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Axios Latino is the newsletter that summarizes the key news for Latino communities throughout the hemisphere every Tuesday and Thursday.
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1. The topic to highlight: Fashion that flourishes
Latino fashion designers are gaining traction around the world and a new accelerator program could raise their profile even further.
Why it matters
: Fashion is a global industry with trillions of dollars in revenue, although (as in other industries) many Latin American designers have difficulty accessing enough capital to grow their business.
Overview:
The rich history of Latin and Latin American fashion design is not often mentioned by fashion lovers or appears in many museum-type archives, says Edward Salazar Celis, a Colombian doctoral student at the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, with research in the sociology of fashion and aesthetic analysis.
"There are a lot of names from Latin America and the Latin population of the United States in the shadows of fashion history," adds Salazar Celis.
And although some recognize few of those names, such as Oscar de la Renta or Carolina Herrera, "representation cannot be limited to a few cases," he adds.
But he emphasizes that it is also necessary to highlight "what are both the names of designers and the clothing styles that have marked and are marking a new path" for the creation of Latin American and Latin American fashion.
And a new group of Latinos
has little by little been making a name for themselves and through clothing that honors their roots, adds Salazar Celis.
Left: runway of Anaiss Yucra designs in Peru.
Right: Designer Raul Lopez of the brand LuarFotoholica Press/LightRocket via Getty Images;
Albert Urso/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
That includes Brenda Equihua, a Mexican-American creative director with a brand that bears her last name, as well as designers Annaiss Yucra, from Peru, and Dayana Molina, from Brazil, who reference indigenous traditions in their pieces.
Willy Chavarria's garments have experienced a boom in recent years.
His designs, which at times criticize the idea of the American dream or refer to the style of the Pachuco subculture, have earned him clients such as Bad Bunny, and recognition in magazines such as Vogue Business.
Luar is the brand of Raul Lopez, who last year was a finalist for the 2023 LVMH Prize for the most important young designers.
This year, award-winning comedian and actress Ayo Edebiri wore Luar to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and singer Camila Cabello wore a Luar dress to the Vanity Fair post-Oscar party.
Willy Chavarria (center) surrounded by models with designs from his February 2024 catwalk4Jonas Gustavsson for The Washington post via Getty Images
This year the LVHM Award for which Lopez was a finalist in 2023 has among its semifinalists the Mexican Patricio Campillo and Elena Velez, of Puerto Rican descent.
The industry has also begun to give more recognition to the historic participation of Latino voices, such as with the
¡Moda Hoy! exhibition.
which was organized last year by the Fashion Institute of Design Museum in New York.
To keep an eye on
: A new accelerator program from Resonance, a company that facilitates textile manufacturing with an eye toward sustainability and waste reduction, aims to boost the careers of Dominican fashion designers.
The accelerator program, called Amplify, will distribute funds, provide workshops on sustainable apparel manufacturing and distribution, and provide access to a sales platform in the U.S. The application period ends this week.
A similar Resonance accelerator in 2021 propped up Black American designers.
In their own words
: Lawrence Lenihan, co-founder and co-CEO of Resonance, says he hopes to continue other similar accelerators for more Dominican designers in the coming years, and then expand them to more "communities and countries that are underrepresented in global fashion."
"In a sense, we live in a Latin world in terms of population, consumer power and contribution of this community to culture," says Lenihan, celebrating steps being taken to more recognize that weight in the fashion industry.
2. The beige
majors
in Miami want more Latin noise
The güiro, the bongos, the maracas and rattles: everything will be welcome from now on at the stadium of the Miami Marlins, which has become the only team in the United States Major League Baseball to allow the public to bring instruments to the games.
Why it matters
: The team wants to replicate the energy, excitement and atmosphere experienced during games in February's Caribbean Series, held in Miami, as well as last year's World Baseball Classic.
Miami was one of the four venues and there were spectators from the Venezuelan, Puerto Rican and Mexican baseball teams giving a lot of life to the stands.
"We know how special baseball is to our communities, many of them with roots in the Caribbean, and we are going to bring that passion and energy back in a special way," Caroline O'Connor, president of Marlins business operations.
Big picture
: Attendance at Marlins games has been poor in recent years;
the team did not sell out its 2023 season opener, for example.
Even though attendance that year increased 30% compared to the previous season, according to data given by a spokesperson to Axios reporter Sommer Brugal.
Team management hopes the instrument rule changes will draw in the large crowds that gathered for the Caribbean Series, which drew more than 30,000 spectators.
3. Mexico launches women's softball league
Mexican women who like softball finally have teams to develop their skills and play professionally.
To wit
: The Mexican Softball League, announced last fall, is part of the major Mexican baseball leagues and is the first women's professional league of its kind in Latin America.
Six teams are part of the league, which closed its first postseason, called the Queen's Series, on March 17.
Refereeing is also carried out by women and five of the six teams have female managers.
Context
: For decades, those who wanted to practice this sport professionally or semi-professionally had to emigrate, seeking places on Japanese or American teams.
In her own words
: "I have two little sisters and a brother, and I want to leave an example so that they know that they can do whatever they want to do," catcher Dafne Bravo, from the Red Devils women's team, tells Noticias Telemundo.
4. In focus: María Montero
Every end of the month this section highlights Latino people who leave their mark on their communities.
Dr. María Montero is associate director of clinical services at Orbis Flying Eye Hospital.
She lives in Puebla, Mexico, although she often travels the world to provide training to ophthalmological medical professionals who work to prevent and treat cases of vision loss.
María MonteroPhoto by Geoff Oliver Bugbee.
Illustration by Axios Visuals
Why do you do what you do?
When I first came across Orbis, I finally understood the saying: "Do what you love and it won't be like work."
Training eye care teams is one of the ways Orbis promotes more eye care mechanisms in low- and middle-income countries.
And every day I see that my work has an impact.
I also want to be a good role model for my young daughter and show her that women can have amazing careers, be powerful leaders, and loving mothers.
What is your recipe to achieve your goals?
Clearly define your goal, set a concrete deadline for its completion, as well as compile a complete list of what needs to be done before, during and after the effort.
What are you reading or watching?
The Crown
and the book
When We Believed in Mermaids
.
What is something you do just for yourself?
Having dinner with my friends is essential for me;
Being able to relax with my inner circle has great meaning.
I prioritize having a massage once a month.
What couldn't you live without?
My daughter is my reason to continue, and inspires me to continually challenge the limitations that many people who are women experience.
My highest aspiration for her is that she can be free to pursue her dreams without being inhibited by social expectations.
What is the best advice you have received?
The principle of "treat others how you want to be treated" is the basis of all my interactions.
5. Summary of key news in Latin America and the Caribbean
1. Brazilian police increased investigations
against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro this week, now investigating how he apparently obtained refuge for two days in the Hungarian embassy shortly after his supporters assaulted and broke into the headquarters of Congress, the presidency and Supreme Court of Brazil on January 8, 2023.
Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
Bolsonaro is already under criminal investigation in the case, accused of coup attempts due to messages indicating that very close collaborators had proposed the option of carrying out an intervention so that Bolsonaro would not have to leave power after losing the 2022 elections.
2. The Guatemalan president, Bernardo Arévalo,
was received this Monday at the White House, where he met with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, as well as with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Topics such as Arévalo's anti-corruption political agenda, the inclusion of indigenous peoples in democracy and efforts to reduce irregular migration were discussed, according to the White House.
6. With our 'sight' set on the top
When Rafael Jaime Jaramillo reached the summit of Mount Everest last year he became the first Spanish-speaking blind person to do so.
To wit:
Jaramillo, who lost his sight as a teenager due to intraocular cancer, says he was drawn to mountaineering because he felt sports gave him a reason to get outside more and develop his tactile sense.
He also runs paratriathlons.
Jaramillo is a native of Mexico.
He has climbed seven of the 10 highest mountains in America, including Aconcagua, which he climbed in 2020.
Jaramillo tells Noticias Telemundo that he is now preparing to try unaccompanied skydiving (usually blind people skydive in tandem, that is, tied to someone else).
In his own words
: "I thought: the world is never going to adapt to my needs, so it's easier for me to adapt to the world and push myself," says Jaramillo.
Thanks for reading us!
We return on Thursday.
And thanks to Carlos Cunha, Bruno García Gallo, and Alison Snyder for editing and helping proofread.
If you want to share your experiences with us or send us suggestions and comments, send an email to
axioslatino@axios.com
.
Do you want to read any of the previous editions?
They denounce the attempts of US candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to use nostalgia to seek the support of Latinos
Mexico City is running out of water and many are forced to ration it
They demand the FBI declassify the files it compiled on Latino activists