Latin Culture Shines Bright at New York Fashion Week 2023

“Today, we move baby. You better be moving,” Grammy-award-winning producer Emilio Estefan gushed ahead of his NYFW show, Latin Ignition: The Magic of Art.

BFA / Nina Fernandez

The fashion show, created in collaboration with Consuelo Vanderbilt of SohoMuse, focused on bringing Latino fashion and culture to the forefront, especially given the fact that Latin Americans make up 18% of the United States population and essentially a large chunk of the creative market. 

For Vanderbilt, she was elated to combine her powerful networking platform with the legendary Estefan, who excels at seeking rising talent, to shed light on a culture that hasn’t “been given enough attention and focus.”

BFA / Nina Fernandez

“In a world of creativity, we need to give more job opportunities, and if we can help to do that and highlight that, what an amazing gift is that,” said Vanderbilt.

Held at the Guggenheim Museum, Latin Ignition: The Magic of Art featured designs from Alvin Valley, Laura Garcia, Nabies Vielman, and César Galindo. Not to mention the most adorable cameo from some puppies in the finale; seriously, that will get the stiffest of crowds riled up.

BFA / Nina Fernandez

Latin Ignition featured juxtaposing ideas from bold patterns and colors to more timeless silhouettes and pastels reminiscent of Easter; it seems there will be something for every aesthetic this Spring.

Not only did the designers get to showcase their work in an immersive show, but Estefan and Vanderbilt made it their mission that every single worker, including hair, makeup, models, stagehands, etc., were adequately compensated.

BFA / Nina Fernandez

When asked about the significance of this priority, Estefan relayed the idea to his work. He wants the public to understand that his engineers work as hard as his musicians; we just don’t see them in the spotlight. In this case, the hairstylists and makeup artists are the ones that “make the women beautiful,” Estefan stated.

Looking toward the future, collaborators aim to continue the push to bring Latino culture to the mainstream masses.