difficult it is for many designers to work with color, Bibiana responded:
"If I am sad, I am going to choose colors that in my point of view express sadness. But many times, the colors are not what you expect. For example, I may use a vibrant red when I am sad, a vibrant red that says “I am here, look at me because I want to be seen”.
Not every embroiderer uses the same color combination or under the same motif, because each person interprets the colors at their own experience. Similarly, her sister Laura, shares that there is never a replica or two identical pieces, because the storytelling, the emotions, and the craftsmanship, are essential to keep the uniqueness and tradition of each garment.
The Hernandez family states that there is an interest from customers for more monochromatic pieces exploring a wide range of blues, reds, or greens. These requests have allowed them to leave aside their practice of putting together one light color after a dark one. However, young customers and international customers are having a very positive response to these subtle changes to the embroideries.
Additionally, there is now a wide variety of fabrics in which customers are asking their clothing to be embroidered: denim, chiffon, colorful cotton, and most popularly wedding veils. These emerging demands not only allow the business to sustain and prevail but also to show how a tradition can evolve with remarkable craftsmanship working with delicate fabrics like chiffon or tulle.
How did Carolina Herrera and Maria de los Angeles meet?
The former Presidential residence in Mexico popularly known as Los Pinos, is now used as a venue once a year to bring together artisans, creators, and small businesses from different parts of Mexico to gain visibility from people of all different backgrounds.
This is how Maria de los Angeles’s work got the attention of Carolina Herrera’s team. But it was through communications with the Culture Secretary Marina Nuñez Bespalova, and with virtual calls by Zoom that a lot of creative and logistical conversations took place. Bibiana emphasizes that the whole process was entirely collaboratively where the creative teams spoke with each other to work and build something together.
Given the time constraints for the production of the collection, there were many hands involved in the embroidery. The “interdisciplinary group” as Bibiana likes to call it, involves her family and closed circle for craftsmanship, distribution, logistics, and sales. She shares the process was titanic, with sleepless nights as the clock was ticking and the due date to deliver the garments was quickly approaching.
The experience of the fashion show was very special for Maria de Los Angeles, Bibiana recalls. The embroidered clothes she was wearing that day spoke by themselves and she was a star recognized and celebrated by everybody in their show.
When asked about the recognition and attention after the show, the Hernandez family acknowledges that sales haven't significantly increased, and that, far from social media mentions and a few local recognitions, they would like to see their business truly positioned as a well-known family business.
“One of the main boundaries between artisans and businesses is digital access.” —Bibiana states.
In a fashion world where industrially made collections are made daily, shipped overseas, and updated momentarily on a website that is available online, it is challenging to gain this visibility and traction. Still, the Hernandez family is evolving and revolving their creative visions, with monochromatic embroideries and accessories that are appealing to people of different ages and genders.
The Hernandez family lives in the community of El Nanthe in Tenango, Hidalgo.
Image Courtesies by Bibiana Hernández
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