One of the questions we get asked most often at Aguadulce is: "who should we be following in Latin American design right now?". This is our editorial answer: twelve emerging designers and recently established authorial brands that are moving the needle in the region. We already distribute some; others are on our watch list for upcoming seasons. They all share something: limited production, a clear authorial voice, and careful materiality.
1. Sofía Mendoza · Mexico
Contemporary tailoring with oversized cuts in Mexican linen and organic cotton. Her ecru blazers and straight-leg trousers have become a uniform for fashion editors in Polanco. Production in her own workshop in Roma Norte, series of 30 to 50 pieces.
2. Camila Restrepo · Colombia
High-end resort wear: silk crepe kaftans, long linen dresses with artisanal embroidery made in Mompox. Her pieces worn at Cartagena weddings are a regional benchmark. Price range Q3,500-Q8,000.
3. Lucía Vargas · Peru
Designer jewelry in .925 silver and 18k gold with Peruvian semi-precious stones — chrysocolla, Andean opal, sodalite. Pre-Columbian inspiration but with contemporary lines. One of the strongest exponents of new Peruvian goldsmithing.
4. Macarena Iribarne · Argentina
Vegan leather — minimalist bags with bronze hardware, wide belts, handmade flat shoes in Buenos Aires. Coherent line, earthy palette, zero ostentation.
5. Beatriz Couto · Brazil
Resort dresses in pima cotton and Brazilian linen, asymmetrical necklines, delicate straps. Production in São Paulo, a workshop that also works for some European brands. An absolute best-seller in the segment.
6. Mariana López · Guatemala
Contemporary reinterpretation of huipiles and backstrap loom techniques — uses hand-dyed threads by weavers from Sololá and Chichicastenango. Each piece comes with the signature of the original weaver. A paradigmatic case of artisanal fashion with documented authorship.
7. Valentina Quiroga · Chile
Southern Cone minimalism: column dresses, long coats, black-white-camel palette. Patagonian merino wool worked with architectural cuts. Her name is repeated in stylist briefs in Santiago.
8. Daniela Carvalho · Brazil
Statement pieces: sculptural dresses with pleated panels, embroidered kimono-coats, ensembles for galleries and events. Production of 8 to 15 units per model, almost unique editions. Pure high-end brand.
9. Andrea Rojas · Ecuador
Ecuadorian millinery — Panama hats hand-woven in Cuenca with unconventional shapes (wide brims, flat crowns). Travel case included. Q1,200-Q3,500.
10. Florencia Almada · Argentina
Androgynous tailoring: three-piece suits, vests, oversized shirts. Production in Palermo with Italian fabrics. One of the strongest voices in new Latin American women's tailoring.
11. Paula Aguirre · Mexico
Contemporary Oaxacan embroidery — white dresses with refined embroidery, huipil-style blouses with modern cuts, pleated skirts with floral details. Coordinated work with embroidery cooperatives in Tlacolula and Teotitlán.
12. Renata Salazar · Colombia
Statement jewelry with large stones — Colombian emerald, rose quartz, topaz. Long earrings, collector necklaces. Her work regularly appears in Vogue Latinoamérica editorials.
How we follow these brands
The Aguadulce team maintains an active watch list of over two hundred emerging Latin American designers. Each season we incorporate between five and eight new names, based on collection consistency, production integrity, and our client's response. If you have a brand you think we should know about, please write to us.
Explore our current selection of Latin American designer jewelry, dresses by Latin designers, or schedule a personalized styling session at Casa Catorze, Zone 14.