Indigenous Mexican designer to present at New York Fashion Week

Alberto López Gómez, an indigenous Mexican fashion designer and weaver from the Chiapas region, is set to join New York Fashion Week in February.

According to local media site Sin Embargo, the 31-year-old designer, part of Mexico’s Tzotzil Maya community, rose to prominence after appearing in a documentary from the charity Deutsche Menschenrechtskoordination Mexiko. In the film, he talked about the challenges of learning a trade that has been traditionally linked to women.

“I will soon show the art of my people, from Magdalena Aldama, Chiapas. I’ll be in Boston from January 25 to February 3 to represent artisan women and men and present my textile project at Harvard University,” said the designer in a Facebook post.

On February 2, he will show at New York Fashion Week, presenting a collection woven on a backstrap loom, the traditional weaving style of the Maya people. He said this will be a unique opportunity to raise awareness about his work and that of his people. “I’m very excited to represent Tzotziles in something so important,” he told El Universal.

Currently, López Gómez leads a group of 150 female weavers from Aldama. Their work has been put together into a catalogue of designs and a handmade collection called K’uxul Pok’.

According to the media site, the designer wants to protect and preserve his community’s ancient weaving techniques.

Among others, he plans to build a museum in Aldama, visit Europe and write a memoir to promote his native culture.

Indigenous Mexican designer to present at New York Fashion Week

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