As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end, we reflect on the influence Hispanic culture has on society, specifically fashion. I had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth Ponce de Leon, the Assistant Director of Culture and Identity-Based Services for the Office of Multicultural Affairs at St. John’s University, who shared her experience attending New York Fashion Week (NYFW) shows of Latinx designers. Elizabeth aims to help students experience different cultures within and outside St. John’s, and this event was the first of many to do so. Elizabeth and a select few on her staff were invited to attend three days of events for NYFW for the Fashion Designers of Latin America (FDLA), which included attending shows, fittings and speaking to the designers behind the magic. Elizabeth’s description of how the clothes captured the designer’s cultural identity particularly stood out to me. She mentioned textures, colors and patterns that paid homage to the designer’s country.
Every detail of the show was carefully calculated, from the venues and music to the models’ walks and facial expressions. Elizabeth specifically mentioned designer Albania Rosario, who is of Dominican descent, who incorporated a regal feel to one of the shows they were invited to. The elegance radiated from the photos she showed me, and the energy from the models was like no other.
Elizabeth also mentioned a fitting she and her members were invited to. During this fitting, they interviewed models about how their cultural identity pushed them to pursue modeling. The models gave beautiful insight about how they felt more connected to their identities modeling for Latinx designers and capturing their vision. Elizabeth also had the chance to speak with designers from the runway. She mentioned Albania Rosario discussed how she wants to pave the way for other Latinx creatives and up-and-coming designers. Albania shared with Elizabeth that she found it difficult to enter the fashion industry as a Latinx woman and created her own path in fashion design. With the path she’s created, she hopes to inspire and motivate other Latinx creatives to take the leap.
This event was just one of many that display how much culture there is around us. The fashion shows of FDLA highlight that culture can be infused into any area of life, and fashion is a huge part of that. If you would like to keep up with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, you can follow them on Instagram at @stjohnsoma, and you can keep up with the FDLA at @fashiondesignersoflatinamerica.