FASHTALKS WITH LUCINDA

What was your previous work experience before launching your brand?

We are a brother and sister who united our expertise, academic and professional training, and our infinite love for fashion and shoes. That's where Lucinda was born.

Before the launch of Lucinda, Mónica worked more than 15 years in public relations and communications, where she oversaw the positioning of brands in different sectors. She specialized, the last eight years, in the management of the press and PR for luxury and fashion brands in Colombia. He alternately runs his communications and press agency.

Before launching Lucinda, Juan was a design director at a renowned Colombian fashion house. Consultancy in the production of runways, fashion shows, line-up, casting and fitting for international fashion weeks. He is an expert to make collections of Prét-a-Porter line, and campaigns of corporate lines and product lines for home.

What is your earliest design memory for this brand?

Our first collection was presented in a very special runway during fashion week leather Bogotá. The collection was called Chaox to couture, a collection inspired by the punk trend, brought to style and sophistication. We believe that this is one of Lucinda's emblematic collections, and we remember this collection with great emotion and special love.

“We are inspired by all the moments and all the lifestyles of a woman, such as a work of art, a good song, a landscape, or an architectural work.”

Where do you find inspiration?

Our main inspiration is women and their different moments. We are inspired by all the moments and all the lifestyles of a woman, such as a work of art, a good song, a landscape, or an architectural work. The trips have also been an important source of inspiration, different destinations that we have visited, as is the case of Lisbon and New York.

Do you have a favorite piece that you designed? 

One of the Lucinda creations that we like the most and that represents the aesthetics and concepts of the brand is the Baroque Ankle Boot. This is Lucinda's jewel. It brings together many elements that tell Lucinda's story, its transparent diamond-shaped heel is faithful to our brand concept: The Art of Levitating. With them, our Lucinda girls are levitating, not just walking.

They are a super feminine piece, and a very specially designed shoe. It has a work embroidered by hand in threads that make it unique. This shoe is a work of art that reflects the Lucinda woman, someone who always is noticed, strong, confident, and unforgettable.

How important is social media to your brand?

Social media for Lucinda is very important, especially in the middle of the new reality that we are living, where virtuality and digitality are the bridge to communicate with the world, and stay active and close with our friends, family, and customers. This is why we appreciate being on a platform like FashWire, a very interesting platform to reach different destinations, to share our passion for shoes, and to offer unforgettable proposals and designs, very Lucinda.

What has been your favorite fashion runway show?

We have many options because our industry has exceptional creatives and brilliant designers. We like the Chanel shows, which with their majesty are unforgettable in terms of setup and concept, and how year after year the concept of the brand is kept intact.

One of the Chanel fashion shows, led by Virginie Viard 'Metiers d'art' was amazing, because it was coherent with the reality we are living, having only one spectator, the brand ambassador, and turning this into an exclusive presentation for a client, and thanks to virtuality, we all was sat in the front row. One of the pieces that we love was the bridal coat inspired by Catherine de Medici. All very well thought out and coherent.

Another fashion show that we want to remember is the Gianni Versace tribute fashion show, which brought together the iconic top super models. This was truly magical, exciting, and very Versace.

How would you describe your personal style?

Juan: I have a very versatile style, I like to play with silhouettes and styles. Make mixtures such as wearing a suit and tennis shoes, a very rocker style, or a complete daddy style. The shoes are very important to my look. I really like to use accessories, and iconic pieces such as a Chanel Boy Bag or the classic Speedy by Louis Vuitton.

Mónica: I think I personify what I want to convey with my Lucinda brand, the personality that we want to implant on it. My style is stylized, but avant-garde, where black is predominate, but marked with key accents of color. I always try to tell stories through my style. Fashion and my style are a way of communicating and connecting with the universe.

”Lucinda strives to be an innovative brand in design and trend proposals that perfectly understands women.”

What would you like your brand to be known/recognized for?

Our brand ideal is to continue building around the Lucinda community of true shoe lovers. A universe that pays tribute to these pieces that many of us consider special. Likewise, Lucinda strives to be an innovative brand in design and trend proposals that perfectly understands women. Those who are not into a single style and are creators of lifestyles made of different moments.

What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve heard? And do you follow it?

There are many pieces of advice from great entrepreneurs and successful people that we follow and that inspire us. One of them, Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, said, "Leave excuses behind.” He advises entrepreneurs to not wait to have the right investor or the ideal team.

You must start working on your project, the rest will take place on its own. It is something very true, look at us, we are working together today with FashWire, without planning it, things just happened.

Do you feel working in the fashion industry is different today than from when you started out? Why or why not? 

It’s totally different. The fashion industry in Colombia a few years ago was made up of a concentrated group of designers. Little by little it has opened to new proposals and new creators, who, without forgetting the legacy of pioneering designers, give their own and sweeping style, have managed to chart a path in the international industry.

In terms of trends, a few decades ago we saw the Colombian consumer and the designers a little shy in terms of design, color palette and proposals. Now, we can enjoy avant-garde, risky proposals and silhouettes.