LOCO ONE and Dalí: A surreal experience!
Written By: Angelina Kochatovska and Iren Minka
Art and fashion lovers from all around Toronto gathered at the Brookfield Place on late hours of September 22nd to emerge themselves into “The Happening”: a unique sensory event that delved into Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, as envisioned by the famous surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. Infused in this exhibition were several designs from LOCO ONE’s fashion collection.
Christian Barrera Huerta, a Mexican designer and creator of LOCO ONE, told Infuse that his designs were not directly related to Dali’s work, however they seamlessly blended in with the rest of the surrealist exhibit. Our team members Iren Minka, Angelina Kochatovska, Krystyna Kalishevska, and Nathalie Gomez, who were invited to the event by Huerta himself, had the chance to interview the designer and learn more about his work while enjoying the exhibit as well as carefully curated music by the globally acclaimed DJ Karim Olen Ash.
“Surrealism” was the dress code for the event, and the guests did not disappoint! Wearing extravagant clothing evoking a sense of the uncanny and the fantastical, the audience was seen in angel and devil costumes, large headpieces, feathers, and sequin capes as they started walking through the exhibit space, which was divided into three rooms – hell, purgatory, and heaven.
Just like Dante in the Divine Comedy, the guests started their journey in hell.
“Beware when you pass! Go, if you can, without treading underfoot the heads of your brothers, who suffer.” – was seen written at the entrance.
The hell room was straight ahead full of dark red light having a quiet musical composition in the background. The place was the start of the fashion show by LOCO ONE brand, blending into the surreal atmosphere.
Christian Barrera Huerta’s best designs were worn by several models. Some of them displayed the designs in movement, while others blended into the exhibit by standing next to the artworks.
“I’m pretty underground, and my designs are pretty artistic,” the designer said.
In his works, asymmetry and avant-garde style can be seen in each outfit. Black dresses, leather sandals, and wide pants display all genders and ages.
“Let your style be a beacon of hope in the darkness and a reminder that you can shine your unique light facing adversity,” Huerta said. “The subtle details, colours, and rough lines emerge in my style.”
The brand’s customers are mostly artists, however, the designer plans to diversify the target clients by introducing his designs at events such as “The Happening”. When the organizer of the exhibition invited the brand to participate, Huerta accepted it as a chance to introduce his designs to more people.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to show the brand to more people because my brand is new for them,” he said. “Dali’s art is more about the artistic side of my creations.”
Avant-garde fashion pieces merged into the event theme creating futuristic aesthetics as Dali included the elements of impressionism, futurism, and cubism in his art.
The next room was purgatory, the place to free oneself from all that deprives the soul of beauty, richness, and order to which it aspires. Purgatory is an elevation of the mind towards Paradise by getting rid of illusions.
“O power of imagination, you who sometimes carry us so far away that we don’t realize that a thousand trumpets are sounding, who puts you in motion, if the senses don’t excite you?” another sign said.
In the room, models were wearing white outfits with gray and black elements compared to the soul that becomes lighter after going through dark hell.
In the end, guests enter the brightest room, heaven, showcasing love and peace in Dali’s works.
“Your eyes are fixed upon the earth alone,” one of the last signs said.
Infuse Magazine asked the designer about the brand’s plans for the future.
Huerta announced that his team is working on the upcoming collection that will be oversized.
“That’s going to be a little switch with respect to the same signature of my work.”