Donde Esteban, the vibrant and unique approach to resortwear by Colombian designer Esteban Cortazar, presents its second collection, through which he celebrates the natural sensuality that fruit makes you feel, especially when dancing or enjoying yourself in a hot weather destination.
Titled ‘Fruta Fresca’ (“fresh fruit” in Spanish) after one of the most iconic Latin songs to Esteban Cortazar, by a dear artist to him -Carlos Vives-, the new collection goes one step further beyond his designs for endless summer lovers, offering a high-summer, more sensual and elevated collection, that continues to build upon Cortazar’s inspiration in the lively colors of the Caribbean, specifically Cartagena, and the clothes you want to wear to go out dancing after a beach day.
“I was envisioning that sultry feeling after a beach day, when you take a shower, put your oils and scents, and you want to go out for dinner and dance. And I think that can tie to a lot of places around the world. I wanted to convey my love for the feeling you get when you dance, that sexiness, and the feeling you get when you are in hot weather with friends and with a lover enjoying yourself”, explains Cortazar.
The vibrant colors and the suggestive shapes of tropical fruits come to life through the collection. “There is a sensuality to fruits. I think about the way they look when they are open and how gorgeous they are from the inside, and how you squeeze them, cut them, eat them. This concept of sensuality around fruits is something that I thought of a lot about.”
Community, creative collaboration and honoring his Colombian roots are the essence of Donde Esteban. After working with his father, Valentino Cortazar, this second chapter depicts remarkable prints by pioneer Colombian artist Ana Mercedes Hoyos, inspired by Cartagena, Palenque, and the coast of Colombia.
“Ana Mercedes Hoyos has always been a part of my life since I was a little kid, when books about her work were laying around in my parents’ tables and studios. I would always look at them and see her stunning artwork, all the beautiful colors, and I was always fascinated by the fact that everything was zoomed-in vision, close ups of the situations she was depicting. It was never the full picture, but rather a close-up of the fruits, the hands, the clothes, and so on. I find the composition of her paintings so beautiful and quite ahead of their time. To me, her work is a very interesting documentation of the Caribbean culture of Colombia in a very interesting way, considering that she doesn’t come from this culture. Her work was her take on it, her observations of Colombian Caribbean culture. I always felt it was such a beautiful rendition. Every time I looked at her pieces I thought, ‘wow this would look so beautiful as a print’ and the idea of working with her has always been there in my mind. Later on, I contacted Ana Mosseri, her daughter, to ask if this was even possible, and right away she said yes and was very excited about this. So, we ran with the idea of featuring her artwork on our designs”, explains Cortazar.
Ana Mercedes Hoyos’ creations are expressed through three prints – Bananas, Salpicon and Palenque – in different styles, where long and short dresses really stand out as the starting point and essence of “Fruta Fresca”, alongside the beautiful Guayabera knitwear pieces and the silk, more feminine pieces, which balance the collection. Designer Esteban Cortazar admits being obsessed with guayaberas since his upbringing in Miami, surrounded by Cuban culture. “All the Cuban gentlemen would always wear their Guayaberas in perfect linen, and I thought it would be great to take that and translate it into a knit story that’s sexy and sultry, that moves and folds, and drapes in a different way, and it’s not as stiff and crisp as the original Guayaberas”. The new collection also presents a continuation of the Estrellitas print, already seen in Chapter 1, in blue and turquoise tones that take you to the clear waters of the Caribbean.
For the creative direction of the campaign, Esteban Cortazar partnered with her good friend and multidisciplinary artist Miranda Makaroff for the creative direction. “I have always been impressed by Miranda’s sense of color and the fearless way in which she creates her compositions, playing with different elements and proportions. There is always a sense of movement and a sense of fun in her work, and we focused on bringing out the sensuality of fruits. She is a true muse to me. I love how she thinks, her lifestyle, and she is one of my closest friends.”
To embody this true love story, Cortazar also worked with a true couple in real life, models Sergi Renom and Laia Rafel.
The new collection of Donde Esteban, “Fruta Fresca”, will be launched through three drops starting from June 26th at https://dondeesteban.co.