The fashion show is the culmination of months of labor from designers, architects, creatives, and artists alike. Most prominent fashion houses issue two fashion shows every year, a Spring/Summer collection and a Fall/Winter collection. However while the fashion show and the collection being debut is the focal point in a career in fashion, the pieces rarely reach commercial revenue. It’s hard to imagine someone wearing a runaway piece like the ones in this article for every day use. Most runaway pieces from major labels never hit Saks, or Bergdorf so why all this effort for very little financial return? That is because the runway show is how a fashion designer gets to display his/her message. The runway show is to a fashion designer what a canvas is to a painter and today I’ll focus on one incredible show from Barbara Sanches Kane. The 2017 Spring/Summer show titled “Citizen”
Barbara Sanchez Kane was born in Merida, Mexico. As a hispanic woman, getting her foothold in fashion was incredibly challenging. She studied engineering in Mexico and later went to Italy to study fashion design. As a designer she would create pieces and work that reflected her Hispanic heritage as well as criticisms and socially conscientious pieces surrounding Hispanics and Mexican Americans. One common theme in her work is the phrase “macho sentimental.” In Hispanic culture the phrase “macho” embodies a standard for Hispanic males. We are supposed to be hard nosed, and void of any “feminine” emotions. Sanchez Kane flipped that meaning on its head with the phrase “macho sentimental” which directly translates to “emotional male.” By rephrasing the meaning of this Hispanic archetype she criticizes the culture of toxic masculinity that represses males and oppresses females in Hispanic culture.
In her 2017 Spring/Summer collection “Citizen,” Sanchez Kane creates a world in which women are the dominant force for society and it is men who are being oppressed. She essentially takes the social structure of a Latin American society and creates a world where that structure is reversed. This concept is displayed primarily through the citizen in the middle of this image. The restraints around his mouth are symbolical of a man without a voice. By doing so she helps put the viewer in perspective of how the Hispanic woman feels every day.
This citizen represents the form in which women combat the oppression in Hispanic society. This often starts with taking control of one’s own sexuality. Mexico is normally a conservative country with strong ties to Catholic leadership however in the 21st century a new age of progressivism led to abortion being legal nationally. Sanchez Kane is a proud lesbian woman and a prominent activist for LGBTQ rights. The citizen in the left wears a sheen black top with a girder which is emblematic of the beauty standards for women. The skirt with the revealing cut takes inspiration from sex workers in Mexico. Sex work is legal nation wide, for some women it provides an avenue to take back their sexuality however it also leads to the disgusting human trafficking problem that is nationwide in Mexico. This character is one fighting to reclaim femininity but conscious of the men that try to twist social progress for evil purposes.
Lastly, this citizen represents the new “Citizen Sanchez Kane.” This citizen is one that is accepting of other people, one who chooses to fight for LGBTQ+ rights and for women’s rights. This citizen holds the Virgin Mary close to his chest because as a strong symbol in Hispanic culture, the Virgin Mary is a symbol for the strength that is found in femininity. The red and white jacket is symbolic of nationalistic pride. This citizen is proud to be Mexican and proud to be Hispanic. The phrases on the garment read “Male Tears,” “Cry in Public” and other similar phrases reminding us of the theme of her collection “macho sentimental”
This collection has personal meaning to me as a hispanic male. It is very rare to see someone so in tune with my culture that becomes so prominent in fashion. Her use of clothing and symbols to give off an impactful message is something that is very hard to find in century old European fashion houses like Burberry, Gucci, or Louis Vuitton. The Spring/Summer 2017 show is one of my favorite fashion shows for this reason. As a relatively new designer, I am excited to see where this start takes Sanchez Kane. She is a pioneer in a new age of fashion for the socially conscientious.
