Fast fashion sales may be on the decline, but they still dominate more than its share of consumers, leaving indie designers on the fringe. That is where the Council of Fashion Designers of America steps in. While the non-profit foundation, founded by Eleanor Lambert in 1962, is known more for its flashy events and running New York Fashion Week, the CFDA Incubator is where the real magic happens. The two-year program gives ten emerging fashion and accessory designers access to high-profile mentors and social media hubs (ahem, Facebook), business counseling, regional designer showcases to aid retail exposure across the country (this year it was held at W Hotels in L.A. and Miami), and so much more. But perhaps the biggest perk—or at least the chicest—is the trip of a lifetime.
For Katie deGuzman and Michael Miller, the jewelry designers behind K/LLER Collection, that meant journeying to Bogota, Colombia. The city might be known for its fraught past, but it is currently one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations and home to the legend of El Dorado, the city of gold.
The designers both come from a furniture design background so their inclusion in the program was invaluable. "With the business program we're now having more conversations about how everything ties together: how you have to design smart, you have to produce smart, and look at the numbers, which is not what designers always do," Miller explained. "Now you have to have your business cap on with your designer eye and always be thinking through both."
But back to that trip of a life time. In partnership with W Hotels, the CFDA grants each brand the chance to explore a city of their choosing (at one of the luxury hotels' 50+ international locations) as a source inspiration for their next collection. "For many designers, traveling to a new destination is a crucial element in the design process," says fashion expert Sarah Easley, a mentor in the Incubator and co-founder of Kirna Zabête. "Exploring the art, architecture, new landscapes, and color palette far from home is the best way to create themes for the next collection."
For the K/LLER girls, the choice was obvious. "Because Colombia has such a rich history of gold, and Michael and I are obsessed with gold, it kind of seemed like a no-brainer," daGuzman said. ELLE.com joined them on their trip: This is what happened.
Miller and deGuzman visit local leatherworkers in Bogota's design district. Hoping to explore how the textile can be incorporated into their own work, they meet with the designers behind Colombian leather company Blumarino and gain insight on the tools of the trade, literally.
Following a guided stroll through the old town square, La Candelaria, we enter Colombia's crowing jewel: the Museo del Oro, or, the Museum of Gold. Thousands of Pre-Colombian gold artifacts are on display, providing ample source material for two jewelry designers looking to craft their next collection. "The shapes we saw in the Gold Museums like those nose hangings, we really loved, [...] so you'll see that in the next collection."
Wool production has been and always will be a major export of the Andes, where the traditional poncho is worn by tourists and locals alike. Bogota native and local fashion designer Juan Pablo Socarrás invite us to the countryside to meet artisanal weavers, a prime example of the growing bond between old world craftsman and the burgeoning Colombian fashion industry. Inside private homes in Cucunuba, a picturesque town an hour outside of the capital, residents demonstrate their skills.
Colombia is one of the major exotic fruit and flower capitals of the world (followed only by Denmark and their tulips). A stop at Bogota's second largest bazaar, the Paloquemao Market, turns out to be an unexpected source of inspiration for the designers. Miller and deGuzman document unusual vegetable shapes to reference for future jewelry castings.
On the final day of the trip, we visit the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, a Roman cathedral built underground in the tunnels of a salt mine. After scouring the floor for souvenirs-slash-inspirational salt rocks, we are returned to the city and were introduced to jewelry designer FAOBA Joyas who is known for her work with emeralds. The Andes is one of the main hubs for emerald mining, and the stone is the country's national jewel (Fans of the movie The Road to El Dorado will recall that the main heroine's name was Esmeralda, which is Spanish for 'emerald').
Capping off the trip, the CFDA and W Hotels host a preview for designers to meet the local press. Miller and deGuzman premiere their line to Colombian journalists and bloggers at the W Hotel in Bogota (which, while completely irrelevant, is where Justin Bieber stayed while recording Despacito).
"Even though we were only there for four days, the experience you have, everything feels so authentic and everyone is so into crafts," Miller said. "You come back to New York [where] you're faced with everything 'commercial, commercial, commercial,' and there it doesn't feel that way at all."
SHOP ELLE.COM'S TOP PICKS FROM K/LLER COLLECTION
1. Emerald City Ring, $190; shopspring.com; 2. Brass Quill and Porcupine Quill Ladder Necklace, $345; springspring.com; 3. Brass Smooth Springbok Horn Collar, $250; shopspring.com; 4. Blade Horn Earrings with Sterling Inlay, $465; shopspring.com; 5. Brown Leather Macramé Brass V Cuff, $275; shopspring.com
