Three designers against the tide

A garment as a canvas and a collector as a consumer

Kenny Ayon, actor

Kenny Ayon studied painting at PUCP, but decided to change canvas, from paintings to clothing as support. Each piece that he paints on by hand is unique. “I try to generate visual impact with issues that are difficult to deal with,” he tells Gestión. Thus, his fifth collection is inspired by punk, because through it he transmits political and social messages. “It has a lot to do with the urban vibe, but I also vindicate the role of women in this genre that feels so violent,” she says. Although, he emphasizes, he is not an anarchist, he is not interested in selling “a thousand Ramones polo shirts just because everyone likes them.”

Of course he thinks about business and profitability. That is why, like a painting, Kenny Ayon places a price on his creations that responds to the time he invests in not only painting, but also researching, documenting and conducting marketing campaigns. Before the pandemic, his presentations were in parades or in a basement below them, with a DJ and in the middle of a party. Because of his irreverent style, Kenny Ayon travels and makes contact with stylists and designers from the world of fashion. Through them the opportunity arises to dress artists like C Tangana. “They want me to wear magazine photo clothes. I know that this is the music that is being consumed, so it is like advertising for the brand ”, he concludes.

Ethical fashion and a way to generate zero waste

Thais Birds, diseñadora

“Alma Vitta” emerged as a way to pay tribute to her grandparents, who left before Thais Uccelli could create his clothing brand last year. Together with her sister Micaela, they made the names Malia (her paternal grandmother) and Víctor (her maternal grandfather) part of this dream. “It’s like going back to our roots, recovering the momentum that inspires us to create,” explains Uccelli from the phone. The brand aspires to reach feminine women, connected with nature and in love with ethical fashion, through garments with seventies silhouettes with a nostalgic air, and sustainable. “They have 75% recycled bottles and 25% Tangui cotton, which is high-end,” says the designer who studied at MAD.

The idea is that its consumers can after 10 or more years give their clothes to their daughters or sisters, give them a second use. “That is why, despite wearing sizes, they are very loose and can be adjusted to the body or can be used in various ways. In other words, they are hybrid garments and also timeless ”, he maintains.

In addition, from the materials left over from a collection, Alma Vitta creates cases, bags and other accessories. The purpose of the brand is to guarantee a zero waste production process, with natural fibers and eco-friendly fabrics.

Position the Peruvian identity in the European market

Paulo and Roberto Ruiz Muñoz, designers

“DNI” is established in Paris, like its creators Paulo and Roberto Ruiz Muñoz. The twin brothers were born in Casa Grande, in La Libertad. However, 15 years ago they settled in the city of light, where they decided to open their brand inspired by the special bond with Peruvian crafts and their childhood memories. “We tell a real story, of how we live the chicha and northern culture, not of something dreamed of as most do,” emphasizes Roberto.

“Positioning DNI here and then taking it to Peru was the ideal strategy,” they say, somewhat tired of not finding Latin designers in a market saturated with European proposals. For the Ruiz Muñoz, the most important thing about a brand should be differentiation, which is why they assure that what they will propose in Peru will be totally different from what has already been seen. Being in a LIF Week is not their greatest claim either, and they do not say it to belittle the Lima catwalk, they simply want to be different. “I am now in Túcume working with an expert craftsman in artisanal and natural dyeing techniques,” says Roberto and emphasizes that “this is part of the concept.”

Thus, in Peru they seek to close alliances with designers who also want to create designs aimed at the international market, since they already distribute in Guatemala and even wish to reach Asia.