Spring

Patricio Campillo arrived in New York for his third season showing Stateside. The last time the Mexican designer was here, in February, he made a splash with a now viral “Golfo de Mexico” tee that talked back directly at Donald Trump’s administration and the president’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America.” This time around, Campillo’s patriotic statement was less forceful, yet arguably more impactful.

Campillo said he’s been ruminating on the idea of repetition. “I’ve been thinking about what it means in the context of Mexican culture, and how the artisanal value in being Mexican comes, in many ways, from processes that are based on repetition,” he explained. With this exploration came a consideration of materiality: Weaving, knitting, knotting—artisanal practices which are utilized on everything from textiles to hammocks and baskets, that show both repeated techniques and patterns.

There’s value in visible effort, which was all over this lineup; a well-achieved, considered collection. “I wanted to find a new level of sophistication for the brand,” Campillo said. The make of what he presented on the runway was nothing short of remarkable: Shorts made with woven (and individually hemmed) silk panels, bomber jackets and shirting constructed with similarly applied leather strips, smocking on tops, and basket weaving down the sides of trousers. Each pattern was different than the one before it, each just as intricate and fascinating. “This was a way of recontextualizing our heritage,” Campillo said.

It was also, he added, an exercise in understanding how designers like him can best partner with Indigenous communities. “I learned that the more isolated the community, the more unique their processes and techniques are,” Campillo said. “It’s this idea of self-referencing that creates new versions of the original thing.” That’s a valuable lesson to learn about the way cultures evolve and self-preserve—it’s also the secret behind building a brand from scratch like Campillo is doing. The true impact in this collection lies therein, in the way Campillo inspired his audience to reconsider what they understand as runway-worthy fashion. “I wanted this to be a reflection on what makes a luxury item,” he said. Not just European lab coat-clad petit mains, that is, but also Mexicans artisans and their communities. To wit, he merged them both together—the feather pieces in this lineup were made in Paris by a storied dedicated atelier.

Despite the amount of work and materials involved in the making of this lineup, it did not feel heavy, belabored, or overcomplicated. Rather, it was romantic and light. Campillo used good judgement to apply the myriad of fabrications he discovered to his usual menswear silhouettes: shirting, trousers, blouses, jackets. It was this which made a success of his experiment; his clothes were as meticulously made as they were simple and wearable. Campillo has big aspirations for his label. So far, it’s safe to say that they’re not misplaced or overly ambitious.