A trunk full of wide ruffled long skirts, rectangular blouses (called huipiles) woven on a backstrap loom, fringed stoles (or rebozos) in vivid colours with intricate embroidery – Frida Kahlo rarely wore anything else, which makes her the most prominent representation of Mexican cultural fashion, in all search engines today.
Be it the predominant image of the most influential fashion icon of the year, an ethnic origin for the growing Hispanic consumer market, a radically emerging retail market for Indian exporters, a manufacturing base pumping the growth of ‘Made in USA’, or serving as an inspiration board for fashion trends – all these have a central focal destination – MEXICO. The signs had been there all along, but only now they are clearer. Apparel Online digs deep into its stories of the past two months, to decode this profound Mexican influence…
Our antenna tinkled, when Frida Kahlo’s wardrobe, a collection of 300 items went on exhibit in Mexico City in November 2012, bringing into the forefront ‘the most authentic of Mexican fashion’ to the eager eyes of the fashion world. An iconic late Mexican surrealist painter who is till date known for her traditional flowing dresses had a commitment to the indigenous people and folk traditions of Mexico, which reflected clearly in her unique style of dressing. The look was of the dress of women in the Tehuantepec Isthmus in southern Oaxaca State, the loose clothing that characterizes the Tehuana styles in fashion history, which has now come into the sudden notice of a fashion-conscious consumer. A trunk full of wide ruffled long skirts, rectangular blouses (called huipiles) woven on a backstrap loom, fringed stoles (or rebozos) in vivid colours with intricate embroidery, and her hair braided with thick wool crowning it with ribbons or flowers – Frida rarely wore anything else, which makes her the most prominent representation of Mexican cultural fashion, in all search engines today.
While Kahlo has a history of inspiring Mexican fashion trends through generations, she is known to influence the work of fashion designers and pop culture icons worldwide like Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gautier and Madonna. And ever since her wardrobe has been discovered, the key trend of ‘Mexicana’ has become the biggest inspiration in textile and apparel for both men and women for the upcoming seasons (AO, August 16-31, 2013, pg. 35).
But then Frida made us ponder, is it only her or something else as well in the short past – the consumer of a Mexican origin itself who is driving the demand of this regional trend. The realization downed with the increasing number of Hispanic population in the US, which constitutes 63% Hispanics of Mexican descent alone (AO, August 16-31, 2013, pg. 12). An important trait of many middle class Mexican-Americans is that they feel a great responsibility for their ethnic community at large, feeling more positively attached to their ethnic roots. With brands all over the world putting in a conscious effort to become ever more knowledgeable about their lifestyles, religious and political beliefs, cultural values and nuances – and the everyday things that shape and define their mindsets – the influence of Mexican culture in fashion is becoming more dominant than ever.
Looking further into the traditional tastes of the people of Mexico, it is interesting to analyze how similar their fashion is to that of Indian preferences in apparel. The silhouettes being fairly loose, their skirts resemble our ghagra skirts, the flowy cuts of our maxi dresses, and their huipil blouses imitate the loose rectangular patterns of our kaftans and ponchos. Closest to the strengths of India as a production house, our expertise in diverse embroideries, vibrant colours, rich prints and also our capabilities of making loose silhouettes works in our favour the best, with a possibility of getting increased orders with the uprise of these fashion trends globally.
Already seeing a positive outcome, embroidery, especially the technique of cross stitch which is the most well defined feature of Mexican garments, reaffirmed its comeback at the recent IIGF, with many players displaying their collections with the same styles in bold colours. Forming the perfect example of the geometric designs, the Mexican symbols made by knitting and embroidery on the clothes like simple triangles, rectangles, rhombuses, zigzag lines, stepped borders, helical patterns, and crosses – go in line with the most talked about trend of geometric inspired patterns, also seen in many collection at the fair (AO, August 1-15, 2013, pg. 36).
Looking into the traditional tastes of the people of Mexico, it is interesting to analyze how similar their fashion is to that of Indian preferences in apparel…
Opening up parallel with the rising demand of Mexican fashion, Mexico as the country itself has become an emerging market for Indian exports. Encouraging the retail newcomers is the relaxation of steep tariffs on imported clothing. Steady employment gains in Mexico have lifted incomes, and economists project healthy economic growth in the years ahead. The country’s sizable and youthful population – the median age among its 112 million citizens is 26 – is making Mexico a prime target for retail brands favoured by the young. With consumers in Mexico spending about US $ 21 billion a year on clothing, the retail market is on the upsurge. Being a strong manufacturing base, many Indian exporters have never looked at Mexico as a potential market, but in the last few years there has been an upsurge in demand for fashion, which Indian manufacturers with their hold on affordable fashion products in small quantities, are all set to capitalize on (AO, July 1–15, 2013, pg. 16).
Opening up parallel with the rising demand of Mexican fashion, Mexico the country itself has become an emerging market for Indian exports…
With the entire buzz around the new ‘Made in USA’ movement, a little foresightedness into the future, we also might enter a period where all this raging Mexican fashion will be aimed at being produced in Mexico itself (AO, August 1–15, 2013, pg. 12). With Mexico’s share of the US import market rising to an all-time high of 14.4%, the country certainly has an added advantage of understanding the true nature of these trends coming naturally to them, as they are the ones closest to their own culture. But will it impact India as an exporting base for affordable fashion products? It may not, since India has its forte into small quantities with value, which may have a bigger say in not only Mexico but also the surrounding countries and even the mighty US.
