In celebration of Latin America’s best high-end fashion, Caravana Americana is making its U.S. debut showcasing hundreds of fashion, artisans and furniture brands at Fábrica de Arte Américas.
This event takes place twice a year in Mexico City and is coming to Denver for four days filled with Latin America’s finest brands, unforgettable food, music and art.
The Biennial of the Americas X Caravana Americana
Gina Barrios and Alessandro Cerruti, founders of Caravana Americana, are designers of their own brands and have curated three Lago shops in Mexico City and Los Cabos. They were also recently recognized by The Business of Fashion BOF500 as the Mexican representatives of those who shape the fashion industry in the world.
They invited 150-plus designers to showcase their work. This idea of bringing fashion and culture together was inspired by a trip to Mexico and wanting to open new business opportunities for brands. Not to mention, help bring audiences closer to the cultural wealth of contemporary design in the region.
Executive Director of The Biennial of the Americas, FloraJane DiRienzo, was a part of a Mexico City scouting trip with Cities Summit of the Americas which involved 80 plus world leaders in attendance. It was there that DiRienzo spotted a pop up that truly celebrated Latin American culture and knew that this had to be adapted to The Biennial of the Americas event in Denver.
“It isn’t what you think of when you think of fashion in Mexico,” DiRienzo said. “It’s top designers that are doing amazing, innovative unique work that draws you in and still feels like a celebration of Latin American Culture.”
Each brand showcased at Caravana Americana has been meticulously selected by Barrios and Cerruti who have a long-established fashion network.
“I credit Gina for having that foresight and having that groundwork in terms of being able to source some of the greatest and some of the best and then continuing to keep the pulse on what’s happening around Latin American design and fashion,” DiRienzo said.
With this in mind, Caravana Americana is unlike any other shopping experience because guests truly are immersed in Latin American culture.
“I hope that [people] are as awestruck as I was in 2020,” DiRienzo said. “I just felt like wow this has to come to Denver, there’s nothing else like it and it’s unique in its own ways. We have our own pop up shops here but nothing like this.”
Sophie Simone Designs
One designer showing at Carvana Americana is Sophie Cortina of Sophie Simone Designs. Her handmade jewelry brand combines her French and Mexican heritage with an emphasis on Mexican nature.
“My brand is inspired by mostly Mexican nature — very oceany like cactuses and fungus, really organic collections and what’s also very important about the brand is that it’s handmade,” Cortina said.
Cortina uses lost wax technique to create her jewelry. This means that every design is carefully carved into wax in order to get a mold which is then created into a jewelry piece. This technique is faster and more cost-effective.
Unlike a typical jewelry brand, each design is inspired by Cortina’s everyday life and because of that, customers are able to find a personal connection to the jewelry. An example of this is Cortina’s Hummingbird collection. In Mexico, the hummingbird has a lot of history dating back to the Aztecs and Mayans — it’s known as a bird that travels through dimensions in life and death.
“I’ve had a very strong experience with a hummingbird right after a really good friend of mine died and for me, it was no doubt that they’re a messenger,” Cortina said. “We’ve also had people who have come to the stand and see the hummingbird and start crying so that type of connection is really real to me.”
Being able to adapt her life experiences to her brand is one of the reasons for Cortina’s success and why she has been a part of Caravana since the beginning.
“It’s been nice that we both have been growing as a brand and Caravana as an event,” Cortina said. “It really puts Latin American design in the forefront.”
Fábrica De Arte Américas
In addition to being able to shop from some of Latin America’s best brands, guests also have an opportunity to immerse themselves in Fábrica de Arte Américas, a pop up cultural and interactive warehouse.
This is curated and produced by X Alfonso and Sandra Lopes and was recently named the Top 100 Greatest Places by Time Magazine. Rather than having to attend multiple places for a concert, art exhibition, movie, etc., Fábrica hosts it all in one venue. Originally from Havana, Cuba, the immersive venue in Denver will be bigger than ever before.
“This time we have artists from all around the Americas,” Lopes said. “It’s a huge, ambitious project, but beautiful because we’re bringing together all of these countries through culture in the same place.”
Fábrica will host more than 100 international artists from across the Americas like Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and more. There, guests will experience music by Latin American Grammy winners, dancer performers, fashion shows, visual arts, food and more.
“You will always find something that you will identify with, recognize and feel like yours,” Lopes said. “Each person will leave the experience differently.”
Combining Latin American culture with fashion, music, art and food in one space makes for a unique yet educational experience and is a must see event.
Each event is free to the public but performances are ticketed at night.
Attend the Cities Summit of the Americas events from April 26-28.