The exhibition ¡Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion Design Today, at the Museum at FIT, examines the work of 21st-century Latin American and Latinx fashion designers.
The exhibition features over 60 objects from the museum’s permanent collection, including many new acquisitions, bilingual texts in English and Spanish, and supplementary fashion media. It highlights designers from Latin American countries, as well as designers of Latin American heritage living and working in the United States, often referred to as Hispanic, Latino/Latina, or the gender-neutral term Latinx.
For decades, fashion designers of Latin American descent, such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Edmundo Castillo, Victor Alfaro, and Haider Ackermann, have been central figures in the fashion industry. Their successes have paved the way for new generations of talented designers, including Gabriela Hearst, Jonathan Cohen, Romina Cardillo of Nous Etudions, Willy Chavarria, Raul Lopez of LUAR, and Kika Vargas. These represent just a few of the emerging designers making their mark on the global scene by leading fashion houses, winning prestigious awards, and dressing celebrity clients.
The exhibition is thematically organized into sections addressing art, craftsmanship, elegance, gender, indigenous heritage, politics, popular culture, and sustainability. It seeks to challenge stereotypes about fashion created by designers of Latin American heritage, moving away from the notion of a singular Latin American style and highlighting the diversity of talent.
The Museum at FIT will host several programming events related to the exhibition as part of its Fall 2023 Fashion Culture series. The exhibition will be on view until November 12, 2023.
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