This collection is about empowering women through childhood play. Because to play is to create without restriction, to mold and change as one sees fit, and build for the sake of building itself. In this collection, I started by liberating my mind from the sketching process and chose to use my imagination to sculpt the garments instead. This process became my act of play. I reached into the toy bins of my childhood and felt inspired by their sounds, movements, and vivid colors. By creating with these toys, I developed garments that propelled women to take up space, explore, and be bold.
LOOK 1, 2022, Rubber Bands, photo by Angela Golota, makeup by Juleda, Marina Delgado modeling
This garment was made using a rainbow loom toy traditionally used for making friendship bracelets. The whole garment was made of about 56,000 rubber bands.
LOOK 1, 2022, Rubber Bands, photo by Angela Golota, makeup by Juleda, Marina Delgado modeling
This garment was made using a rainbow loom toy traditionally used for making friendship bracelets. The whole garment was made of about 56,000 rubber bands.
LOOK 2, 2022, Horse Hair and Scuba knit, photo by Maria De Lourdes Espinosa
This garment was inspired by slinky springs. The knit fabric for the shorts was custom designed to look like the top piece in movement.
LOOK 2, 2022, Horse Hair and Scuba knit, photo by Maria De Lourdes Espinosa
This garment was inspired by slinky springs. The knit fabric for the shorts was custom designed to look like the top piece in movement.
LOOK 2, 2022, Horse Hair and Scuba knit, photo by Maria De Lourdes Espinosa
This garment was inspired by slinky springs. The knit fabric for the shorts was custom designed to look like the top piece in movement.
LOOK 3, 2022, Marbles and Brown Wool, photo by Katie Murray, makeup by Juleda
This garment was inspired by marbles. The marbles were hand wrapped with wire and hand sewn to the wool.
Mariana Espinosa often emphasizes mindfulness and material exploration within her work. She looks to her latin roots as inspiration and often explores the meaning behind individuality, death, and humans connection to nature. Her work goes beyond fashion as she is also an aspiring costume designer and a freelance fashion illustrator.