40+ Hispanic and LatinX Designers to Watch

To honor Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve compiled a list of 40+ designers from Hispanic, Spanish and LatinX roots that need to be on your radar. This list includes designers who specialize in fashion from all ends of the spectrum and range in age 19 - 80. From handbags to jewelry to wedding dresses to shoes, these talented designers are bringing in the new wave of fashion evolution and shaking up the game. We loved compiling this list of 40+ Hispanic and LatinX Designers to Watch and are excited to watch their bright futures unfold.

1. Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera, the Venezuelan fashion designer, has notably dressed various First Ladies, including Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump. She believes fully that women should feel beautiful each and every day stating, “I have a responsibility to the woman of today - to make her feel confident, modern and above all else beautiful." The 83 year old has been in the game a long time but doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Recently she outfitted actress Sofia Carson at the 2022 VMA’s and Adele at the 2022 Emmy Awards.

2. Paloma Lanna

Paloma Lanna is the founder of Paloma Wool, a project based in Barcelona, Spain that incorporates fashion, art, and communication. Paloma created a project, as opposed to a brand, with a heavy focus on promotion through Instagram, which has been successful with over 640,000 followers who are eager to gain news of the limited-run drops and new projects. Her content and designs lead us to believe she is on to something uniquely inspirational.

3. Adriana Manso

Adriana Manso is a 25 year old from Barcelona and the founder of an iconic, bold and edgy ring brand La Manso. She has gained attention from the likes of Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus and Bella Hadid who have pieces in their collections. The beautiful and bold designs with names like My Ex’s Funeral and Anello Jefferson Airplane, are a conversation starter as much as a fashion accessory. Manso is a self-taught jewelry designer who is gaining attention for her unapologetic ideology, “I’m a girl, not a brand,” and we are here for it.

4. Nicole Saldaña

Nicole Saldaña is the California native behind the footwear collection by Nicole Saldaña. The brand is known for an offbeat and chic look that is handcrafted in Portugal’s North Region using Italian textiles and skins. Molding bright colors with sleek designs and sometimes unexpected materials, this footwear collection is one of a kind blending style from California, Portugal, Italy and New York. Nicole Saldaña brings the perfect ratio of quirky sophistication to a high quality collection made to stand out.

5. Francisco Costa

Francisco Costa is a Brazilian designer who spent 13 years as the Women's Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection. On a trip to an isolated area of Brazil he was inspired to create Costa Brazil, a line of exquisite, refined, eco-luxury beauty and wellness products. In his own words, “That trip was the starting point of something new for me – leaving everything I was doing behind, exploring the jungle, seeing what it is, how it felt, how it smelt.” He has created the sustainable beauty line built on the simple belief that the spirit of beauty is inseparable from the health of the earth. The mission of the company is “to create products that are beneficial to the body and the spirt — as well as the earth” and with that kind of WHY we cannot find a reason not to follow Francisco Costa.

6. Giannina Azar

Giannina Azar is a Dominican designer of Lebanese descent who was named the Top 100 Latina Powerhouse of 2020. Azar attended University in Santo Domingo and her passion for fashion led her to the Parsons School of Design in New York City. Over her three decades in fashion, her designs have adorned numerous celebrities including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears earning her the nickname “The Master of Fashion”. The outfit from Beyoncé’s newest album cover alone has us craving more from Giannina Azar and we cannot wait to watch what is next for this iconic designer.

7. Willfredo Gerardo

The Los Angeles native Willfredo Gerardo is a designer of Cuban/Mexican descent whom first became interested in fashion from watching his mother freelance in their garage as a patternmaker. He was immediately intrigued and began learning from his mother at a young age. Gerardo’s passion for the industry began early and at age 36, he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. His looks can be seen across red carpet events around the world including; Golden Globes, Emmys, People’s Choice Awards, Latin Grammys & Latin Billboards.

8. Alejandra Alonso Rojas

Alejandra Alonso Rojas was born and raised in Madrid into a generations deep hand-knitting family. Rojas apprenticed with a master menswear tailor and learned to fashion her designs with fine materials and quality finishings. She has found a way to use her knitting and leathers as a way to preserve her heritage and created incredible eye-catching pieces in the process. What we love about her style is she doesn’t make things she wouldn’t wear. “I just came to the realization that if I did not want to wear something from the collection, it was out.” Rojas removed factors like age and traditional rules to create a casual luxury she believed in that could suit both a 30 year old and a 70 year old in the same outfit.

9. Patricia Bonaldi

Born and raised in Brazil, PatBO’s founder and creative director Patricia Bonaldi is known for her detailed embroidery and bold prints behind her brand. Patricia is dedicated to empowerment and true to her roots. She opened a school in her hometown to teach local women her craft and, to date, over 200 locals have acquired skills thanks to her focus on education. In 2021, she opened her first international store in Soho and her works have earned her popularity worldwide. With over 1.2 million Instagram followers, she surely is one to watch.

10. Monika Silva

Monika Silva is the founder of Gauge 81, a brand offering clothing that are easily adaptable to the different necessities of the day to all types of women. Her clothing line aims to blur the line between day and night outfits and bring minimal and sexy glamour to the streets. Silva was born in Colombia into a fashion family and first remembers being drawn to knitting. “I was particularly attracted to the craftsmanship that goes into creating knitwear – turning a cone of yarn into a garment. There is something about the complexity of the weaving process that I find fascinating.” We are obsessed with how Silva blends a minimalistic angel to sexy style in her own unique way and can’t wait to watch her keep doing it.

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11. Macario Jimenez

Macario Jimenez was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He discovered his passion for fashion at a very early age which took him to Europe to pursue his dream. He graduated from the renowned Marangoni Institute in Italy in 1990 and when living in Milan he met and learned from designer Gianni Lo Giudice. From there Jimenez has been on the front lines of fashion bringing forward lightness and femininity to his style and aesthetics. His looks have outfitted many runways and celebrities including Eva Longoria.

12. Lazaro Perez

Our next designer may sound familiar to those of you who’ve planned a wedding in the last few decades and for fans of the show “Say Yes To The Dress”. Lazaro Perez, designer of the Lazaro and Tara Keely collections has long been highly regarded as one of the fashion world’s leading bridal designers. Originally from Cuba, Perez began his career as a pattern maker in Chicago and then relocated to New York to continue his bright future in fashion.

13. Manolo Blahnik

Manolo Blahnik was born in Santa Cruz de la Palma,to a Czech father and Spanish mother and over the past five decades he has grown a highly successful high-end shoe brand. What is so unique about Blahnik is that he designs alone and has done so since he started his brand in 1970. He begins each shoe by a freehand sketch using sable brushes and watercolors but he doesn’t stop there. Blahnik is involved in every stage of the shoe from sketch to the building; he even creates each sample himself to ensure that they match his original vision.

14. Ana Khouri

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Ana Khouri flourishes in the New York City fashion world and beyond. Khouri trained as a painter and sculpture before becoming a name in the jewelry designing world. Her background in hand made arts gives her a unique perspective on creating jewelry. “My goal is to spin these precious materials into something that is much more than an extravagant accessory.” One thing we love about Khouri is that she gives back. She has donated to Doctors Without Borders during the Covid-19 pandemic and pledged donations to Black Lives Matter, these are only a few of the many charities efforts she is involved with. Her talent speaks words through design and her generous actions radiate her impact on the world.

15. Maria Cornejo

Maria Cornejo was born in Chile and moved to England with her family as a child as a political refugee. She studied school in London and moved to New York City in the late 90’s where she created Zero + Maria Cornejo. Here is when she began making garments with upcycled materials with the vision to create wearable luxury for real women. While serving as the 2018 Brand Ambassador to Premiere Vision New York, Cornejo created a special sustainable collection to draw attention to innovation, sustainability and local manufacturing in the industry. We loved how Cornejo has found a way to blend luxury and sustainability bringing awareness to environmental concerns while still creating a beautiful collection.

16 & 17: Sayana Durany & Claudia Durany

Sayana and Claudia Durany are Spanish designer twins who were born in Barcelona, the same place they started their brand Gimaguas in 2018. “Gimaguas is powered by relationships and conversation with the world around us” as their website states. The sisters are not interested in mass producing their clothing. Sayana and Claudia create their line in Barcelona with many pieces in collaboration with other artists. Their brand strives to be synonymous with handmade, artisans and uniqueness and they’ve seemed to achieve this via the route of cotton dresses, geometric-printed caftans & silk rompers.

18. Carlota Alfaro

Known as “Puerto Rico’s grande dame of fashion,” Carlota Alfaro is an iconic a high fashion designer who has been in the game since the 1950’s. She became an international name in the fashion world in the 1960’s and rightfully earned a reputation as Puerto Rico's most avant garde designer. Around the same time, she founded Carlota Alfaro College in San Juan, where today she teaches her revolutionary sewing method: the Carlota Alfaro System. Her techniques make it easy to build patterns and achieve a perfect fit with using the tools Alfaro created exclusively for this purpose. Carlota Alfaro was ahead of the curve while rising to international fame and her revolutionary methods are still being picked up by current generations nearly 50 years later.

19. Marina Larroudé

Marian Larroudé has made a name for herself working on both the editorial and retail sides of the fashion business before launching her own fashion line. She has had her hands in Teen Vogue, Style.com and Barneys. Larroudé was born in Brazil, studied in Paris and then landed in New York to attend Parsons and Fashion Institute of Technology. Her brand Larroudé offers luxury clothing, hats and sandals at an affordable price, now that is something we can get on board with! She has made a name for herself as one of the most financially successful Brazilian fashion designers to date.

20. Sabrina Olivera

Sabrina Olivera is an artist and fashion designer born and raised in Mexico City. At 28 years old, this Brooklyn-based fashion designer is fascinated by the stories that that clothing, fabrics and textures can tell and how they impact society in positive ways. Her 2020 collection, Soldaderas, raised funds for domestic violence survivors in her home country of Mexico. The name and collection was inspired by Las Soldaderas, the bulleted bandolier-wearing women of the Mexican Revolution. In 1910 these women began fighting for the rights of the poor and indigenous in the decade long war. Olivera found a beautiful way to pay homage to the brave women who’ve impacted our history. We are inspired by the beauty that she creates and the powerful history she does not ignore.

21. Narciso Rodriguez

Narciso Rodiguez was born in New Jersey to Cuban parents. He has lead the industry for the past 30+ years in fashion and perfume. His fashion has notably been worn in highly publicized celebrations in the United States for decades. In 1996, Rodriguez received international acclaim when he designed the bias-cut wedding dress that Carolyn Bessette wore for her marriage to John F. Kennedy, Jr and in 2008 Michelle Obama wore a dress from the designer’s spring 2009 collection to celebrate Barack Obama’s victory as the first African American president of The United States. This month Rodriguez announced his exclusive collection with Zara making his luxurious designs available to the everyday woman so we all can feel like royalty.

22. Francesca Miranda

Francesca Miranda is a Salvadoran fashion designer who began her rise in the industry in 1995. The same year her third child was born she launched her first runway collection in Colombia’s most important fashion week. It was her first time creating a men’s collection and ironically enough it put her in the spotlight to build her brand which she is most known for bridal collections*.* We love Miranda’s inspiration behind striving to honor monumental women. She created a 2017 collection inspired by women who have been icons to other women throughout history. Our hats are off to one of the OG boss ladies in the fashion industry.

23. Willy Chavarria

Willy Chavarria’s style highlights & encompasses the LatinX and L.G.B.T.Q. communities he identifies with. Chavarria holds himself to a high standard of excellent. He holds the belief “to hold true to my own personal cultural influence and not assimilate to what the industry claims I need to.” In his newest collection Chavarria has identified his goal to highlight beauty, strength, endurance, sex appeal as he sees it. This is shown in his work by blurring the lines of stereotypical fashion gender and style norms. Chavarria’s bold twist on traditional fashion is exciting and has us on the edge of our seats wanting more.

24. Krystal Paniagua

Krystal Paniagua’s began making her own clothes at age 16 and since then it’s hard to find the Puerto Rican far from her the sewing machine. Paniagua moved to Milan in 2014 and found her nostalgia, house sickness and love for Puerto Rico begin to appear in her work. She embraced her heritage as inspiration and has continued honoring her home country in her designs ever since. **Paniagua’s unconventional approach to knitwear made her stand out enough to be named Teen Vogue’s 2020 Generation Next Designer. We love that Paniagua’s, even on the road to being a household name, stays true to her roots saying, “I think that we need to consider the social needs of the moment and I believe this requires the acknowledgement of one's roots. We must use it as a tool to connect and exchange with others.”

25. Haider Ackermann

Haider Ackermann is a Colombian-born French designer of ready-to-wear fashion. In 2001, he debuted his eponymous label at Paris Fashion Week and made a name for himself with his dynamic design and sophisticated tailoring. He went on to to create a brand of womenswear blending high and low fashion elements, creating elegant pieces as well as casual knitwear. Ackermann’s vision came to life as read-to-wear modern pieces that have lead the way of the new generation of luxury fashion.

26. Gabriela Hearst

Gabriela Hearst is a women’s luxury ready-to-wear designer from Uruguay who truly cares about the environment. Her brand shares her name and values to protect our planet. Hearst became the first brand to introduce compostable bio-plastics for all their packaging and in 2020 Gabriela Hearst became the first brand to stage a carbon-neutral fashion. Hearst sets a goal to use no virgin materials by 2022 and to use 80% deadstock in 2023. We absolutely love how Hearst leads with her heart without sacrificing gorgeous style.

27. Elena Velez

Elena Velez is a fashion designer and proud mother who is highly anticipated for this year’s New York Fashion Week. Velez is of Puerto Rican heritage and born and raised in the midwest. Her latest line includes deconstructed dresses and bustiers using materials like sails, army canvas, and parachutes, inspired by her mother, a Lake Michigan ship pilot. Motherhood is synonymous with fashion for Velez and the two blend together creating uniquely inspired pieces since 2018 in her family run workshop in Milwaukee which she shares with her artist husband. Her pieces have been worn by Solange Knowles, Grimes, Rico Nasty and Caroline Polachek to name a few. We love how Velez blends family and fashion. It inspires us all to find a little more life balance.

28. Gustavo Cadile

Gustavo Cadile was born in Argentina with Italian roots. In 2007 Cadile launched his namesake label and has been growing ever since. In 2015, he introduced his bridal label with similar success. He interweaves Italian inspired artistry with his Argentinian heritage to create uniquely beautiful gowns and cocktails dresses manufactured in New York City. Cadile sets himself apart in the industry by his attention to detail, craftsmanship and quality. His designs have been seen on Catherine Zeta-Jones, Padma Lakshmi, Eva Longoria and Reese Witherspoon among many others.

29. Angel Sanchez

Venezuelan fashion design Angel Sanchez developed an appreciation for fashion at a young age by looking up to his mother. He grew up surrounded by dress forms and fabrics which seemed to imprint on him to be revealed later in life. He studied and practiced architecture for years before being called back to fashion. Years after first being fascinated by his mothers collection, Sanchez now had his architectural background as his secret weapon. He found a way to translate his design from buildings to fashion by creating proportions and shapes in wearables that true to the timeless perfection of traditional couture.

30. Daniela Villegas

Daniela is a Mexican-born jeweler who brings vibrance and surrealism to beautiful works for art. Her iconic style includes whimsical themes paired with beautiful, vividly bold gemstones. Villegas adds a sort of Alice in Wonderland vibe to her work that is exciting, vibrant and life like. Daniela’s quirky designs appeal for those on the look with objects with a story to tell. Daniela hand crafts her gorgeous designs commonly inspired by cherished memories and events as a way to narrate tales of joy, love and evolution.

31. Fernando Garcia

Fernando Garcia grew up in the Dominican Republic and found his way to the University of Notre Dame where he graduated with an architectural degree. Shortly after graduation, Garcia joined Oscar de la Renta where he met Laura Kim. The two joined forces and started their brand, Monse, in 2016 which was greeted with excitement and success. His architectural backgrounds adds and unique perspective to his craftsmanship and designs which have been celebrated by magazines and celebrities alike.

32. Rebecca Stirm

Rebecca Stirm is an internationally renowned fashion designer from Belize. She first came on the scene in 2012 at 19 years old, on the show "Mission Catwalk" which features top designers from around the Caribbean. She then launched her brand TWIG & PEARL which creates and manufactures handbags and clothing from sustainable materials in Belize. The company was created and remains true to 5 principals; building a brand to celebrate Belize, create a waste-free production process around sustainability, use a minimum of 70% natural materials in each piece, build in-house production with Belizean women and build and launch one of Belize’s first e-commerce stores. We absolute love and respect Stirm’s dedication to her home and the planet!

Dreams and goals don't accomplish themselves overnight. But people who work hard and have a purpose and vision behind their dreams and goals, do accomplish them over time. - Rebecca Stirm

33. Paula Canovas del Vas

Paula Canovas del Vas is the Spanish born designer behind the label that shares her name. She is based in London and brings inspiration to her work from experimenting with textures, shapes in fabrics in unique ways and by focusing on collaborations with other artists. She uses primarily deadstock and recycled materials to create her beautiful pieces. Paula Canovas del Vas made a name for herself before branching out to create her own label by holding positions at Gucci, John Galliano and as the creative consultant for Kayne West. We love how Paula Canovas del Vas uses her experiences in numerous aspects of the fashion world to emphasis eco-friendly production while also pulling inspiration and beauty from her Spanish roots.

34. Raul Lopez

Raul Lopez is a New York City based designer and creative director at Luar who was first inspired by fashion from his seamstress mother. Lopez’s mother was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic in the 70’s and also had a sewing machine in the house growing up. Before starting Luar, Lopez co-founded the label Hood By Air, which became a cult-favorite by bringing a gender-fluid and inclusive image that quickly caught fire. Lopez credits the Dominican Republic as being his biggest inspiration when creating new pieces.

35. Sofia Elias

The Mexican designer Sofia Elias handcrafts her beautiful jewelry in Mexico City. Elias is another designer on our list whose first love is architecture yet she has found herself behind her label Blobb, creating one-of-a-kind jewelry handcrafted by childhood memories. The inspiration behind her nostalgic pieces has resonated with celebrities like Doja Cat and Dua Lipa. With the momentum behind her success Sofia Elias has continued to lean into her creative process and has begun creating vases and uniquely fitting chairs in addition to her popular wearable pieces.

36. Nancy Gonzalez

Nancy Gonzalez is the Colombian designer who has made a name for herself by creating luxe handbags and accessories with exotic materials and one-of-a-kind color selections. Each piece in her collection is handmade in Colombia where much of her inspiration comes from as well. The vibrant culture of Colombia shows through her color choices and material combinations.

37. Victor Barragán

Victor Barragán is a Mexican fashion designer who lives and designs in New York. He launched his label, Barragán in 2016 where he began presenting many elements from Mexican culture that had yet been celebrated on the runway level of fashion. Barragán has a way to navigate the gray area between art and fashion by combining the two in his pieces offering an alternative to conventional fashion. His work is uniquely his own by methods of removing and re-attaching elements to create a new aesthetic.

38. Carlos Miele

Carlos Miele is a Brazilian fashion designer who specializes in women's ready-to-wear collections. Carlos Miele combines fashion with a social consciousness. He has partnered with the Rainforest Foundation to bring awareness to the non-profits international mission to support the indigenous peoples of the world's rainforests and fulfill their rights to land, life and livelihood. His work has gained international attention and is available in over 20 countries and has a celebrity following that includes Blake Lively, Beyoncé, Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lopez.

39. Benito Santos

Benito Santos is the world-renowned Mexican fashion designer who has been in love with drawing since he was a child. He credits his love for fashion to his grandmother with whom he spent afternoons at her house watching her work with embroidered garments. Over the years, Santos has made a name for himself and it recently gained the attention from Matel. We were so excited to learn that the 2022 Día De Muertos Barbie Signature doll was a collaboration with Santos. This release is a celebration of Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, the two-day holiday that reunites the living and dead.

40. Bailey Prado

Bailey Prado is a modern luxury brand with a focus on textiles and handmade crochet. Her line is inspired by the raw and authentic London culture. She finds a way to mesh formal attire and relaxed details to make the colorful and cut-and-paste aesthetic that she is known for. Prado is leading from the front with placing an emphasis on empowering women of color. She wanted to promote diversity within the fashion industry while bringing a new styling to the crochet world. and bring a refreshing style to the crochet world. Bailey Prado is pushing the world of crochet to the next level by transforming the modern way we view this staple technique.

41. Angelina Marie

Angelina Marie is the owner and founder of TAH Bags, a line of luxe handmade leather bags and accessories. As a buyer and store manager for a Seattle-based retailer, Angelina was accustomed to hauling different bags of her daily must-haves, especially her heels that she needed to wear for work. Aspiring to solve the problem of effectively packing her shoes in the bag, Angelina created TAH Bags’ first prototype, a bag specifically designed for shoes that seamlessly inserted into her work tote. At that moment, TAH, or “tote a heel” **was born. Each item from TAH Bags is quality, full-grain leather, and solid brass hardware. They’re handcrafted in the leather capital of Leon, Mexico at a superb, multi-generational family run business known for their expertise in leather goods. We’re proud supporters of Angelina’s beautiful brand at Queen Anna, and her line is always a hit with our team.