Brenda Equihua (@equihua_official), a Los Angeles-based fashion designer, references her Santa Barbara working-class Mexican family through her colorful, high-end, vibrant pieces. In The Know Style: Changemakers features the designer sharing how she transforms traditional taqueria tablescloths into stunning two piece sets.
Storytelling and cultural preservation is a huge part of Equihua’s work, especially when it comes to her Mexican upbringing in Santa Barbara.
“My entire life has been just me carrying my ideas for so long,” Equihua explains. “When I was in school you were taught that these are the references that are important and relevant, and these [other] references, they’re not a part of this world.”
Equihua has kept a collection of memories throughout her life and used them as inspiration for her work. “Every idea that I couldn’t use, every memory that wasn’t considered relevant, it went in this closet,”She elaborates. “I couldn’t put any more in there. I had to just open that door and let everything out.”
Now, she draws on her memories to inspire her pieces. Chicanx culture is a blend of Mexican folk art and high-end fashion.
Equihua is a source of inspiration in everything “childhood memories, scents, dresses, things I saw at yard sales… jokes I remember,”And ultimately, creates “magic”They are all available.
“To have an idea and make it come to life, it’s like being a magician,”She shares. “That’s the biggest luxury of my life: to create the things that are in my mind.”
But nostalgia isn’t the only thing that stirs Equihua. She’s very forward thinking and is aware of all the experiences in front of her that have yet to inspire her work.
“I’m gonna have ideas forever, because I have endless memories,”Equihua shares In The Know. “I also have experiences that I’ve never even had before that are gonna inspire me, and I want to make those too.”
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The post Meet Equihua, a designer who is turning Mexican culture into high fashion fashion appeared first on In The Know.
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