SPRING/SUMMER 2023 COLLECTION
‘ASERE, QUÉ BOLÁ’ AT LONDON FASHION WEEK
Photography Diego Lago
Styling Ben Schofield
Anna Cofone at Oribe
Mandy Gakhal at AOFMPRO
ASERE, QUÉ BOLÁ
On December 26, 2001 Carlota visited Cuba for the first time. Since then, following several trips over the years, she has established an emotional connection with the country. Her perception, changing and evolving over time, is the starting point for a collection inspired by personal experiences, travel diaries, conversations with strangers and coffees with family friends. Buena Vista Social Club, Olga Guillot or Bola de Nieve are some of the soundtracks to these memories, which alongside the photography of Alex Webb or René Burri are some of the pillars of the collection. The life of downtown Havana, the rawness of the Malecón, the street music, the sound of domino tiles in Plaza Vieja, El Vedado, the markets, the open doors, the ‘colectivo’, the chats between balconies, Carmita, Bárbara, Giordano are some of the fragments from this collection.
ASERE, QUE BOLÁ, a collection full of Cuban references, passed through the designer's personal filter, maintains a traditional dress code consisting of comfortable and light pieces. Natural fabrics such as cotton, lyocell or linen make their appearance, the latter proposed in three different versions; combined with silk, combined with cotton and in its purest form with fine striped prints, which reinforce that sensation of freshness and lightness. The color palette, defined by bright tones such as blue, yellow and green, are mixed with white and brown, typical of Cuban culture.
Carlota Barrera focuses once again on the authenticity and integrity of the design, designing garments that are already distinctive symbols of the brand, such as the suits with cut outs. These appear once again in this collection, reinforcing the designer's commitment to tailoring. A new style stands out, a deconstructed jacket attached to the body with knotted ties, leaving the back uncovered.
Pieces such as shirts –referencing the ‘guayabera’ and its functionality– are redesigned with front chest pockets, and the already iconic tank top with cut outs is reinvented as trompe-l'œil shirts. In addition, new accessories such as scarves and handbags are introduced in this collection, pieces that continue this bridge between the country of Cuba and the brand.