Guest Column

Art, History and Silk Converge into Fashion with Pineda Covalin’s Designs

By  Amarilis Zozaya

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Designs inspired in prehispanic themes aim to promote Mexican and Latin American cultures across the USA

Ever since they founded their design studio in 1996, Cristina Pineda and Ricardo Covalin aimed to spread out the richness of Mexican and Latin American culture and traditions all over the world by portraying them on silk and fashion. Their fashionable designs are exposed on silk ties, scarves, hand bags, dresses, sandals, silver and silk jewelry, bathing suits, and other fine products.

The two designers fell in love with the pre-Hispanic culture when they had to spend some time within the indigenous community of Yucatán, Mexico, submerging themselves into their culture and developing a taste for their arts and crafts while teaching them about mixing colors and creating original designs as a way of life. The task was part of a College project, where Cristina was studying textile designs and Ricardo industrial designs.  This combination led the masterminds to present a design for ties and scarves to the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City.  The concept was highly-acclaimed allowing the designers to give birth to Pineda Covalin Design House.

The rest was history for these fashion gurus:  people fell in love with the idea of wearing a fashionable piece with a feel of “Hispanidad.”  Corporations such as Disney, Motorola, American Express, BMW, Marriott, and Corona beer maker Grupo Modelo have requested custom made pieces with designs that mix pre-Hispanic legends, symbols, myths and figures with the company’s logo or any other original design.  Even the Mexican Red Cross has benefited from these designs, when in 2003 the designers mixed altruism with fashion and created a special edition of ties and scarves exclusively to help the humanitarian institution.

Continuing with the tradition and characteristics that sets the company apart, Pineda Covalin recently introduced its 2006 Summer collection.  A series of designs inspired on elements such as the Gravestone of Pakal’s sarcophagus, divine Lord of Palenque, where the Mayan culture flourished; Xochimilco: Place of Flowers; the Tree of Life of Metepec; are part of this new series.  Most notably is the introduction of famous painter Heriberto Juárez to the line of contemporary artists that have influenced the designs of Pineda Covalin.  In this occasion, his “Children Playing” masterpiece reflects the joy with which Mexicans celebrate life.  All these pieces have an element in common: beautiful silk with predominantly fresh, bright, citric, and incandescent spring-summer colors.  

The emblem of the company is its large silk scarves (“mascadas” in Spanish) which, tied creatively, can become shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, belts or other trendy accessories; turning one fashion accessory into a multiple wardrobe.

Several distinguished personalities have worn the charismatic pieces designed by these Mexican designers.  Among them: Crown Prince Felipe of Spain, and his wife Princess Letizia of Asturias during their last visit to Mexico; Mexican President Vicente Fox, and his wife Marta Sahagún de Fox; and actress Rebeca de Alba. Some of the distinguished clientele that have worn these much-admired pieces

The company promotes cultural institutions like the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia), The Art and Crafts National Fund (FONART, Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías), and Fomento Cultural Banamex. Additionally, Pineda Covalin works with Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) like Casa de la Amistad for children with cancer, Children’s Cancer Foundation, and Save the Children Foundation; using the amalgamation of culture and fashion to support social responsibility.

With boutiques in Miami, Madrid, Barcelona and around Mexico, the trendy design house has managed to conquer the interest of museums across the USA and around the world, having a series of pieces within their store portfolio. As the designers put it “the idea of going international lies mainly in our passion to increase the knowledge about the richness of the Latin American culture through objects and designs that portray it through a high-quality product in a contemporaneous and unconventional way.”

Among the nine museums in California that carry these charming pieces are the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  The designs can also be appreciated by visiting their website http://www.pinedacovalin.com/. 

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For more information, photos and interviews please contact: Amarilis Zozaya, Acqua Communications, 2929 SW 3^rd Ave., suite 630, Miami, Fl 33129 -- 305-860-6333 ext. 24

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