028: Tales from Mexico City & NYFW Predictions

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 🗞️

Happy Groundhog Day! And happy February! We’re looking forward to a very jam-packed month ahead, including the start of New York Fashion Week, a slew of captivating gallery shows, and a very special celebration for Leap Year.

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DISPATCH 028 —

This week, we pinpoint required reading via Glenn Ligon, NYFW must-see brands, and a warehouse sale in Accra. But first, making it work in Mexico City courtesy of a fashionable transplant…

THE INTERVIEW / NIA THOMAS

FIT-trained designer Nia Thomas launched her eponymous ethical knitwear brand in 2018 in New York City and expanded her independent practice with a relocation to Mexico City amidst the global pandemic. Our two-plus-hour conversation ran the gamut —including her personal shopping guide to the city she now calls home. Take a look!

FACING FEAR AND THRIVING

It’s Year 6 for Nia Thomas and she has been consistent in seeking out an intentional way to build her brand. She enlists a core group of colleagues and mentors, including fellow knitwear designer Aisling Camps who have helped her tactfully navigate relationships, negotiations, and solo entrepreneurship.

In discussing her clients, both through her direct-to-consumer and wholesale businesses, she remarked on the strength of the ‘coastal elites,’ but also spoke to a growing interest from European audiences. She now has over 25 stockists to date in various regional markets.

She even opened a showroom in Paris during market last year in order to deepen relationships with editors and buyers. Experimenting with a street-level storefront-as-showroom, people walked by thinking it was a pop-up shop, but it gave Thomas great intel about how consumers connect and relate to her brand.

THE MOVE TO MEXICO

A few years ago, Thomas made the big move to Mexico City, characterizing it as “being in the center of [her] ecosystem.” With proximity to Los Angeles, New York and Peru, where her factories are based, Mexico City offered the perfect landing spot to keep an active travel schedule as convenient as possible.

Another factor was in wanting to work with artisans directly. On her trips to Peru, she can spend time testing cellulose fibers, sampling patterns, and developing bespoke plant-based shades for dyeing techniques. Not to mention, the higher quality of life she has found by moving to the global South. Although, the cost of living in CDMX has steadily increased since the pandemic began and from the likes of it, seems to only be ticking upwards.

But the community of people she has built in Mexico City of both ex-patriates and locals is what makes her the most happy. She describes her new studio space as “a magical sun-drenched creative treehouse.” Indeed, it is bliss.

WHAT’S NEXT

Her collections have long-held a strong leaning towards resort-wear, but as her clientele seeks to incorporate her brand into their everyday attire, it has led her to explore the full universe of a resort wardrobe — think cover-up and pareo, but also slip dress, linen trousers, and cropped jackets. These choices will surely help her appeal to retailers seeking to dress their customers all year round.

This month, she will back in New York for NYFW with these new pieces in tow. Stunning cedar beaded tops and day-to-night silk ruffled dresses perfect for the New York City woman she still caters to.

MEXICO CITY SHOPPING GUIDE

— AZOTEA

Only open when new drops arrive, this furniture and design store utilizes strong geometric shapes and lush fabrications to customize its one-of-a-kind creations.

— CASA OK

Situated on the edge of Colonia Juarez & Centro Historico, discover artisanal ceramics, iron candlestick holders, and marbled mini bowls sourced from throughout the region.

— XINU PERFUMES

Known for their “absolutely gorgeous” perfumes and scents, Xinu Perfumes transport you to another world of olfactive joy, with their handcrafted fragrances and body care.

NYFW PREDICTIONS / FEB 9 - FEB 14

From what we’ve gathered, it’s shaping up to be one of the more energetic New York Fashion Week Fall / Winter seasons in some time, with newcomers and old heads showcasing work all around the city. A few predictions plus: showroom appointments and runway shows we’re keen to see.

1. There is going to be a lot more dramatic storytelling infused into collections — the response out of haute couture and menswear in Paris was certainly an encouraging sign to explore world-building to the full hilt. The desire to stand-out and also to be a part of something will be in peak territory.

2. More and more brands will show off-schedule. It is prohibitively expensive to show in New York with very little infrastructure to support emerging talents, so expect to see out-of-the-box partnerships, locations, and timing outside of the traditional.

MUST SEE SHOWROOM APPOINTMENTS

— Nia Thomas. Blackstock & Weber. OMOL.

RUNWAY SHOWS & PRESENTATIONS

— Diotima. Sergio Hudson. Laquan Smith.

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ON OUR RADAR

15 Percent Pledge will be hosting their annual gala this Saturday in Los Angeles honoring Tracee Ellis Ross (behind Pattern Beauty), timed with the 66th Annual Grammy Awards Weekend hosted by Trevor Noah. Expect to see red carpet dressing from Harbison, Christopher John Rogers, and Diotima. (Link)

Glenn Ligon has a book coming out in April. Entitled Glenn Ligon: Distinguishing Piss from Rain: Writings and Interviews, this essential volume features over two decades of reflections on race, art and pop culture. Pre-order today. (Link)

Ghanaian label Christie Brown kicks off their annual warehouse sale on Saturday, February 3 for one day only in-person in Accra and online. (Link)