Hello Gente33! Welcome back to your weekly dose of insights about the business and culture of Latin America’s creative industries.

First off, thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts about fashion show seating, sparked by Karla Martinez's IG story (Head of Content, Vogue MX & LATAM), which I reposted. I’ve gathered some great insights, spoken with industry figures, and have shared my findings below.👇 Keep reading!

Before diving in to the show seating story, I’d like to share some exciting bits and pieces I've gathered from across the web. Some of my favourites include the Caballitos de Totora fishermen/surfers of Peru (a 3500-year-old craft!) and the incredible Imilla Skaters from Bolivia, flipping tricks in their traditional skirts.

I’m also keen on a thought piece on the meaning of Hispanic Heritage Month by the brilliant strategist and brand consultant Camila Straschnoy, whom I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago at Colombiamoda.

I’m also happy to share that Ecuador is hosting its very first design week, and Vogue MX is launching a podcast this Monday, 14th, so stay tuned. There’s much more in this info-packed issue, which is why it was a bit late! And don’t miss a special treat: a playlist courtesy the super talented multimedia artist Helena Cebrián 🇧🇷.

IN THE NEWS

🌊 The Caballitos de Totora: Could They Be the Oldest Surfboards in the World? 

Think surfing started in Hawaii? Think again. Meet the caballitos de totora, ancient reed boats crafted by the fishermen of Huanchaco, Peru. Some consider them one of the oldest surfboards in the world, used to ride the Pacific's massive waves. These narrow, reed-bound vessels have been used for over 3,500 years, not only for fishing but also for surfing back to shore. Unfortunately, fewer people are learning the craft, meaning this ancient tradition could disappear in the coming decades.(BBC Mundo).

🛹 Meet The Bolivian Skaters Breaking Stereotypes One Trick at a Time

The Imilla Skaters are a group of young Bolivian women who gained fame for performing skateboarding tricks while wearing polleras, the traditional skirts of Indigenous Aymara and Quechua women. 

Founded in 2019, the Imilla Skaters shot to internet fame in 2020, amassing over 170,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok and have since been invited to participate in international festivals. (NPR).

These women aren't the first to go viral for practising sports in traditional attire. The Corredoras Rarámuri, indigenous runners from Mexico’s Tarahumara community, are famous for long-distance running in traditional sandals. Meanwhile, the Amazonas de Yaxunah softball team wear the hipil as their uniform.

🎉 Is Hispanic Heritage Month Just a Once-a-Year Performance? 

According to Argentinian brand strategist Camila Straschnoy, Hispanic Heritage Month often feels like a hollow marketing ploy. "As long as US brands treat us as a homogenous group, their strategies will miss the mark," she says. She points out how there's no single Hispanic identity, and the real depth of our cultures gets lost when brands fail to engage on a meaningful level. (LinkedIn)

🎨  Quito’s First Design Week is Here 

 Quito Design Week (14-20 October) will turn the city into a design hub with over 60 events, workshops and exhibitions. From graphic design to fashion, QDW has something for everyone, including the Ruta de Diseño, a guide to Quito's top design spots (QDW).

🎬 Latin American Highlights at Sitges Film Festival 

Sitges Film Festival, the heart of fantasy and horror cinema, is in full swing until 13 October. This year, 30 films from Latin American directors are in the spotlight, featuring works from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and more. Highlights include Marco Dutra’s Bury Your Dead from Brazil and Isaac Ezbán’s Párvulos: Hijos del Apocalipsis from Mexico. (SFF).

Business

Mercado Libre reported record sales in Argentina, driven by a surge in consumer demand. In August alone, the platform saw 20 million products sold, amounting to $916 million. While food and basic necessities were the focus earlier in the year, shoppers have now shifted towards non-essential items such as computers, tablets and mobile phones. (Bloomberg).

For more, read my dedicated feature on BoF, Inside Latin America’s $90 Billion E-tailer Mercado Libre, to learn about the company’s fashion strategy and business plans.

GEN33 Investigates

The Politics of Fashion Show Seating: Is Latin America Being Overlooked?

Last week, Karla Martinez, Head of Content for Vogue Mexico and Latin America, shared on her Instagram stories that she had felt sidelined at a couple of major shows during Paris Fashion Week as she was seated behind her counterparts from other Vogue editions. It's worth noting that these were global brands that advertise in the magazine.

To fashion outsiders, this might seem trivial, but in fashion, where you are seated at a show reflects the industry's hierarchy and your position within it.

Don't just take my word for it. American journalist Lauren Sherman, a seasoned professional, briefly addressed this in her newsletter Line Sheet (which is fantastic by the way).

After reposting Martinez's remark on my feed, I received a flood of responses. Naturally, the question arose: how do the experiences of Latin American editors compare to those of their counterparts from other Vogue editions? To investigate, I reached out to a few industry figures from the region.

Gabriel Fusari, a content producer for , commented on my original Instagram post and shared that at a Philipp Plein show, Brazilian journalists were seated with their backs to the catwalk. 😮

Meanwhile, one editor I spoke to, under the condition of anonymity, believes brands are simply not interested in Latin America.

In an era where life is lived through a screen and everything revolves around social media, the influencer front row isn't exactly surprising. While I understand that engaging new audiences is good for business, the seat shuffle feels like a slight for the professionals and magazines that have supported these brands for years.

This phenomenon has historical precedents. About 20 years ago, the rise of fashion bloggers—like Tavi Gevinson, Bryan Yambao (Bryanboy), Leandra Medine of Man Repeller and Susanna Lau of Style Bubble—caused controversy as they started getting prime seats next to legacy media representatives. Most of those names are now top editors, writing for major publications, including those they once rivalled. It will be interesting to the current influencer situation evolves.

"About 10 years ago, Brazil was in the front row," Fusari recalls. "I remember photos of Daniela Falçao, Donata Meirelles, Bárbara Migliori and Bruno Astuto (former editor of Vogue Brazil), sitting next to Anna Wintour, and Brazilian teams from other magazines there. Now, Brazilian magazines send only one or two people."

(Note: The reason for sending fewer people is mainly economic—most traditional media outlets have smaller budgets now and it's not feasible to send big teams to shows anymore.)

In most cases, brands typically invite only the editor-in-chief or a senior staff member, rarely offering more than one or two seats per publication (unless you're Anna Wintour and her team). If a senior editor can't attend, they might ask another team member or a local journalist to cover, but the brand may withdraw or downgrade the seat. (Is that bad etiquette? I wonder.)

In the end, who deserves the front-row seat more—a Suzy Menkes or a Jools Lebron—warrants its own discussion. But when space is needed for someone new, how is it decided who gets downgraded?

Fashion's fast pace and the internet's influence mean things change every season, and the politics of fashion show seating are incredibly complex. As a Launchmetrics article explains, creating a buzz-worthy seating chart is key for brands. For instance, "Queen Elizabeth next to Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week" generated headlines.

With 28 international editions of Vogue, plus other major titles like Elle and Harper's Bazaar, not everyone can have prime seating. Someone asked in the comments why all Vogue editions need to be at the show. The answer isn't simple. Most of Vogue's runway content is centralised and syndicated, with reviews typically written by US journalists. However, each market has its own needs and specific characteristics. So yes, it's important for international editions to attend the show as well.

Mexican and Latin American readers prefer Martinez’s take, as they watch her Instagram stories and value Spanish-language reporting. When I attended Burberry SS25 for Vogue Mexico, I wrote a short piece with a different angle, aiming to bring the brand closer to the local audience.

The question remains: how do major fashion houses prioritise some regional editors over others from the same publication? If the brands are advertisers, is it based on market size, luxury spending, store presence, or media impact value? Are other regions, like Africa or Australasia, deprioritised too?

From a luxury market perspective, Latin America's luxury goods market is projected to reach $36.6 billion in 2024, according to Euromonitor. Although growing at 8.2% annually, it remains much smaller compared to Asia Pacific's $640.7 billion, Western Europe's $352 billion and North America's $324.7 billion. Even the Middle East and Africa surpass it at $50.8 billion, making Latin America relatively minor, though still significant.

Let's not forget that high taxes in countries like Mexico and Brazil drive a lot of international shopping as well. As Martinez once told me, you can pay up to $800 more for the same bag in Mexico (I wrote about this for BoF).

I heard about a Dubai-based editor who complained about being seated in the third row at a Dior couture show, for which the brand apologised. With so few people able to spend €4,000 on a bag, let alone €300,000 on a couture dress, couture shows are clearly even more exclusive. However, if there’s a region that might have these kind of clients, it’s the Middle East, and I’d suggest the Euromonitor numbers seem to support this.

"For many brands, it depends on the venue and its configuration," says PR executive Cristina Cabarcos, founder of C3 PR Agency. "Some shows have everyone seated in the front row. I've seen this often in New York and Milan. This season I attended Sunnei and all the guests were seated in the front row."

 Simone Rocha in February had single row seating.

Also, you can't overlook the long-standing relationships between magazine editors and brands or executives. Some magazines may not be that significant, but if an editor has valuable connections and networks, it can make a difference. Just like in jobs or business relationships, it's all about who you know.

Some editors may find themselves in less favourable positions due to PR teams' limited knowledge of global markets, particularly smaller firms that focus primarily on the US and Europe. A London-based editor who has worked with African and Chinese media told me many global markets are still seen as "obscure," and PRs often don't recognise the quality or importance of regional publications.

Major brands like Dior, Vuitton, and Chanel have regional PR teams that manage seating allocations for each season, especially in markets with stores. Many factors influence seating, making it a complex task for PR teams.

My final take is that, yes, sometimes it’s due to outright unfairness, while other times it can be an honest mistake. In some cases, Latin America simply isn’t a priority market for certain brands, and that’s understandable. 

One brand reached out to Martinez to apologise for the seating arrangement. Hopefully, this shows they recognise the importance of Latin American coverage, and next season, she’ll share the front row with her counterparts. I also hope the rest of global editors are treated fairly, but only next season will tell!

I would love to know your thoughts on this, please drop some comments below!

THE PLAYLIST

Thank you for reading!

If you found value in this publication, please share it with your friends and colleagues! I’d also love to hear your recommendations—let me know what you'd like to see, read, or who you'd like me to interview.