By Giulia VALENTINA Giuliani

“For over three thousand years, those who have sewed and embroidered have transmitted this important expertise from mother to daughter. If the techniques have survived, it is precisely because they are a form of expression. They are a simultaneous manifestation of the subjective and the collective.” 

- Carla Fernandez, Manifesto of Fashion as Resistance

On Monday, February 14th, the Foundation Cartier hosted Mexican fashion designer Carla Fernández’s performance “Manifesto”, which showcased the designer’s Fall-Winter ‘22 collection, “Ropa de Trabajo” [Work Clothes]. The performance was like a fashion show, with several models wearing Fernández’s latest collection and set to the soundtrack provided by electro-punk group Bagarre. 

All the garments presented showed a clear inspiration from Mexican textile and cultural heritage. Geometric designs, Mesoamerican motifs, bright colored accents, and huipil-inspired silhouettes are seen throughout the collection. Accessories like fur sandals, acrylic leather bags, and silver jewelry show the designer’s careful attention to quality materials and mastery of technique. 

Carla Fernández is known for her ethical and sustainable fashion; her Mexico city-based brand collaborates with artisans from the country’s indigenous and mixed communities. By viewing the garments in person and later browsing Fernández’s website, the emphasis on craftsmanship is apparent. Each design is unlike any European fashion house and is a refreshing collection in a time when larger clothing companies are often caught either mistreating workers or stealing culturally significant textile designs for a Western audience. 

The collection and show are accompanied by a manifesto from the designer titled, “Manifesto of Fashion as Resistance”. The manifesto highlights anti-establishment views, with the first page describing the brand’s “slow fashion” approach of valuing sustainable materials, an artisan’s mastery of craft, and textile tradition. Fernandez’s call to action “It’s up to us to put an end to fashion as trash. We don’t design garments to end up rotting in a dump”, exemplifies recent global trends for sustainable fashion and mindful consumerism. The brand’s slogan “fashion is not ephemeral”, is a major theme in the manifesto, Fernandez describes a fashion and design process that is long-lasting, like the cultural traditions she is inspired from and the materials from the earth she uses. 

Browsing through the manifesto and Carla Fernandez’s website is definitely worthwhile for those who love fashion and want to see the industry move towards more sustainable methods of manufacturing: valuing the worker and culture behind the garment.