Bogota Fashion Week 2022
#BOGFW2022
“I live this 24/7 because you can’t teach what you don’t know and you can’t lead where you don’t go.”
Being invited to Bogota, Colombia for BFW was special for me since I have Colombian heritage, and I was looking forward to seeing what the local designers would be showing to represent the vision of the country.
We’re in the off-season, Paris will wait. International Fashion Weeks are always a great place to discover new brands, with exclusive offerings that most people who only go to the big 4 won’t ever come across, as well as the added bonus of discovering new landscapes.
My flight for this one was overnight, but landing late was alright knowing that my driver was there waiting to greet me and take me to the Hotel Hilton Bogota where I was staying. It was also reassuring to know that most of the shows would be taking place in one venue the next day just two blocks away, keeping it pretty simple. Actually, throughout BFW, all the shows but one were held in the convention centre, with the runways taking place in the evening on the top floor, and the tradeshow for emerging designers just below.
Photographer Alex Mora
The Shows
It was clear as soon as we entered that it was Fashion Week. The runways kicked off with the off-site show for the opening night, we were treated to a stunning runway collection of vibrant romantic eveningwear by the established womenswear brand Leal Daccarett at the Palacio De San Francisco. Their label has been growing in popularity since 2009, and this season the collection was full of luxurious separates and statement sleeves. A strong start to what was visibly a very well-produced four day event.
The producers included a team from Bogota, and their organization made us all extra comfortable at the shows because everyone was seated in groups classified by what kind of business they were conducting; buyers with buyers, press with press, me with them all and the Director Loren! I mean, where else?
The one off-site show was the established womenswear label.
We headed to the palace for this one. His label has been growing in popularity since 2009, and this season the collection was full of amazing color designs with great shapes.
FAQ About BFW
How to dress for Bogota Fashion Week?
Dressing for Bogota Fashion Week is a lot like anywhere, I believe you can dress however you like, but one thing to note is that it was actually hotter in New York then in Bogota when I was there! No need to imagine a bikini-clad clan of influencers, the whole time we were there it was pretty chilly, I wasn’t in shorts at all.
I’d suggest dressing comfortably, because the tradeshows require a lot of walking around, and then the runways are back-to-back in the evening so there is no time to go back and change once 5pm hits.
Were there any trends you saw come out of BFW 2022?
Ruffles, bright colors, and layering on the sleeves. Also a lot of resort wear since most of the fashion in Colombia is based off the trends on the resort coast of Colombia.
What were some of the highlights of the trip?
Meeting lots of people who run other fashion weeks worldwide. The stage was set for this, staying together in the one location, we all felt that we knew each other by the end of the fourth day.
It was also great to see the level of support the emerging designers had with the Chamber of Commerce sponsoring them for a lot of the expenses, and investing in Press to get the labels the attention they deserve for all their hard work, as opposed to making them pay for space to show like the majority of other more established Fashion Weeks chose to do.
Thanks to Bogota Fashion Week for having me,
Lavish
