Local fashion designers show their colors at Plaza Grande

Mérida, Yucatán — Calle 61 became a catwalk showcasing local designs and haute couture that reflect the Yucatecan aesthetic.
Through color, shape and embroidery, fashions for both men and women were featured in the fashion show “Así es la Guayabera, Moda y Más,” organized by the National Chamber of the Garment Industry (CANAIVE), Yucatan Delegation, and the city of Mérida.
The iconic stretch along the Plaza Grande underscored the theme of Yucatecan pride. Hundreds of chairs lined the street, giving the block the feeling of a Fashion Week event.

Fifteen labels associated with CANAIVE showed exquisite casual clothing, evening wear, and swim wear, all collections intended to sway new markets worldwide.
Yucatán’s traditional guayabera was updated and reinterpreted with new patterns and colors.
The president of CANAIVE Yucatan, Pedro Enrique Góngora Medina, emphasized that this catwalk was carried out with the aim of showing the local public and visitors new trends in designs of the typical Yucatecan garment, the guayabera, as well as blouses, dresses and swimsuits.

The leader of the clothing industry in the state said that the decision to parade in the streets of downtown Mérida follows the trend of juxtaposing a city’s historic architecture with the most of-the-moment designs.
Fifty models each wore eight outfits to demonstrate the designers’ range.
Designers favored strong reds, greens, mustards and blues, offset with black, gray and white.

The show was originally scheduled for Noche Blanca in June, but was rained out.
Participating design houses included: Esencia Maya, Bordados Kike, Glyhps, Guayaberas Finas Euan, G Candila, Guayaberas Ramírez, Bikini Studio, De Fer, Creaciones Lizeth, Guayaberas Dzibilchaltun, Aroma Coco Internacional, La Plaza del Recreo, In Love México, Soy Yucateca and Abito.
Source: El Grillo

Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.