Every once a year, fashion week takes place in Cusco, Peru. A week full of conferences and activities related to the fashion industry.
Last year, I was invited to participate at the Ethical Fashion show. This project was about developing a collection with a local community from Cusco, to create and exchange knowledge between the designer and the community. Living in a country that has so much tradition and history makes one wonder what would happen when you mix the ancient and the modern. How can one learn all these techniques that have existed for centuries and how can one introduce them into these modern and crazy times? Is it possible and how?
I decided to work with two towns called Cuyuni and Jullicunca, both 2 hours from city of Cusco. Cuyuni are experts in weaving and Jullicunca professional trade is in intarsia. It was a unique experience, not only because of the craftsmanship learning but also while staying with them for two weeks, it gave me the possibility of being surrounded by stunning landscapes, sharing their ways and understanding how they establish their priorities in life which are very different from the city culture. Of course, I was a little lost between the Quechua and the Spanish language which sometimes made me feel like a stranger in my own country but we were always eating, joking and laughing which were some the values we both shared in our culture.

INFO
http://www.cuscoalwaysin.org/

photography // fernando soto
make up // besso salon
styling // victoria olano 
location // Chincheros Cusco