Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Mexico

This season at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mexico City, designers presented their own international vision for the future through their unique experimentations with print, use of unusual materials and relaxed silhouettes. Dazed went backstage to uncover the work of Mexico's emerging design talent.

Design duo Giovanni Estrada and Jose Alfredo Silva of Trista continued to explore ideas concerning volume, form and architectural patterns in their new collection. Titled 'Never Been There', the duo refined their relaxed silhouettes and placed emphasis on the human body in motion. They also introduced a street wear element as models emerged wearing trainers and created handmade accessories using bone. Their colour palette remained muted, consisting of greys, whites and washed out blues, setting focus on their use of materials and draped shapes.

Carla Fernández placed emphasis on colour, print and process this season. Perhaps the influence of her role as founder of Taller Flora, a design laboratory that travels around Mexico visiting indigenous communities, particularly those specialising in handmade textiles. “Every year we work with different communities, ” she explains, and this season it was evident in her intricate knitwear, that gave the illusion of textured print. The collection also featured tassel details on sleeves and on the hems of shirts.

Design duo Malafacha, dreamed up a imaginary place called 'Youkali' as the title for their spring-summer 13' collection. “It is an island where dreams come true and love is corresponded, ” they told us. “It is a bit like the end of infancy. It is about the end of innocent and becoming aware that life isn't as you imagined it.” This dreamed up place, manifested itself in the form of strong graphic prints with almost tribal elements, and a fusion of sportswear and contemporary street wear. Many of the womenswear pieces took on more organic silhouettes with oversized details and hypnotic prints.