Carmelá

Designed by Carmela Osorio Lugo, “CARMELA,” Fall 16’ collection, is based on streetwear. The looks are defined by the fusion of craftsmanship and attention to detail, with a sense of refined ease. I drew my inspiration from the streets of New York City. The essence of the collection came from the construction and subway workers of the city, and all of those who were and are part of building the city it is now - the capital of the world.

The whole process is a feet-on- the-ground design approach. The collection embodies a sense of ease. Clean wearable luxury has become my brand’s signature. As an emerging designer I consider my label to be modern and luxurious. The collection offers an edgy, youthful take on upscale dressing. During my design process and development it was essential to keep the importance of my inspiration, “the construction workers”. It was also important to represent the craftsmanship and handwork that these people put into their job in order to create a perfect marriage between my inspiration and the pieces I needed to tell my story by using and recycling actual denim worn by these workers to their job.

I thought it would be interesting to create the juxtaposition of destroying “construction workers jeans”. I draped and developed silhouettes using recycled jeans and then reconstructed, bleached, treated, patched and dyed the denim by hand to create unique pieces that embody the essence of this important part of society. Eventually I tried to use traditional techniques to showcase the importance of detailing and handwork . These pieces were combined with black and gray linear silhouettes that symbolize the architecture of the city that they once built.

EDITORIAL BY HANNAH KIK & AUGUSTO SILVA ALLIEGRO