Everything is Political.
Meet CHAMBÓN, the berlin-based designer label full of Colombian Heart.
Collaborating entirely with communities in Colombia that have been affected by the conflict, Diego Martinez is the fashion designer ensuring there’s just as much looks as there is substance behind the brand. Enlisting a solid four-point manifesto, which is titled ‘The Doctrine’. It’s unfiltered and direct, putting forward their ethics and values laid neatly on the table.
Based off, “Political Influence, Social Movements, and Pattern Clashing”, CHAMBÓN is inspired by Colombian street culture, telenovelas, and family histories. They have been in the process of preparing a collection based on the relationship Colombian culture’s relationship with party and religion. This concept carries loudly through the designs, some of the pieces would not look out of place on the club dance floor, yet styled differently could function as your Sunday’s best, especially some of the co-ords and dresses within their collection.
Rejecting mass production, CHAMBÓN work mostly with dead-stock fabric from luxury brands, to provide the best quality textiles. Never more than 3 of each item is produced for the studio drops and for their Yellow Label collection, only 1 of 1 is made. Emphasising the intentional construction, design and love which goes into his process, as Diego’s number one focus has always been about clothing, “It feels like there was no other option, since I remember, I was always drawn to fashion. So, there was never a question whether I would choose something different.” For instance, the eye-catching spray paint textile was a project he started developing during university, “In the beginning it was not digital, but now I am happy to have found a good company where to print.”
Maintaining a punk spirit and quality Martinez launching CHAMBÓN in Berlin was a deliberate move, “It is definitely a city with still a lot of opportunities to create something that might have more voice, since it's not a huge fashion capital like London or New York. Also, in many ways, it reminds me of my city, Bogotá—grey and cold.” This has been intrinsic to their appeal and evolution, however given the current global economic crisis it hasn’t been without some difficulties, “Definitely growing the brand in the current socioeconomic moment we are going through presents a lot of challenges finding stockists, clients, etc. Most people can't spend that much money on clothes.”
The consciousness, soul, and intention behind CHAMBÓN, is one of the brand’s most endearing qualities, a factor which can often be missing from the escapism and fantasy engineered in the mainstream fashion world. A defining moment which steered the vision of the label, occurred as clash with a tutor during Martinez’s undergrad at university, “I had a conflict with a teacher when he implied what I was designing about was offensive. I was actually talking about the big social gap there is in Colombia from the point of view of homeless people, and he didn't know my background at the time. So, this disagreement made me want to get inspiration from social issues since then.” Whilst the journey and exploration of the brand's design language maybe far from over, long term Martinez wants to re-root the label as social project and relocate the operations back to Colombia once they grow a bit more. So, keep your eyes locked on the rebellious CHAMBÓN, they’re chasing to resonate with their hearts and belief systems, not trends.
Written by Lois Browne
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