Beyond Heritage: The New Generation of Hispanic Designers Taking Over Fashion

These are the buzzy names innovating fashion by infusing their cultures in their designs.

Hispanic designers have had a long, impactful history in the fashion industry. From Isabel Toledo’s geometric silhouettes and Carolina Herrera’s ladylike frocks to Maria Cornejo’s minimalist designs and Gabriela Hearst’s focus on Uruguayan artisanship, generations of Hispanic creatives have represented their cultures on the world stage one runway show at a time.

Fashion’s newest generation of Hispanic designers is building upon that legacy and subverting it in the process. Names like Luar and Willy Chavarria—brands that are both strongly inspired by their designers’ hometowns and childhoods—are some of New York’s buzziest labels, while creatives like Mariana Hinestroza, the founder of Agua Bendita, and Kika Vargas, are bringing Hispanic heritage to the mainstream through mass retail collaborations.

Alongside them, rising talents are popping up with innovative visions of what fashion should look like while infusing their heritage into their designs. From using cactus leather to make some of TikTok’s buzziest handbags to reworking rural symbols into modern fashions, these designers are not only growing their businesses and perfecting their design DNA, but they are also flexing their unique cultural contexts to create pieces that stand far from the fashion norm. Many of these fashion upstarts have also either chosen to work in their hometowns—an uncommon practice in fashion, where industry hubs like New York and Paris are prioritized—or have strong connections to them, finding ways to embed their work with the memories, scents, foods, and traditions that make each of them who they are.

To spotlight a new generation of Hispanic designers, InStyle spoke to six buzzy names poised to be the future of fashion. Below, they tell us about their childhood sartorial memories, favorite fashion heroes, and the cultural elements that cement their brands’ signature DNA. 

Patricio Campillo, Founder of Campillo

Campillo is a Mexico City-based brand that recently debuted at New York Fashion Week. Its founder, Patricio Campillo, was a semifinalist for the 2024 LVMH Prize.

How would you describe your design POV?
Resignify culture and tradition through a contemporary and confrontational point of view.

What’s your earliest fashion memory?
When I was in Kindergarten, I made a T-shirt out of the notebook’s plastic lining. I remember thinking it was much more difficult than it looked.

Is there a particular element in your culture that inspires your work?
Charro culture and the artisanal world around it.

Define your hometown’s style in three words. 
Diverse, eccentric, daring.

Whose atelier would you want to work in? 
Balenciaga.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about fashion?
Being mean is so 2000s.

Name your favorite fashion collection of all time.
Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2007 Christian Dior by John Galliano.

Mónica Santos, Founder of Santos by Mónica

Santos by Mónica is a New York-based accessories and clothing brand that’s known for its highly popular cactus leather bags. 

How would you describe your design POV?
I’m drawn to the idea of creating pieces that feel modern and forward-thinking, yet grounded in classic design principles. I believe that good design should be both functional and beautiful, with a focus on quality and longevity. Whether I’m experimenting with new materials or reimagining traditional forms, I aim to create pieces that resonate on a deeper level, offering something that lasts well beyond the season.

What’s your earliest fashion memory?
My earliest fashion memory is watching my mother sew costumes and make accessories for me and my sister. I was always mesmerized by how she could bring so much creativity and personality to our clothes.

Is there a particular element in your culture that inspires your work?
Lately, I’ve found a lot of inspiration in the foods I’ve loved since childhood, like quesitos (cream cheese pastries) and empanadillas (fried turnovers). The precision in folding pastries like these into formal shapes resonates with the craftsmanship needed in design.

Define your hometown’s style in three words. 
Vibrant, bold, effortless.

Whose atelier would you want to work in? 
Pierre Cardin’s or Issey Miyake’s. Cardin’s bold shapes and inventive materials redefine fashion, while Miyake’s mastery of fabric technology and pleating techniques has always fascinated me.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about fashion?
A lot of people say sustainable fashion is expensive, but I disagree. It's just priced according to its true value in ethical production, fair wages, and sustainable materials.

Name your favorite fashion collection of all time.
I’d say Jean Paul Gaultier’s fall/winter 1984 collection stands out for me, especially with his iconic conical “Bombshell Breasts” dress. Issey Miyake’s spring/summer 1995 collection is another favorite.

Adriana Fonseca, Founder of ByFonseca

ByFonseca is a Los Angeles-based brand that focuses on using deadstock fabric on made-to-order garments. It’s known for its layered and textured designs. 

How would you describe your design POV?
I have a strong vision for texture and silhouettes. My design identity relies heavily on my intuition, working with what feels right through trial and error.

What’s your earliest fashion memory?
Growing up, I amassed a serious collection of Bratz dolls. I remember creating these crazy elaborate stories for all of my dolls and the way I would dress them up was a way of expressing their stories. That’s when I think the seed was planted with fashion.

Is there a particular element in your culture that inspires your work?
Something I like to do is light a candle when I work to manifest blessings. Mexican culture tends to veer over to the superstitious side of things, so that is something I’ve carried over into my practice.

Define your hometown’s style in three words. 
Casual, authentic, and diverse.

Whose atelier would you want to work in? 
My own.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about fashion?
Fashion does not have to be for everyone.

Name your favorite fashion collection of all time.
I don’t have just one favorite collection of all time, but the first collection that came to mind was spring/summer 1999 Yohji Yamamoto.

Herman Nadal

Herman Nadal is a Puerto Rico-based fashion designer with a penchant for classic glamour and Caribbean-inspired embellishments.

How would you describe your design POV? 
My approach to design is to choose the best of the past and bring it into the present. My brand has a patriotic feel but also a certain ambiguity in the gender of the pieces, balancing “statement pieces” with “creative basics” that have longevity in the client’s wardrobe.

What’s your earliest fashion memory? 
My first memory of fashion is tied to my grandmothers, both of whom worked in the sewing industry in Puerto Rico. This sparked a curiosity in me.

Is there a particular element in your culture that inspires your work?
How the women in my family used to get ready. There was always an emphasis on looking and feeling good with what they were wearing.

Define your hometown’s style in three words. 
Fresh, comfortable, and eclectic.

Whose atelier would you want to work in? 
Probably a house like Jean Paul Gaultier or Schiaparelli, where creative tailoring is a niche that’s explored.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about fashion?
It’s perfectly fine to be basic or keep it simple; not everyone needs or wants to make a bold statement.

Name your favorite fashion collection of all time. 
Versace spring/summer 2008. It was the first show I watched as a teenager, and it captivated me. That’s why it holds a special place in my heart.

Montserrat Messeguer

Montserrat Messeguer is a Mexico-based footwear and clothing brand, known for its Western fashion aesthetic, inspired by the country’s rural northern regions. 

How would you describe your design POV?
A mix of Mexican vaquero traditions and contemporary street fashion. An elevated perspective on what we, as Mexicans, have always been exposed to with a modern outlook.

What’s your earliest fashion memory?
Making outfits for my Barbie dolls made out of scrapes from my mom’s atelier. She was a renowned fashion designer. Also, my parents allowed me to pick my outfits from a very young age and I loved that they empowered me to be myself.

Is there a particular element from your culture that inspires your work?
I am very inspired by Mexican crafts, particularly of the North. Almost every pair of boots in the world is made in Mexico. Each boot takes up to 50 pairs of skilled hands and 250 steps. Scents are also very important to me. I love the smell of a bonfire, wet dirt, and the smokiness of mezcal.

Define your hometown’s style in three words. 
Unexpected, surreal, fun.

Whose atelier would you want to work in? 
I’d love to work at Philip Treacy’s atelier. In 2013, I won the Pierre Cardin scholarship and the prize was a summer course in Paris with artisans. My favorite workshop was with a renowned hat maker and for a while, I thought I wanted to do only hats.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about fashion?
Fashion and true style are not always comfortable.

Name your favorite fashion collection of all time.
Saint Laurent by Heidi Slimane menswear 2013 was such a vibe.

Mercedes de María Genoveva Pedrero Setzer, Co-Founder of De María

De María is an accessories brand based in New York City that works with artisan workshops in Mexico, focused on using textiles, shapes, and materials rooted in Latin American culture. 

How would you describe your design POV?
My design approach is based on longevity. I want to create pieces that my grandchildren would still want to wear. Timeless and elegant heirlooms to be handed down through generations, just like many of my favorite pieces made it down to me.

What’s your earliest fashion memory?
When I was 7, I met Zandra Rhodes—the English fashion designer—when she was designing costumes for the San Diego Opera and I think that was the first time I knew I wanted to work in fashion.

Is there a particular element from your culture that inspires your work?
The smell of the marketplace in Santo Domingo mixed with the smell of copal incense drifting out from the church. I burn copal every morning as my ritual to start the day with gratitude.

Define your hometown’s style in three words. 
Both of my homes have a very laid-back style: casual, preppy, and colorful.

Whose atelier would you want to work in? 
From the past, Luis Barragán. So much of my inspiration comes from his architecture, I would’ve loved to work with him. And from the present, Gabriela Hearst. I truly admire her brand’s commitment to sustainable practices and would love to learn from her.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about fashion?
I cannot understand people who still shop fast fashion instead of thrifting knowing how unethical it is in this day and age.

Name your favorite fashion collection of all time.
It’s Miu Miu spring/summer 1999.

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