Last December, the Uruguayan Chamber of Design reached out to its partners in the textile sector to inform them that, together with Uruguay XXI, they were exploring the possibility of organizing a trade mission to New York to participate in the Capsule trade show. “They wanted to know if we were interested in the proposal before moving forward, and since the response was positive, they issued an open call for interested companies to apply,” said Bouvier, who holds a degree in Fashion Design from Universidad ORT Uruguay. “Uruguay XXI had hired the agency Favors, which selected the six brands that went and subsequently assisted us with preparations and our work at the fair.”
Capsule, Bouvier pointed out, is aimed at buyers rather than end consumers. It took place in late February at Pier 94 in Manhattan, “a huge warehouse typically used for trade shows of this kind or art exhibitions.” The fair’s layout is quite simple and standardized, he noted: the booths are identical and feature the same elements (rack stands, tables, lighting). “It’s not like at trade shows in other industries, where each company sets up its booth however it wants within the assigned space.”
What we bring to the trade show are samples that serve as the basis for orders. Attendees include buyers from boutiques, multi-brand stores, and large retailers such as Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, among others. The trade show attracts buyers from across the country as well as from abroad.
Planning begins six months in advance; in other words, this trade show is designed to showcase fall-winter 2019 clothing (which begins in September in the United States).
“Imperfection” as an added value
In 2014, Bouvier moved to the United States, where she spent a year pursuing a specialization in color at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “During that time, I discovered natural dyeing and fell in love with the technique.” It is a handmade process that results in “imperfections that make each piece unique.”
When I work with solid-color dyeing, there are always variations in color on the fabric; in other words, the fabric ends up entirely green, but within that there are patches of varying intensity of that color.
As Bouvier explains, this means that even if two garments of the same style are cut, “they will never be exactly the same.” Furthermore, “it is practically impossible” to achieve exactly the same color on two different pieces of fabric, since there are always slight variations in shade between them. The same thing happens when using the bundle dye technique, which creates patches of different colors. “Even if the same elements are used, they never turn out the same, and similarly, depending on where I place the pattern to cut a garment, it will have patches that another one doesn’t.”
To me, those “imperfections” are, on the contrary, what makes the garments special; they reflect the artisanal nature of the process, and that is where the dedication and love that went into creating them lie.