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Los tenis son el nuevo negro. Tenis con todo en el desfile de #darioCardenas y @newbalanceco #colombianoda. // No se pierdan el editorial de backstage de este desfile en #top5fashion .com

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colombia moda: darío cárdenas

(images via moda el grifo)

while i'm sure it would be easy to dismiss the s/s 2013 work of young designer darío cárdenas at colombia moda in medellin--and there are probably a handful who will--as silly bits of frippery from some upstart, i must confess i actually really liked the collection, and cheerful and quirky as i found it, also appreciated that there was a deeper, rather thoughtful message beyond all the pomp and verve. 

the site vista la calle actually did quite a nice job of summarizing, explaining that the designer showed (trans.) "an innocent yet very ironic collection. Darío plunged into a series of digital prints that made references to Queen Elizabeth or the mythical king of Spain, Juan Carlos I, commenting 'Why do not you shut up.' 'Real Paradise' is a collection that calls us to reflect on the priorities that we have when trying to tell us: 'Today matters more than the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, and with the death rate in Africa, the world is getting worse every day, [and this raises] the topic of awareness,' says the designer."

meanwhile, the blog fashion sense described it a little differently (trans.): "The Colombian designer refers to social awareness that is the world today...referring to contrasting social classes, pictures of Queen Elizabeth to the street homeless area 'Bronx' in the city of Bogotá. More than anything, Darío Cárdenas told through his clothes, prints and silhouettes, stories, thoughts and philosophies of ordinary citizens as they [pertain to] issues of violence and cruelty, but also becoming more aware of this and wanting to shout about it."

so, in the end, i suppose we're supposed to inspect a whole raft of global issues and feelings that range from joy to despair (and this is rather reminding me of both the book and film, city of god, though that's actually based in brazil). anyway, the above site also went on to note that the designer's textiles included "silk, chiffon and lace in which he produced his memorable tapestry prints, flowers and Victorian figures, sticking to light colours like pink, beige and metallic tones and neons." 

and as the blog moda el grifo chipped in that (trans.) "the forms were graphically strong, but subtle and predominated femininity with loose, billowing and moving silhouettes," estilozas reported that the designer (trans.) "used digital printing techniques to create patterns and images that were manipulated by him...His collection had a dark and vintage air." though we've seen a few exceptional things in medellin already, mr. cárdenas's collection in particular impressed me with its wearability and charming retro-kitsch verve, all the while probing our thoughts and suggesting we look deeper, just as a really great art show ought to do. 

(see a flash of catwalk video here & a video lookbook-thing here)