Luar, Willy Chavarría among Latinos rising in fashion

The big picture: The rich history of Latino and Latin American fashion design has scarcely been mentioned in fashion archives or by fashionistas, says Edward Salazar Celis, a doctoral student in Latin American and Latino studies at UC Santa Cruz.

• "There are so many names that have been kept in the shadows in the history of fashion, from Latin America or Latinos in the U.S.," he says.

State of play: But there is a new cadre of Latinos slowly making a name for themselves. Many do so through clothes that honor their roots, Salazar Celis adds.

• That includes Brenda Equihua, the Mexican American creative director of her namesake brand, as well as designers Annaiss Yucra, from Peru, and Dayana Molina, from Brazil, who reference Latino cultural touchstones and Indigenous traditions in their pieces.
• Willy Chavarría's work has seen a boom in the last few years. His designs commenting on the American dream or referencing the Pachuco style have netted him clients like Bad Bunny and spreads in Vogue Business.
• Luar from Raul Lopez, who last year was a finalist in the global LVMH Prize for young designers, has also taken off.

What to watch: A new accelerator program from Resonance, a company that facilitates textile manufacturing with an eye on sustainability and reducing waste, aims to boost the careers of Dominican designers.

• The Amplify accelerator will give out funds, give workshops on sustainable garment manufacturing and distribution, and provide access to a sales platform in the U.S. Applications are due Friday.

• A previous similar accelerator propped up Black U.S. designers.

What they're saying: Lawrence Lenihan, co-founder and co-CEO of Resonance, tells Axios Latino he hopes to follow the accelerator with similar ones for more Dominican designers in coming years, and then to expand it to more "communities and countries that are underrepresented in the global fashion scene."

• "In a sense, we live in a Latin world in terms of population, consumer power and the contribution to culture by this community," Lenihan says.

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