The hallways of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art were filled with warmth Friday, April 8 when Mexican fashion designer Alberto López Gomez presented a show for his brand Kuxul Pok’. The toasty aromas of Mexican spice blends drifted from the catering table. It seemed like anywhere you looked, someone was wearing one of Lopez’s colorful huipiles (singular, huipil) blouses.

Keeping Tradition — and Breaking It

López hails from Magdalena Aldama, Chiapas, Mexico. He is a member of the Indigenous Tzotzil Maya people. It is this heritage that shapes and inspires his work as a weaver and designer. As López told in an opening documentary, only women traditionally work as weavers. “I started to weave out of need,” he said. Men normally work in the fields, but harvest earnings are very low. 

Although López faced criticism for breaking traditional gender norms, he was always supported by his primary teacher — his mother. López’s determination to pursue weaving and share his culture led him to present his K’uxul Pok brand at New York Fashion Week in 2020. 

Threads of Chiapas

López’s huipiles make their statement with color and complex patterns. Huipiles are ancient, traditional blouses worn throughout Mexico and Central America. Colors, patterns and embellishments vary by community and weaver. Although red is most traditional for Tzotzil blouses in Chiapas, López pulls inspiration from various communities. He weaves with a variety of neutral tones and dyed threads.

Huipiles have a square-cut neckline and boxy sleeve shape. López explained that the central opening for the head is a metaphor for the way that Tzotzil women hold the universe at their center. “They are what inspire me the most,” he said. López’s weaving network incorporates 150 Indigenous women.

Mannequins were placed around the show space, displaying the diversity of the huipiles. Two reddish garments sat on stage right, one with billowy striped sleeves and another with a magenta geometric pattern. Another patterned black and white blouse was placed behind the audience, next to a huipil woven in royal purple. 

The Program

The fashion show was presented by the local LGBTQ+ rights organization Equality Utah. Their Director of Public Outreach, Olivia Jamarillo, emceed the event. All garments were modeled by members of Utah’s Unidxs community council. Models walked in front of an info screen for the garment they wore. The slides showed the name and photo of the weaver from López’s team who worked on the piece. 

The final model wore a long teal huipil done by López himself. Shortly after, López emerged and received a standing ovation. He exuded the same blend of tradition and modernity present in his work. Though he wore a longline blazer, a small woven bag hung comfortably off his shoulder. 

In a brief closing speech, López teared up speaking of his mother’s support. “What we wanted to do was bring Chiapas,” López said. Jamarillo looked touched as she translated for the audience. Jamarillo, who is also a native Mexican, closed the show. “We have some of the best food in the world, but guess what, we also have some of the best fashion designers in the world,” she said.

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@NicolineWest

This article was updated on April 19, 2022, to clarify that Kuxul Pok’ is a brand not a collection and correct for spelling mistakes: “huipil” not “huipile”; “Kuxul Pok'” not “K’uxul Pok” or “Kuxul Pok.”