Not everything in Guadalajara is mariachi and tequila: nowadays, the capital of Jalisco is also one of the Mexican cities with the most creative potential for design. The reasons? Its artisanal legacy, its renowned schools and the entrepreneurial acumen of its inhabitants.
The proof? The local designer boutiques where you’ll fall in love with the latest fashion, jewelry and interior design.
Julia y Renata Store: A Full-Blown Institution
Sisters Julia and Renata Franco make up the duo behind this over 25-year-old concept, already a Guadalajara fashion movement source of reference. Inside their boutique, Julia y Renata Store in Colonia Americana, you’ll find avant-garde clothing (mostly for women) designed with straight lines, simplified silhouettes and large textile canvasses.
Manufactured with respect to the materials and maintaining an almost artisanal tailoring process, Julia y Renata features the kind of garments that will have everyone thinking you bought them in Europe, but in fact, they are 100 percent Mexican.
Tangente Store: The Green Accent
Have you ever asked yourself what would be the result of combining gardening with high-end architectural design? The answer is Tangente Store, whose original idea of decorating with plants was coined, “interior landscaping.”
Take a walk around their store and prove the above by purchasing artisan flowerpots and planters created according to a trendy, contemporary esthetic: you’ll be surprised to see how simple pieces can beautify and bring fresh oxygen to a home.
Abel López Atelier and His Chic, Retro-Futuristic Fashions
Strolling between the luminous spaces of his workshop and store, you’ll notice Abel López’s penchant for rectilinear yet feminine silhouettes, his use of solid colors as well as his ability to create designs that look futuristic and vintage at the same time.
A native of the Los Altos region, northeast of Jalisco, this talented designer has dressed Mexican movie and streaming series stars and is currently considered one of the main male figures of Mexico’s fashion scene. Watch this space.
Carlos y Pablo: Multifaceted
Anyone would think that merging architectural knowledge and technique with fashion design would bring an unfortunate result, however, the studio founded by architect Carlos Talamantes and designer Pablo Villapando proves the contrary. Their specialty? Creating beautiful interiors, furniture and objects that are functional at the same time.
Thus, defining the style of this dynamic duo in one word is difficult, since at Carlos y Pablo they design somber and monochromatic chairs alongside interiors loaded with texture and color. If you want to get to know their catalogue of work, get in touch through social media in order to be received at their private showroom.
LAFIER
Although she was born in Chihuahua, Fernanda Barba considers Guadalajara her second home because in this city she studied Integral Design and also established her brand, LAFIER, consisting of the splendid contemporary jewelry pieces that she designs.
By just glancing at her charms, earrings and rings, its clear that Fernanda’s greatest inspiration is clean lines and pure geometric figures, achieving an avant-garde aesthetic that closely relates to the “miniature sculptures” category. You can see her work at the design shop Tributo.
Oxen
This concept store, founded in 2016, has the philosophy of demonstrating that design and fashion are two aspects that every contemporary man should include in his life, which is why it only focuses on a male audience. On Oxen’s shelves you’ll find clothes, footwear, grooming items, furniture, jewelry and even illustrations, all made by independent Mexican creators.
Just as attractive as its products is its architecture, designed by Arqueodigma Estudio to communicate contrast and ease through polished concrete, black steel and wood. The interior furniture was manufactured on site following the specifications of each exhibitor designer, so that the products stand out and the structure serves as a harmonic complement to the concept. A round place in all its aspirations.
A Date with Cutting-Edge Design
Twice a year, Guadalajara turns into Mexico’s mecca of design during the Campamento Feria de Diseño and Guadalajara Design Fest festivals. For dates and event agendas, consult their web pages.
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