Latin American fashion has always been a representation of “artisanal” fashion in its true form with focus on hand work, crochet, embellishments and craftsmanship. More recently, Latin American fashion has gone beyond its tropical vibe and embraced modernity. Their eye for design and style is translating well for global markets. The region’s fashion industry has diversified with creativity and new technology, and the world is keenly collaborating with Latin American manufacturers and brands.
Latin American brands participating in shows like Magic, Vegas have taken things to a completely different league.
I was a Senior Manager for International Sourcing for one of the leading fashion e-commerce portals in India in 2010. When I first visited Bogota for ProColombia’s Macrorrueda business meeting in 2014, I was travelling to South America for the first time and with no particular expectation. What I experienced was phenomenal, an absolute eye opener.
I had been sourcing fashion from all over the world for the Indian e-commerce sector and until my visit, I was clueless about the potential of Colombian fashion. This was a global and regional hub for your non-typical yet extremely important and niche categories like swimwear, lingerie, shapewear and activewear.
I had been sourcing fashion from all over the world for the Indian e-commerce sector and until my visit, I was clueless about the potential of Colombian fashion. This was a global and regional hub for your non-typical yet extremely important and niche categories like swimwear, lingerie, shapewear and activewear.
Colombia, South America’s 3rd largest economy, houses some of the best in lingerie, shapewear, active wear and swimwear. There is tremendous work taking place in design and innovation.
Let’s talk about swimwear and activewear. Now these are specialized fields. Colombian brands have developed and are producing intelligent and innovative fabrics which are anti-bacterial, provide UV protection and are also waterproof. One also sees textured fabrics. Vertically integrated companies give you the flexibility of offering a complete package (where the company producers everything for you, in your brand). You can even get your brand developed with low Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs). Competitive labor costs help you keep control of production costs.
For the longest time, swimwear never got its share of importance in India. People have either been buying pure performance-based swimwear from branded stores or buying swimwear from international locations specifically for their foreign travels. Fancy swimwear was only flaunted by celebrities and models.
Today, however, women are more open to wearing swimsuits even when holidaying in India or for the sake of their Instagram profiles. Fashionable swimwear is gaining wide acceptance. Having said that, swimwear brands have not been able to keep pace with growing demand and popularity. There is a big void in terms of patterns, silhouettes and technologically advanced fabrics. There is a dearth of good brands and styles in the swimwear segment in India. A handful of international and local brands are ruling this space. The market is flooded with either low-cost, low-quality swimwear or high-end designer swimwear. Indians are now ready to invest in good swimwear and very well ready to flaunt it. People are no longer interested in the basic functional swimwear from typical sportswear brands catering to the masses. It’s time to bring in amalgamation of technology, design and to top it all, fashion.
The future remains bright for Latin American fashion in India, and Chamela is only the beginning.
(The article was first published in Financialexpress)
