From leather ateliers in Mexico to repurposed textiles in London, a new generation of designers is weaving family tradition into global style.
Heritage meets boldness
Each year, and with particular attention during Hispanic Heritage Month, ELLE editors highlight Latin designers whose work is transforming fashion worldwide. The current wave of Latin American design demonstrates how craftsmanship and daring sensibility can flourish together, from Colombian ateliers to studios in Mexico and Brazil.
These labels share more than geography. They build collections on intergenerational stories—grandmothers' embroidery techniques, saturated hometown color palettes, silhouettes that merge nostalgia with rebellion. What defines them is a fluency in contrast: opulence paired with ease, tradition with provocation, romance with edge.
Designers to know now
Mariana Fuentes Mier channels her Mexican heritage through supple leather goods, rebozo textiles, and sterling silver jewelry, all handmade by master artisans across Mexico. Raised in Puebla, she built experience at The Row, Calvin Klein, and Tory Burch after relocating to New York. Her unstructured lambskin nappa handbags feature knottable handles that transform their function. "It's functional in a very real way: A single knot gives you a shoulder bag; a shorter, more intricate one gives you a handbag for dinner," Fuentes Mier explains. "As you wear it, the leather softens and begins to mold to you—to how you carry it, to how you knot it. Over time, the bag becomes truly yours."
For Susana Vega, jewelry making is inheritance rather than craft. She grew up surrounded by gems and gold in her family's workshop in Tovar, Mérida, Venezuela, launching her namesake brand in 2008 and relaunching from the United States a decade later. Her bold, sculptural pieces draw from nature, art, and the strength of Latin women.
Renata Brenha, though based in London, carries Brazil in her practice. She rediscovers materials—beach towels, tablecloths, curtains—and reworks them through Gambiarra, the Brazilian ethos of inventive improvisation. Found domestic textiles become garments holding memory and presence.
Agua Bendita emerged from friendship. Catalina Álvarez and Mariana Hinestroza began sewing swimwear for loved ones before building one of Colombia's first fashion export successes. Handmade in-house prints developed with skilled artisans yield bold, colorful work.
Cala de la Cruz, founded by Cali-born Carolina Lopez, offers resortwear with retro sensibility—timeless silhouettes, striking botanical prints, and graphic boldness. Small local businesses produce every style, reflecting deep ethical commitment.
Heirlome partners with Mexican and Latin American artisans, preserving generational techniques and embracing irregularities as signatures. The collaboration produces wearable art that empowers its source communities.
Sara Beltran, raised in El Paso, Texas, founded Dezso in 2006 from ocean reverence and restless travel. She hand-selects precious and semiprecious stones, working closely with Polki diamonds on luxury pieces designed for permanence. "My Mexico-India life represents my two worlds," she writes. "I am proud to be Mexican, but I wouldn't be who I am without India."
Prasi fuses Brazilian modernism with timeless jewelry. Drawing from 1960s and '70s Brazilian furniture, the Paris-based brand creates clean, architectural pieces with soft curves—jewelry as self-extension rather than status display. The collection began with a single skirt, the Soledad.
Michelle Del Rio's feminine, standout silhouettes blend California ease with Parisian sensibility, designed for living.
Silvia Tcherassi's Colombian label embodies effortless sophistication through unique accessories and elaborate clothing in striking colors and textures, including bridal pieces for bold, unexpected wedding moments.