The glam of the 1970s is back. On the final day of Mexico Fashion Week, Carla Fernández ditched the traditional runway and took us to a century-old brewery in the heart of Mexico City. In this raw, industrial setting, she unveiled her latest collection, Diva, a tribute to David Bowie, Cher, and Juan Gabriel, icons who redefined freedom and glamour through fashion and music.
The show was presented in three acts. The first clearly paid tribute to Bowie. A cumbia remix of “Let’s Dance” played as a model walked out in a shirt-dress embroidered with the iconic lightning bolt from the Aladdin Sane album. Another look nodded to Bowie’s legendary balloon pants designed by Kansai Yamamoto—only through Fernández’s lens, they became a take on traditional chaps, referencing pre-Hispanic fertility figurines with their exaggerated hips. The tribute kept flowing with ensembles featuring zigzag side panels on the pants.
Then came Cher’s “Believe,” signaling the start of the second act: a celebration of femininity and empowerment. Fernández’s signature designs—constructed from square and rectangular textiles and finished with artisanal embroidery—appeared bolder here, complete with vibrant fringes. Wrap dresses stood out, along with designs featuring side cut-outs.
When asked how she connects glam rock with her mission to keep Mexican craftsmanship alive, Fernández said, “I imagined them all hanging out in Ciudad Juárez, making music and chatting.” Her goal was to give these global icons a Mexican identity. “It’s like glam meets charro. It’s glam from Ahuirán, Michoacán.”
The third and final act embraced a glam aesthetic via Juan Gabriel, the late Mexican singer/songwriter. Models wore ponchos and charro pants embroidered in golden thread, plus a cape adorned with silver “milagritos.” And in the parallel universe where these icons might have all met in Ciudad Juárez, the bride who closed the show—wearing a dress that carried ice-cold beers ready to serve—would’ve been right there with them.
