When we think of someone documenting history and culture, we tend to think of writers or filmmakers. Not a fashion designer. Yet that’s exactly what Carla Fernández does. With her mother working in fashion and her father in history, it is perhaps no surprise that Fernández combines the two perfectly in her work – creating clothes that say as much about trends as they do about Mexican cultures and indigenous craftsmanship.
Based in Mexico City, the designer is famous for her fusing of sleekly, modern, avant-garde geometric shapes with traditionally woven textiles. Her ‘Square Root’ technique from indigenous wisdoms – used to create her signature square and rectangular patterns – is based on the intricate pleating, folding and seaming that local craftsmen and artisans have been doing for hundreds of years.
By connecting her country’s native heritage while interpreting Mexican style in a fashion-forward way, Fernández has made the world sit up and take notice. She was named the British Fashion Council’s Young Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 and won the 2013 Prince Claus Award, while her work has appeared in magazines like Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Wallpaper.
Join Fernández as she shares her approach to fashion and talks about how she is endlessly inspired by her country – its tribes and its traditions, its feast days and its festivals. Her motto? “The future is handmade,” she states in an interview with Designboom. “Sometimes the simplest things give us the most satisfaction.”
FREE ADMISSION with O.P.E.N. Pass. Limited single entry tickets available at the door.
When: 1 Jul 2016, 7.30pm - 8.45pm
By: Singapore International Festival of Arts
