Tulum Fashion is Art, held from November 30th to December 2nd, brought together Tulum’s freshest fashion, deepest music and most inspiring art, all to promote sustainable living on our beautiful Mother Earth and support the local community.
The event opened with a bang at Shibari Tulum with the dress code “White Magic” alongside the beautiful sparkling waters of our Cenote Tuuch, with the peaceful jungle night all around us.
It was Tulum Fashion is Art’s fourth edition, and as always, one of the most eagerly anticipated eco-glam events in Tulum. This year lived up to our highest expectations, featuring international celebrities, well-known artists from all corners of the globe, and ravishing creations by Tulum fashion’s brightest lights.
We saw gorgeous collections that had us thrilled all week. And the music was just as amazing! Welcoming guests to the event’s opening, Shibari was graced by the dreamy deep house beats of DJ Giliø Kef, and Padme Music’s chill organic house floating out over our sacred waters. A special performance by world-renowned classical Indian music artists Sidartha Siliceo & Ananta lent a serene vibe.
It was a night to remember for all!
Designers Invited to Tulum Fashion is Art
Tulum Fashion is Art’s many talented designers and artists created a true feast for the senses.
But the event did something even more important; help bring fashion back into harmony with our sacred Earth by promoting the use of sustainable materials and methods.
Since Fashion is the world’s third most polluting industry and is said to cause 10 percent of world carbon emissions, Tulum Fashion is Art makes an important statement: it’s time for a change! Designers showcased inspiring sustainable fashion created with organic dyeing and indigenous weaving techniques, as well as repurposed materials.
Anikena by Azulik
Fashion is Art proudly welcomed Anikena by Azulik, a partnership between two Tulum sustainable fashion designers committed to a zero-waste philosophy. Drawing inspiration from the lush jungle surroundings and indigenous cultures, and made with utmost respect for the environment, Anikena crafts handmade pieces they call “eternal treasures.”
“We say it’s a brand designed by nature, not by the fashion industry,” founders Fernando Preda y Betania Estragó once told ID Magazine.
Originating in Tulum but hailing from Paraguay, Anikena embraces sustainability by repurposing recycled hotel materials. They turn castoffs like rose petals and hotel towels and sheets, into embroidered, retro-romantic pieces that look Victorian, indigenous, and futuristic all at the same time.
Anikena believes “time is the new luxury,” sometimes taking over a month to complete one of their hand-sewn creations.
Pineda Covalin
Another invited designing duo, Pineda Covalin, is also inspired by the rich palette of Mexico’s diverse cultures, animals, and habitats. Their creations are an invitation to explore Mexico’s many amazing regions, with patterns based on colorful monarch butterflies or ancient Huichol and Maya art.
Founded in 1996 by Cristina Pineda and Ricardo Covalin, this pioneering Mexican luxury brand broke new ground by aiming to be “a cultural product, and not fashion.”
Their mission began when Cristina lived in a small Yucatan town for a month, where she worked with a Maya henequen dyer, Doña Celsa, to create her first accessory designs. Their creations were so exquisite, they were only sold in museums! Today, their line has expanded, and now includes vibrant clothes and accessories that celebrate Mexico’s history, natural splendor, and amazing peoples.
Le Chic Tulum, and Macuil Varela
One more standout invited designer was Le Chic Tulum, a Mexican sustainable fashion brand by the designer and artist Cecilia Coppola. Cecilia hand-paints gauzy, flowing organic cotton fabrics with flowers and plants, bringing nature into every piece. Flirty, ethereal, and each one unique, they are uncopiable pieces perfect for the nature goddess in all of us.
Likewise, Andrés Caballero and Alan Varela from Macuil Varela bring fashion back to hand-craftsmanship, creating sustainable luxury couture. Everything is done manually, with haute couture details and sculptural shapes, to create dresses to cherish for generations.
Bringing Together Artists From Across the Earth
Off the runway, Fashion is Art also showcased the work of many accomplished artists. On this occasion, the participating visual artists were: Federico Kampf, a Mexican mural artist in the tradition of Diego Rivera, who lives in Dubai and has painted around the world; and León Alva, a Cancun artist whose folk-art style dream worlds and magical people have appeared globally in more than 60 exhibitions.
The visual artist from Spain, Carol Fenty, and César Menchaca, who commissions Huichol artists to make show-stopping modern beaded sculptures, also appeared; along with Marisol Destrabeu from Cancun, whose bright, colorful paintings and drawings of imaginary animals invite us to dream of fantasy worlds full of love and light.
Artists Supporting the Community
Also noteworthy were artists working to support the community, improving the education and living conditions of the children of the Maya Zone. Both the Inlakech Music and Art School, and the Letras Itinerantes Foundation were present. Letras Itinerantes is currently working to build two libraries for local children, and help conserve Maya language and culture.
After the event, the Tulum Fashion is Art staff and guests will participate in ongoing actions to support our planet and community, including beach cleanups, environmental education workshops, cinema, promoting Tulum art, and fundraising. In addition, there will be collaboration between designers, painters, and artisans in embroidery, organic dyeing and painting techniques.
Our hope is through these events, we all make Tulum, and the world, a more beautiful and sustainable place each day, with a great love in our hearts for Mother Earth.