2nd FASHIONTASTER GATHERING @ElCielo Restaurant

The second Fashiontaster gathering ended with excellent results! bloggers, stylists, designers, and brands like Bimba & Lola and Dafiti Colombia; took part on this wonderful project I've been working next to EL CIELO restaurant and its owner and chef Juan Manuel Barrientos. Gatherings are going to be made every three months on the same place, same time, and same people, well I hope to invite more people every version. Today the main topic was Colombiamoda 2012, we discussed five specific points: 

1. ¿Is fashion a good business for fashion designers in Colombia? 

The conclusion: Yes, it's possible! but you have to work very very very hard to succeed. You are not going to be rich, unless you become in something big and massive. Colombiamoda is a good opportunity to be known, however the probability of making business is very low. Most of the designers who present collections on runway doesn´t get any buyer interested.

2. ¿What did we see on runways? 

The conclusion: Sponsors are every time more involved between the designers work and their creativity. It's sad to believe designers must create their clothes according to the sponsor specifications. We know sponsors are indispensable for a fashion week in Colombia, otherwise it's impossible to make one; however designers must know how to stop sponsors when they intend to interfere on the creative process. People is also tired of the over branding of the sponsors, we still do not know why we keep on receiving soaps, yogurts, and food, in a runway show; that's totally out of context. Sponsors can't keep on being the center of attention, designers must!.

3. Designers VS. Brands

The conclusion: Brands are taking control of fashion weeks in Colombia, this time almost  70% of the runways in Colombiamoda were brands with any innovation, ¿what are we going to see next year? Most of the brands we saw in Colombiamoda didn't propose anything new, people don´t want to see collections you can easily find on other brands; we want to see new trends, new silhouettes, another point of view; we are really tired watching the same clothes every time. Of course brands can participate on fashion weeks, but they must innovate; otherwise the specialized and international press won't be interested on it.

4. Fashion Democratization

The conclusion:  We all know big companies are arriving to Colombia every year, now colombian designers must think what they are going to do to "compete" with those monsters. Faride Ramos one of the designers invited to the gathering thinks the only way to compete with big companies is to innovate on the clothes, to create garments you can´t easily find on massive shops; Faride also thinks colombian designers must compete with quality on fabrics and exclusivity in the number of garments they sell per reference. "Nowadays people do not want to look like the rest of the people" replies the designer who believes the weaknesses of massive industry can become on advantages for small designers.

5. Independent media in fashion weeks

The conclusion: In Colombia, fashion weeks don´t undrestand the power independent media has on the internet, they still believe local entertainment television, social magazines, and celebrities magazines; are the only ones who represent valuable information. Blogs and fashion sites can report a better information quality and faster than other type of press; the information is almost immediately. We really do not know why we have a different treatment and why we are not even take into account to occupy second rows. In Colombiamoda for example bloggers had to fight for a good seat on the rows; most of the times people from the staff move us to other seats just for sitting down people who really don't underestand anything about fashion. We think first rows must be only for specialized fashion press and buyers; celebrities in Colombia are not the same celebrities you find in New York, Paris, London, or Milan.

Thanks for comming: Brian Andrews (NTN24), Juan Carlos Giraldo (FUCSIA), Juliana Álvarez (INFASHION), Faride Ramos (FARIDE RAMOS), Carlos Giraldo & Humberto Ramírez (COMO UNA APARICIÓN), Eleonora Morales (EXCLAMA), Ana Lorenzana (ALO MUJERES), Tatiana Moreno (ICONA STYLE), Alexandra Ruíz (BIMBA & LOLA), Elizabeth Daes (DAFITI COLOMBIA) Alejandra Galvis (INDUMODA), Ángela Diez (DE LA MODA Y OTROS DEMONIOS), Sylvana Alférez (ROCKMANTIC), Andrea Leyva (NORA LOZZA), Diana Sandoval (DIANA SANDOVAL).

Thanks for the support: Juan Manuel Barrientos (EL CIELO RESTAURANT), Laura Agudelo (LA PESADA DE MODA), Marinita Blanco (MBG COMUNICACIONES), María Claudia García (INDUMODA), Darío Cárdenas (DARIO CÁRDENAS)