Considering that Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world, it is no wonder that there is an audience among both native and non-native speakers for its rich artistic culture.
Musicians have already become household names in the Latino-English market, and two women believe the same can be done for Latino fashion brands and creatives.
Constanza Etro and Silvia Arguello, who co-founded the Latin American Fashion Awards and hosted the first official awards ceremony in November 2023, have joined the alliance. Now, the duo is collaborating with the Italian Fashion Council, or CNMI, to further promote the winners after the opening ceremony.
FashionNetwork.com spoke with Etro and Argüello about the new initiative that will launch during one of the most exciting and important fashion weeks on the Spring 2025 calendar.
Etro, an Argentine national who has lived in Milan for nearly 20 years, said the partnership with the DRC was an organic situation.
“I have been working with CNMI for ten years through my other project, the Milan Fashion Film Festival. I am also a board member of CNMI’s Fashion Trust, and we have done many projects together. When I presented the project to CNMI President Carlo Capasa, he immediately understood its impact and importance,” she said.
Etro and Argüello teamed up with Capasa and his team to host a group exhibition at the Fashion Center of the Northern Mariana Islands during Milan Fashion Week that presented the 14 categories and winners of the first awards ceremony to a crowd of fashion leaders, press, buyers, and the general public.
While not all winners will be in person, each 2023 participant will be represented, including Mexican-American Designer of the Year Willy Chavarria; Dominican-American Brand of the Year Luar; Colombian Fashion Icon of the Year J Balvin; Brazilian Emerging Designer of the Year Caroline Vito; Colombian Artisanal Project of the Year Verd; Responsible Project of the Year Desserto from Mexico and Ecocitex from Chile; Mexican Accessories Brand of the Year Daniela Villegas; Dominican Model of the Year Hiandra Martinez; Mexican-Colombian Fashion Photographer of the Year Camila Falquez; Cuban Emerging Fashion Photographer of the Year Elliot & Eric; Brazilian Fashion Film of the Year “Divina” Aude Heller; Brazilian Fashion Influencer of the Year Zaya Guarani; Colombian Fashion Artist of the Year Marcelo Gutierrez; and Dominican Republic homegrown star Lenissi Montero.
This initiative will also support brands like: Caroline Vito, Ecositx, Deserto and Verdi, who will be exhibiting their work in a curated physical presence, with Loire exhibiting digitally in a dedicated branded space at the leading trade show, the White Gallery, from September 19 to 22.The week will also include a celebratory cocktail party to celebrate the award winners.
“Milan Fashion Week is the perfect platform to showcase the immense contributions of Latin talent to the global fashion industry, including press, buyers, celebrities, industry leaders, creatives and key decision makers,” Arguello added. “We want to ensure they get a closer look at each of our award winners to fuel their business growth and develop new partnerships for our platform as we head into our second edition in November 2025.”
The three profile and business building events have been integrated into the awards platform so that once recognized with an award, brands will also receive support to grow their business and platforms; thus, the awards will be held every two years, with the next one returning to the Dominican Republic in November 2025. To date, the inaugural event has a reach of 2.8 billion in international press and a reach of over 650 million on social media.
Guarani was chosen by British Vogue to shoot a cover shot by Rafael Pavarotti in honor of the Amazon rainforest, Etro and Arguello said after the award. She then spoke at the LVMH Sustainability Conference during Paris Fashion Week in March. In addition, she was cast by Ethan Hawke in an upcoming film dedicated to the Amazon, appeared on the cover of Brazilian Vogue, and has appeared in campaigns such as Moncler, all since receiving global recognition for the award.
Similarly, Emerging Designer Award winner Caroline Vito was selected for a six-month internship led by US industry experts through The Council of Fashion Designers of America, also known as the CFDA, starts this month.
As prominent leaders in the Latin fashion industry, Etro and Arguello were ideally positioned to help promote Latin American design among the diaspora. Argentine-born Etro, who is married to Etro menswear designer Kian Etro, has been named one of the most influential women in Italy and is a board member of Fashion Fund of the Italian Fashion ChamberBefore moving permanently to Milan in 2006, she founded the public relations firm Cavalli Communication in Mexico City and was the fashion editor for Mexico Fashion Week.
Arguello, from Of Cuban-Nicaraguan origin, He resides in the Dominican Republic after working for 25 years in fashion in Paris and Milan with Emanuel Ungaro, Giambattista Valli, and more. She is also highly regarded in the industry, and is the founder and creative director of fashion label Rosa Clandestino. Together, they formed the Latin American Fashion Awards in 2019.
According to Etro, promoting the “beloved Latin America” that connects long-time friends was a dream come true.
“After realizing that there were no awards that would honor Latin American talent on a global scale, we immediately felt it was time to give back and dedicate all of our expertise and network that we have built over 25 years in the industry to serving our region. We want to create a bridge between Latin America and the fashion industry to promote and empower Latin American talent around the world.”
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