¡Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion Symposium

two models in pink and blue suits posing for Vogue Italia — Image: Amantes Encontrados for Vogue Italia. Photographer: Paola Vivas. Fashion: Sánchez-Kane. Styling: Chino Castilla. Models: Emiliano and Samuel for GUERXS AGENCY MX

Friday, October 7, 2022

10:00 - 5:00 pm EST

Katie Murphy Amphitheatre

Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center

The symposium ¡Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion provided an opportunity for museum curators Tanya Melendez-Escalante and Melissa Marra-Alvarez to engage with the general public and the academic community in preparation for the exhibition of the same title. The speakers explored the work of fashion designers of Latin American heritage, shedding new light on Latin American and Latinx fashion. Topics included politics, sustainability, art, Indigenous heritage, gender, and popular culture.

Speakers: William Cruz Bermeo, professor in the Clothing Design Program at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, in Medellin, Colombia; Mexican independent curator Ana Elena Mallet; and Hanayrá Negreiros, Adjunct Curator of Fashion at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo; as well as designers, Willy Chavarria, Brenda Equihua, and Bárbara Sánchez-Kane.

Symposium Schedule

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES | READING LIST (PDF)

Friday, october 7, 2022
10 am	Welcoming Remarks, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, President of FIT
10:05 am	Introduction, Dr. Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at FIT
10:10 am	“¡Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion” Tanya Meléndez-Escalante and Melissa Marra-Alvarez in conversation
10:30 am	“Identity and Fashion in Latin America” Hanayrá Negreiros and Laura Beltrán-Rubio in conversation
	10 min. break
11:10 am	“Latin America on the Global Fashion Scene During the Twentieth Century” William Cruz Bermeo
11:40 am	“Popular Culture and Fashion” Brenda Equihua and Bárbara Sánchez-Kane in conversation with Tanya Meléndez-Escalante
12:10 pm–2 pm	Lunch
2:00 pm	“Are We Latinx? Constructs of Inclusivity” Aída Hurtado and Willy Chavarria in conversation with Tanya Meléndez-Escalante
2:30 pm	“Sustainability and Fashion” Melissa Marra-Alvarez in conversation with Oskar Metsavaht
	10 min. break
3:10 pm	“Gender and Fashion” José Blanco and Alexis Carreño in conversation
3:40 pm	“Latin American Elegance: An Intercultural Dialogue’ Ana Elena Mallet
4:10 pm	Q&A and discussion session with the audience and speakers

This symposium was made possible with the support of the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.