Victor Barragán is a fashion designer from Mexico City. He started his project ytinifninfinity in 2014 as an experiment that involved trending fashion, gender identity, and media consumption. The brand proposes an untried but curated image by incorporating not just the clothing, but also atypical art direction, styling, and photography.
Barragán takes advantage of the impossibly blurry line between art and fashion, resulting in a symbiotic combination of the two. His collections offer an alternative to conventional fashion lines by reconceiving basics in irregular variations. Barragán creates new silhouettes out of old ones by removing and re-attaching elements to create his distinctive aesthetic. Plain white t-shirts and blue jeans are reimagined as halter tops, aprons, dresses, or a combination of different garments in one. These pieces are made in disregard to gendered standards creating a line that exists in an indefinable category.
For his Fall/Winter 2017 collection Barragán has collaborated with the Belgian vegan footwear label Rombaut. The designers share their love for genderless fashion and vegetable art. The two footwear models are a collage of different styles cemented on a chunky lightweight sole.
For his Fall/Winter 2017 collection Barragán has collaborated with the Belgian vegan footwear label Rombaut. The designers share their love for genderless fashion and vegetable art. The two footwear models are a collage of different styles cemented on a chunky lightweight sole.
What does Barragán stands for? What kinds of people wear Barragán?
Barragán is my last name, and we are an experimental brand that combines art direction, photography and performance on the moment to show our garments to our audience. More than an actual clothing brand we are a brand that consumes through images; we are pretty visual at the time of document the process and the final product of the garments. Our brand could be worn by anyone who has a certain approach to contemporary art.
Can you tell us something more about the man behind Barragán?
I’m from Mexico City originally, but I moved to New York in 2015.
Where did your career in fashion start? Can you tell us about your road to the fashion designer you are now?
I didn’t study fashion design. I decided to keep working on my brand after I quit industrial design in Mexico City. The brand grew up in an organically way. I wasn’t sure what I was doing at the beginning and now I’m still not sure at all, but I feel less lost these days.
Looking at your collection we see a lot of influences from the ‘90s. What was your life about in that period?
Growing up in the ‘90s and digesting all the culture through the television was a pretty a normal day back in Mexico.
Can you tell us something more about your latest collection?
My collection for Fall/Winter 2017 ratified my idea about the blurry line between art and fashion, resulting in a semiotic combination of the two. For the presentation at The Community I wanted to create an experience in which the models shifted their attention from self-exposure to dedicating their gaze on a given object, action or audience. Each model took a specific part in this performance.
The collection is inspired by the Mexican folkloric idea of ‘erotica’; an image that’s been filtered through American mainstream media but interpreted in new, contemporary Latinx ways. Models wore multifunctional looks, see-through materials layered over velvet, black leather and silk taffeta garments. Regardless of their gender all the models wore individual looks that represent their own personality within the performance.
The collection is inspired by the Mexican folkloric idea of ‘erotica’; an image that’s been filtered through American mainstream media but interpreted in new, contemporary Latinx ways. Models wore multifunctional looks, see-through materials layered over velvet, black leather and silk taffeta garments. Regardless of their gender all the models wore individual looks that represent their own personality within the performance.
Your designs are eccentric and a feast for the eye. Who and what inspire you?
I play around with the garments and fabric each season, I’m always trying to have a different idea of what a garment should look from beginning to end.
You chose to not use the typical ‘beauty’ models for your shows and campaigns, can you tell us why? What is beauty for you?
We endorse gender and ethnic diversity. We endorse the idea of unity around the world, which is pretty important for us these days. We always collaborate with other artists that share the same interests as us.
We see that you do not discriminate with your designs. Can we say that you design gender free clothes? What is your vision about gender free fashion?
Yes, different cuts and sizes for all people at the same time keep their personality and individuality.
Is there a message you want to spread with your collection?
We always hide references around each collection. For us it’s way more interesting to confuse people than to be pretty obvious about it.
You combine fashion with art in a way that is very inspiring. Is that why you are a designer? To inspire other people with your designs?
That’s not the reason at all. I love working on my own ideas, that’s something that I enjoy a lot.
Are you working on other artistic projects besides fashion you can tell us about?
Sure, I’m working on the wardrobe for a performance artist that will be part of the Swiss Institute.
How do you see your brand in the future? Do you have any exciting plans for Barragán you want to share with us?
New collaborations like the last one with Rombaut.
