Imagine someone has made a patchwork quilt out of different types of floral, stripy and shiny lycra. No imagine that this person has taken a look at their creation and thought: “you know what? This would look really good as a pair of knickers”.

This is more or less the look created by a mother and daughter team of underwear designers in San Telmo. Every Sunday you can go to their stall on Pasaje Dr José Modesto Guiffra and check out their impressive array of boxers, bras, and knickers (or panties, as they are called by our North American readers).

Photo by Brian Funk

Liz Cabrera and daughter Sara attend to customers interested in their unique knickers during the Sunday street fair in San Telmo.

Pinned up all over the outside of stall like little, patchwork-panty sails on a boat, this underwear is pretty hard to miss. Each pair of knickers is made of four different panels of fabric, with different coloured waistbands and bordering around the legs. Made of combinations of material ranging between shiny, floral, sparkly, stripy and leopard print, it’s no surprise that they stand out.

What is surprising is how beautiful they look. Hearing them described, you would be forgiven for thinking that these knickers ought to relegated, along with Christmas-themed panties and elephant shaped banana hammocks, to the sad ranks of novelty underwear. In fact, the multicoloured prints are chosen and combined in such a way that they really look stunning. Even when the prints are very distinct, the colours harmonise, and little touches of stripes and sparkles add a playful look. No wonder the stall is always crowded with tourists.

The knickers are all made and sold by a family team: 43-year-old Liz Cabrera and her 16-year-old daughter Sara. Liz, who started training as a seamstress when she herself was only 16, moved from her native Jujuy to Buenos Aires 12 years ago. She had sewed for years in the workshops of other designers, but the pay was so bad that she could barely support her family. Undaunted however, she always pursued her own fashion projects on the side, and began designing underwear. Rather than sticking to the monochrome styles that she used to produce when she worked for other people, she decided to give her imagination free reign.

Photo by Brian Funk

The stall not only has knickers for women, but also offers a mens knicker selection. Liz Cabrera started as a seamstress for other clothing designers, however she left to pursue her own unique underwear fashion.

Asked why she now uses such a profusion of prints and colours, she explains: “I always liked flowers, since I was a child.” Somehow, this seems like a bit of an understatement.

Today, Liz’s daughter Sara, does a lot of the design work. She tells me that she constantly changes the combinations of fabric, because “people come back all the time and we don’t want them to get bored”. In summer, she leans more towards florals, and in the winter she often works with animal-prints. Most importantly, the designs are meant to always be fun, quirky and “very different from what they make in factories”.

The result of Sara and Liz’s enthusiasm is some very funky looking pants. (yes, I know that no sensible person has used the adjective funky for at least the past ten years. But really, if you could see these knickers, you would call them funky too.) Best of all, at $15 each, they are really very cheap, especially considering that they are all hand-made. And I am happy to tell you that, after having bought two pairs myself, they are some of the most comfortable knickers I have ever owned.

Forget Calvin Klein and Victoria’s Secret. This is the kind of underwear that is so nice that you’ll be half tempted to wear it over your trousers.

Sara and Liz have a stall in San Telmo market on Dr José Modesto Guiffra, between Defensa and Balcarce. They are open on Sundays from 10am-7.30pm. From Thursday to Sunday 9am-5.30pm they also have a stall in Caminito, la Boca. To see the underwear online, you can visit the website: www.indumentariagoya.blogspot.com.

Photo by Rosalie Smith

Diane Desjeux came to Buenos Aires in 2006 with no real intention of staying. Having upped and left her entire world in Paris she bought the first ticket to somewhere that seemed exotic. “I knew nothing about Argentina. I did not even know how much a peso was worth. But I liked the sound of Buenos Aires, how it rolled off the tongue”. Four years on and Diane has successfully launched a line of bags and other accessories that she designs herself. Her creations are vibrant and striking, inspired by patterns and textures from different cultures around the world. Yet what is most compelling about Diane, apart from her delightful personality, is how she has managed to capture the “free-spirited” essence of Buenos Aires and integrate it into her daily life. She takes advantage of any and every opportunity that comes her way because being a French ex-pat she knows how hard these can be to come by in other cities of the world.

What was your life like in Paris and what urged you to move away from it?

“Well, I was the perfect image of the young Parisian woman. I lived in Montmartre, rode a scooter, dated an older man in the music industry and had a reputable job working in marketing for Universal Music. But it didn’t make me happy and one day I just had to leave it all behind and follow my intuition. I had always wanted to learn Spanish so I told myself I would come to Buenos Aires and stay here for as long as it took to become really good at the language. After three months I had not progressed as much as I had hoped and before I knew it, months had turned into years. Now this is home.”

Was your goal always to become a designer?

Photo by Rosalie Smith

“No, not at all. That is the charm of new places and new experiences, I think. When I finished school in Paris I was set on doing architecture and interior design at university. I did the one year prep course at Camondo School of Plastic Arts but then for some reason I could not bring myself to commit to the five years of university that followed, even though it truly was what I wanted to do at the time. Instead I did a two-year degree in business and communications at EFFICOM and then moved to Australia and worked for Bondi FM Radio. These experiences served me well but never felt right for me. Now that I am being creative again, I feel I have been taken back to my roots. My natural artistic skills come from my upbringing in Paris but they needed a nourishing and creatively stimulating environment, like that of Buenos Aires, to flourish.”

How would you describe the differences in lifestyle between Paris and Buenos Aires?

“In the Western world, especially in Paris I feel, we are all conditioned to think that the way of life there is what is ‘right’ or ‘good’ but at some point you have to question that and make the adult choice to find something that you believe suits you better. My first impression of Buenos Aires was not ideal. I left one big city only to stumble upon another. But after a while I began to notice a kind of human warmth and spontaneity among the Porteños that really helped me to develop my creativity. In Paris everything is organised, the economy is good but the laws are rigid and you have little freedom. Here there is no security and you could lose everything in an instant. But somehow I feel challenged and inspired by the chaos!”

How did you go about getting involved in the arts scene then?

Photo by Rosalie Smith

“This is the brilliance of Buenos Aires, you see. There is a wealth of opportunities available in the city and anyone can get involved. For example, I am not a singer, I have never sung professionally, but recently I met the well known French producer Richard Minier and he offered for me to sing on a new record he was making. Even though I do not have the best voice and he had to be very patient with me, we ended up producing a great record called D&D present the Folk&Be Sessions. I know that this kind of opportunity would not have been offered to someone with so little experience back in Paris. I also worked in cinema and architecture here in Buenos Aires before I found my niche in the design world.”

Tell me more about Voulez Vous. How would you describe your work?

“Well, so far, the label includes bags, bikinis, cushions and Bling jewellery. When I travel I look out for unusual patterns and prints that grab my attention and I bring them back to Argentina. Otherwise I order them or get friends to bring materials from their countries when they visit. In this way, my designs are lead by my emotions and I find that this attracts the emotions of others. I am not guided by fashion trends or common taste, nor am I motivated by money. I do what I do because it makes me happy and the challenge is trying to find a way to make a living out of that without compromising. Luckily, porteños really like the idea of independent design and as a market they are very supportive of new, creative ideas. Although there are many other budding designers out there the market is still emerging and there is room for us all”.

What have your experiences of being an ex-pat taught you?

Photo by Rosalie Smith

“In life we have to accept that we will find ways of expressing ourselves that are not exactly what we expected. If you are not satisfied in any way you have to be ready to destroy structures and rebuild on a basis of what really feels good. If the recent disasters around the world have taught us anything, it is that Nature is more powerful than social systems and we should guide ourselves according to this. As cliché as it sounds, I feel that my settling in Buenos Aires was meant to be because I fell in love with an Argentine and now we hope to build a family together. This is proof that if you follow your heart you will eventually feed your soul”.

The Voulez Vous line is currently available in various Palermo boutiques and the E-store will be online beginning of May at www.voulezvousplanet.com.

To listen to D&D present the Folk&Be Sessions, check them out on bebo: http://apps.bebo.com/my-band/artist/DandDmusic or facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/-DD-/85894124065

“Alpargatas sí, libros no!” said Juan Domingo Perón in an appeal against universities’ elitism and expressing his favour for salt-of-the-earth blue collar work. This is what alpargatas, the ubiquitous Argentine take on the espadrille, have symbolised for almost two centuries.

Originally brought to Argentina by Basque immigrants from the Pyrenees mountains, the shoes quickly spread throughout the farming and rural communities. At the beginning of the 20th century a British company named Alpargatas adapted the espadrilles to Latin America by replacing the Jute rope soles with one made of rubber and modifying the toes. The shoes became a symbol of Argentina’s agricultural wealth, and eventually came to be worn with pride by chic city dwellers along with farmers.

Photos by Pavel Ezrohi

Pando at the office.

The shoes have remained the same ever since the alpargatas company adapted the espadrille for the Latin American market. However, a fresh and energetic company has sprung up that is looking to launch alpargatas into a bit of a renaissance.

Three years ago, Tomás Pando and his business partner Francisco Murray started Paez Shoes. Pando found himself feeling restless at his job at a large company in Buenos Aires and left Argentina to travel through Europe and the US. He realised that these rich cultures were missing something very critical: the comfort and practicality offered by alpargatas. When he told his friend, Murray, his idea, it was originally ill received. But the two discussed the matter more and decided that not only was there a yawning market for alpargatas abroad, but that the original could do with a bit of sprucing up as well.

The aim of Paez Shoes is to produce alpargatas with fresh designs, quality materials, domestic production and a firm belief in honouring the shoe’s Argentine roots. They aim to spread their innovative take on the classic shoes across the globe.

The colours tend to be bright and lively without demanding attention, and the playful pattens are able to draw a surprising variety from such a no-frills canvas. Alpargatas are stitched with barely a handful of seams and the novel ornamentation from the design team at Paez is an example of ample creativity working within strict boundaries.

The young and irreverent spirit of the Paez is demonstrated best by their logo – the silhouette of two rabbits mating…maybe. It may be just one rabbit standing at attention, apparently behind the other but actually off in the distance, a dirty trick of perception.

“I tell my kids they’re just friends; that they’re just a couple of friendly rabbits sitting there together,” says US importer and licensee of Paez, Chris Johns. However, Pando sets the record straight by explaining that “we really wanted to stress the born and raised in Argentina aspect of the brand, it symbolises procreation. For the local market it’s sort of poking fun at the rural roots of alpargatas. For the abroad market, it’s saying that the brand was born and raised here, and it’s going to be spreading [with the vigor of rabbit reproduction] all over the world”.

The decision to keep production in Argentina is a defining element of the Paez brand, and one that was not easy for the founders. Alpargatas are usually produced in mass quantities. Pando mentioned that the leading brand produces a whopping 10,000 pairs of shoes every day. The key to most producer’s competitiveness is trimming expenses as much as possible, and the modifications and attention to detail which Paez Shoes require made it impossible for them to be made under such conditions. On the other-hand, the small manufacturing companies who Paez began by working with were unable to meet their requirements of producing with good materials and getting the international orders out on time. So, about a year and a half ago Paez opened their own small factory on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

They began production just in time for the global financial collapse. Pando explains: “We had just opened and were employing a bunch of new people, and learning on the job and then from one day to the next our prospects were changing back and forth. So basically for the last year and a half the mission has been, ‘okay, let’s just survive this’.” And survive they have. If anything, their conviction to keep the production local, and be exposed to the turbulent Argentine economy, has been strengthened for having come through this difficult time intact.

And there must have been temptation to go the less painful route and set up production in a cheaper market, as Paez’s top competitor TOMS Shoes has done. TOMS also sells  designer alpargatas abroad, mostly in the US, but they have a very different business model than Paez. TOMS was started by North American Blake Mycoskie after a trip to Argentina. For every pair of TOMS shoes bought, a pair is donated to a child in an impoverished community in Argentina. The company has become very successful and was quick to move production to China.

Photos by Pavel Ezrohi

The Paez factory.

While the founders and foreign distributors of Paez all acknowledge that TOMS is certainly pursuing a noble cause, they don’t entirely agree with the company’s practices and prefer their model. Pando says that he would much rather follow the example of American Apparel, who produce designer clothes with environmentally friendly materials and under strict no sweatshop conditions. He emphasised: “I’m proud to pay the best hourly rate to my employees and sacrifice making donations than to pay someone for less than a days work in China.” By keeping production jobs in Argentina, and promoting the shoes as a distinctly Argentine product abroad, the Peaz model does seem to go further in honouring the roots of the shoes.

Peaz’s foreign partners stress that this celebration of alpargatas heritage is of the utmost importance to them and also naturally helps with marketing. Chris Johns explains: “Our first commitment is to the people in Argentina who are making these shoes and making sure that they’re in the best work environment, that they’re learning a skill and how to be creative and that we’re able to carry on a tradition that people in Argentina have loved for decades and decades.” Paez also stresses environmental responsibility and the shoes come in bags made entirely from recycled materials and created with diverse uses in mind.

It appears that Paez’s mission of responsible production and spreading of this Argentine classic is being well received by interested partners in foreign markets. From it’s inception  there has been a prominent announcement on the company’s website that informs intrigued readers as to how they can get involved with bringing Paez to their countries.  Pando explains the business model as such: “We’re trying to build a big network of entrepreneurs, small, independent business people who are interested in working with something new. Our philosophy is to work with people that can replicate what we’re doing here in each country. It’s a long term project, in which both sides will learn from each other.”

The model seems to be working as sales have been steadily increasing both in Argentina and abroad every year since the company’s founding. In the US, for example, the number of Paez has been growing like little baby rabbits. In the last year Johns has gone from having shipments in the hundreds sent up to supply smaller retailers to the factory in Buenos Aires having just completed his first large order of 5,000 pairs which will be sold online and to large retail stores. Just last month he received a commitment to 12,000 pairs.

Similar expansion is also occurring with other foreign Paez representatives who span across 20 different countries and five continents. Procreation indeed.

To learn more about Paez check out their sites at www.laspaez.com.ar and www.paezshoes.com.

Photo by Patricio Guillamón

The season ahead is looking dark. Autumn and winter fast approaching, Argentina is gearing up to face the chill in heavy fabrics, a monochromatic palette and with die-hard allegiance to punk-inspired fashion.

The three days of the 2010 autumn/winter edition of Buenos Aires Fashion Week showcased collections which are testament to the city’s rising recognition and status amongst the world’s style capitals. In keeping with the calibre of pieces featured on the runways of London, Paris, New York and Milan this year, the forerunners in Argentine design exhibited cutting-edge trends, as well as some truly unique garments.

A Growing Industry

Of course, as the runways of the northern hemisphere celebrated the fashions set to take off in autumn and winter of 2010/11, Argentina inevitably remains a season behind (even the most devoted porteña fashionista is unlikely to opt for stylish, yet thick, cable knits in the face of the December to February heat). However, ‘behind’ was not a word apt to describe the offerings which emerged at La Rural – home of the event – on 24th-26th February, when BAF Week hit the capital.

Streams of attendees put their best fashion foot forward as thousands flocked to the main showroom of La Rural. Carolina Lascano, the event’s institutional spokeswoman, commented: “The large assembly that this event has had at its most recent editions (on average 35,000 people) and the growing attendance of journalists and international specialists confirms BAF Week as a platform for creativity which gives a real boost to the Argentine clothing industry.”

Photo by Patricio Guillamón

Spectacular Designs

Content spokeswoman, Kika Tarelli, explained: “Argentina is a country with a rich history of design, and this is reflected on our runways.” Indeed, some of the collections were spectacular, and are bound to turn international fashion industry heads. On the catwalk, standout collections included Juana de Arco’s flashy neon sequins and voluminous woollen knits; Cora Groppo’s body-hugging cuts and contrasting rigid geometric pieces; Vicki Otero’s dramatic, structured layers of heavy fabrics; and Kostüme’s optical-illusory, asymmetric, black leather garments.

Showing clothing and styles which ranged from the outlandish to the austere, these design houses are set to take the fashion world by storm over the coming seasons. Designer, Mariana Da Piano, explained how the local industry is growing, as world-class designers emerge from Argentina, propelling their work onto the national and international scene: “Each season we are improving. More designers and brands are joining the fashion week and each of us is producing better material as we mature.”

Future Faces of Fashion

Many agree that one of the most important parts of BAF Week is the ‘Semillero (Seedbed) UBA’ runway: A platform awarded to two promising Universidad de Buenos Aires designers (or design teams) to stage a full catwalk production of their collections. Complete with professional hair, makeup, set, lighting and – above all – an audience of influential industry experts, the Semillero promotes the constant cultivation of fresh design talent. It gives a golden opportunity to young, innovative creators, who could become the key international representatives of Argentine fashion in the near future. This year’s winning student designers: Nadia Stuer and Ichaso-Walmsley (Catalina Ichaso and Lucinda Walmsley) are definitely names to watch out for, after causing a huge stir with their high-fashion, high-impact garments and shows.

In an industry precariously balanced on the fine line between uniqueness and standardisation, the search for the next new thing is a constant. The originality and individuality of the artist’s design constitutes a welcome distinguishing factor which must work alongside current trends and the fast-moving global market. One such quaint and distinctive touch is the creative manipulation of national and regional identities: a key player in the success of some Argentine brands.

Photo by Rosalie Smith

Giving a Local Touch to International Trends

Two of the most talked-about collections presented at the autumn/winter edition of BAF Week belonged to well-established brands, Prüne and Rapsodia. Although worlds apart, both were perfectly in line with international high-fashion, yet simultaneously inherently (inexplicably, even) ‘Argentine’.

Perhaps it was the prevalence of quality leather garments in each line: Prüne models stomped down the runway in full-length, gothic, black leather jackets, chunky boots and patent stilettos, brandishing distressed tote bags. Meanwhile, Rapsodia’s signature tan, soft leather jackets and fringed ankle boots were more cowgirl than rocker…Or perhaps it was the theatricality of each collection to which we may attribute their impact and exhibition of cultural tendencies: In true Argentine fashion, just as BA boliches are not complete without a visual spectacle to accompany the DJ, neither runway was a mere clothing exhibit; but rather, the audiences were given fully fledged shows. The Prüne catwalk was strewn with red velvet and gold-embossed ballroom chairs, as though the pile-up scene in the aftermath of a Renaissance-style furniture collision. The models interacted with the staging, showing off the garments and accessories to a choreographed sequence; all of which was set to a dramatic medley of Gwen Stefani songs, played by a full string ensemble. The formidable walks, heavy eye makeup and icy skin were a sharp contrast to the sun-kissed glow sported by the Rapsodia models, who glided down a psychedelic, multi-coloured catwalk, dotted with six-foot fabric cacti.

The Moda Market

The feminine florals, sexy animal prints, gaucho-esque denim and sparkly yet grungy evening wear which line the rails of Rapsodia’s stores are wearable. They appeal to a wide demographic, helping the brand fast become one of the best-known clothing ranges to emerge from Argentina. The profile of the country’s fashion industry was also given a huge boost last September, when three local designers (Benito Fernández, Min Agostini and Fabián Zitta) and two brands (Cardon and Eufemia) were invited to present their creations on the runways of New York Fashion Week, as part of a collective display of Argentine sartorial talent.

Alongside well-established high-fashion design houses and boutique ranges, such as Maria Vasquez and Ona Saez, brands like Prüne, Rapsodia and Wanama (also showcased at BAF Week) are exemplary forces in the Argentine industry’s bid for international standing, and the commercial possibilities with which this goes hand-in-hand.

Haute Couture in Wonderland

Photo by Rosalie Smith

However, international trade potential aside, one of the most stunning exhibitions of Argentine fashion creation to surface this year is a collection of utterly un-wearable pieces, courtesy of an interdisciplinary group of designers and artists: ‘LAB’. Pablo Ramírez, Vero Ivaldi, Marcelo Cantón, Luciana Val, and Franco Musso united their talents in the production of six spectacular haute couture garments, which premiered at BAF Week. Through the huge keyhole of their ‘Alice in Wonderland’ installation, their ornate, avant-garde designs wowed attendees, featuring top-hats and tails, layers of effervescent tulle, oversized silk bows and reams of sumptuous, puffy white lace and ruffles. Inspired by – and coinciding with the release of – Tim Burton’s dark and magical adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, the collection incorporates timeless cuts, immaculate tailoring, vintage accoutrements, beautiful fabrics and incredibly eccentric details.

This set of unique designs and impressive artistry are some of 2010’s prime players in showcasing the breadth and depth of talent and creativity manifest in the Argentine fashion industry. Eight years after its first edition, BAF Week continues to articulate the concept of national fashions. It’s organisers work to strengthen the textile-clothing industry, promote exports and commercial alliances with international buyers, and let the world know about the growth of regional design. It serves as an insight into the quality and innovative merit of the products the country has to offer. The event consolidates Buenos Aires’ status as one of the most important design capitals in the region, and as the industry here rapidly aligns itself with global urban trends, home-grown brands and design houses are cementing themselves within the international circuit.

The Spring/Summer 2010/11 edition of BAF Week will be held in… Information will be published in the coming months on the event’s website: www.bafweek.com

For more information on standout brands, Prüne and Rapsodia, visit: www.prune.com.ar and www.rapsodia.com.ar

The Alice in Wonderland installation will be moved to the Alvear Palace Hotel on 22nd March, where it will be open for public view. Contributions will be welcome, and will go towards the ‘Make a Wish’ foundation