Indigenous designer will deliver a lecture at Harvard

In February 2020, Alberto López Gómez will present his collection at the American Indian Fashion Through the Feathers 2020 , an independent event to take place within the framework of New York Fashion Week , one of the most important platforms in the fashion industry , and deliver a lecture at Harvard University .

Six years ago, Alberto was a farmer and had to conform to the gender roles established by the Tzotzil community in Chiapas and he was banned from weaving .

“It took me a long time to tell my mother I wanted to learn to work with the waist loom but when I did, she was surprised because no men do, she supported me from day one.”

He was in awe of the pieces created by women and despite the criticism and bullying , Alberto decided to carve his way into the textile world .

In an interview with the newspaper, Alberto said that his goal has always been to promote and dignify traditional garments such as huipiles , dresses, and other embroidered pieces made by Tzotzil women .

When he started weaving, he worked for up to 14 hours a day, which allowed him to develop and perfect his abilities.

Then, with his family’s support, he moved to San Cristóbal de las Casas to sell his pieces. Although things weren’t easy at first, he was offered a space at a local gallery , where he could sell his clothing line .

There, he finally found a place to develop his own brand , which would represent Tzotzil textiles .

His brand K’uxul Pok now offers wedding dresses, ceremonial huipiles, scarfs, purses, and more products.

Furthermore, Alberto supports the work of 130 Tzotzil artisans who take their pieces to the art gallery, set a fair price , and then collect the money.

But his success has no limit. On January 31, he will deliver a lecture at Harvard University . He will talk about how the indigenous people represent their worldview through huipiles and on February 2, Alberto will attend the American Indian Fashion Through the Feathers 2020 in New York, one of the fashion capitals of the world, where he will present his pieces at the Flying Solo show.

Congratulations Alberto!

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