From the Colombian context, Lakras has been able to observe how discussions about sustainability and social innovation of vital urgency begin to flourish and how they can collectively begin to imagine alternative production systems. She has been experimenting in building networks of affection and online collective experiments involving: human rights, feminism, ethical production and power distribution.

Alejandra, what fashion means to you in 2023?

Fashion represents not only a means of consumption but also an archipelago filled with questions and affection. It serves as a source of enjoyment, a way of invoking ghosts, and a meeting place for everyone.

How did fashion happen to you, what’s your story?

“I write the myths in me, the myths I am, the myths I want to become ... With images I tame my fear, I cross the abysses I have inside” Gloria Anzaldua
Growing up in a family of women weavers has inspired me to preserve their legacy and my fascination with clothing, the desire to embody different characters with wild outfits, and transform the body physically and politically has led me to explore multiple identities through my work in Fine Arts. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had the idea to create my own mask designs to deal with a difficult economic situation within my family. Soon after, a store in Japan started to purchase my masks, helping me connect with an international audience.
Six years ago I created Lakras as a way to connect internationally and explore my passion for textiles creating fictional worlds that were nourished by my own experiences. What started as a dream in my teenage years has now become a worldwide phenomenon that helps me discover myself. This has been a crazy path of hard work and much gratitude.
Lakras is not just a brand, but a manifestation of something worth treasuring and sharing with others. My artistic projects aim to explore how possible worlds are created and how the body can be expanded through myth. I view myth as an experimentation of the experience of being alive, rather than a search for rational truth.

What does role gender fluidity play for you and your creative direction?

We acknowledge the historical construction of gender binaries as a colonial legacy, which privileges men and certain bodies in the biopolitical world. While Lakras does not conform to corporate pinkwashing "gender fluidity" marketing, we recognize the importance of embracing fluidity to enable innovative and diverse body representation. We reject preconceived prototypes and embrace a multiplicity of identities.

Disidentifying means escaping constructed identities, and Lakras open up to the world of becoming:
We become a woman, a fantasy, a bug, plastic, a cyborg, a boot, a table, and this reflects in our imaginary…

We aim to construct our own categories as a collective practice, despite contradictions and privileges. Fiction is a powerful tool for this process.

You have explored the in-between territory of art and design, what is it that makes you see fashion as an artistic expression?

The multidisciplinary field of fashion combines art, design, crafts and culture to create impactful expressions that resonate with people.

By exploring the in-between of art and design, I can create visually stunning and thought-provoking pieces which share a common language of experimentation and address the central question of the body - its singularity, ownership, and vulnerability. Through fashion, I can express my artistic vision through wearable pieces that communicate ideas, emotions, and concepts through the use of fabric, materials, texture, colour, and form.

Just like any other art form, It has the potential to evoke feelings, create connections, and inspire change.

For me Fashion also challenges mainstream conventions, allowing for experimentation with multiple identities, styles, and aesthetics. It also serves as a platform to address important social and political issues, leading to meaningful conversations and debates. Overall, fashion involves participating in the active construction of existence with experiences, archetypes, and collective imaginaries.

Fashion as a medium to create identity exposure, What various other mediums do you work through other than art, that help you to do what you do?

Art for me it's life itself so I can't separate.
The mediums that help me in my work are being receptive to the world; a movie, a dinner, the internet, sex, a cake, a friendly conversation, a nun on the street, being silly, and a memory. I say that's my most Piscean part, I'm very sensitive to images and when I think about them again, I update them.

I enjoy pushing boundaries and exploring various disciplines, especially through body movement to express multiple identities. Dancing and fashion design fuel my passion for knowledge and creativity, alongside my curiosity and reading habits. I see a strong connection between mind, experience and body. I seek meaning and embrace change through endless curiosity and exploration, avoiding identity labels and expectations.

I may identify as a visual artist, performer, model or non-fashion designer, but tomorrow, I may choose to identify as "nothing" to break free from society's norms. The magic of life lies in the infinite possibilities that come from embracing the unknown and the unconventional.

I wonder how it would feel to work in your studio. Can you please describe the ambience you work in? What kind of challenges do you go through on a regular basis to keep your work sustainable?

As I am constantly moving and working in different locations, I experience different environments. I could be working in a cosy living room in a friend's house in Brooklyn, a bustling market from my grandparents in Fontibon Colombia, or a quiet corner of a park in Scotland. Although it's exciting to work this way, it can be challenging to find a comfortable and productive workspace in unfamiliar places.

Living in Colombia, I have noticed the vital urgency of discussions on sustainability and social innovation. Lakras has been experimenting with different ways of promoting sustainable production, such as using recycled, compostable or materials made on self-managed farms. We also encourage human rights, feminism, ethical production, good working conditions, and power distribution.

Sustainability is a complex and contradictory topic that requires a continuous learning process. Even though it's a political bet, there are no exemptions for paradoxes. Maintaining a balance between sustainability and handmade profitability is a challenge we are working on, as it often comes at a higher cost and slower process than the mainstream process. To be honest, We are exploring how to open a more reproducible and slightly more commercial line to ensure that our project can benefit us economically in the near future, while still maintaining our values.

Alejandra, your work is rebellious and all the way from your first collection ”The Enchanted Castle” to the recent one, knits and performances are pursued at various places. What is your relationship with fabric and the craftsmanship of textiles and the theatre/performing arts?

I enjoy exploring the absurd, which sometimes extends to the creation of fictional characters and mythological portals that end up becoming my own friends, as well as learning from their various artistic disciplines, such as painting, knitting, dance, video, textiles, and more.

In fact, I sometimes think of Lakras as an allegory for friendship. It's important to create the world we want to inhabit using the images we are willing to experience.

The creative process at Lakras occurs through intuitive questions and sensations that go beyond the rational spectrum. We are interested in processes that emerge from our deepest emotions and experiences when working with others. We like to think of them as bodies without organs or like ginger roots that are strange and have no fixed position.

The value that Lakras imparts to its pieces and garments transcends the ephemeral state of simple clothing that can be discarded. They are instead something to be treasured and shared with others, even if eventually forgotten.

Your ethnic background is redefined in the way you conduct your presentation, please talk about the influences and inspirations that govern your approach'?

What's truly remarkable about Lakras is that every aspect of our brand has a connection to Colombia, our home country. This is important to us because we're passionate about representing independent Latin American designers on a global stage, in a fashion world that often overlooks our region's creativity and expertise. We take pride in showcasing the intricate and artisanal techniques that are deeply ingrained in our culture and processes, all crafted by hand. We're not interested in perfection or following the first world standards (although we do have to sell more and start following seasons that we don't have in our country, to be honest, haha). It's curious that when we show what we're doing, people always react with "Oh, that doesn't look Colombian," perhaps because they're attached to certain stereotypes of what is or isn't "Colombian," a place as diverse as ourselves.

Lakras playfully question how to integrate the abject, monstrous, uncomfortable, or twisted into the collective body in their context, despite the society and history that constantly observes, regulates, and violates it. Lakras see the body as a form of communication and discourse, and we push the boundaries of language by appropriating and subverting it, fearlessly creating something entirely new and daring..

Your recent launch of reimagination of the Colombian perception of art and design again has the mix of art and design, How did this become your subject for this launch, and what influenced you?

At Lakras, we're always open to collective creations, and this year we had the pleasure of working with Colombian and Mexican designers on our latest collection (Julicore, Mariposo, Laura Garrido, Namz Anil, Valentina Anzola, Katya Kondrat, Travieso, Pelitoz Locoz, Daniela Gonzales, Tercer Mundo, Fi Isidore)
Our "Haunted Castle" collection is a mix of art and design, with a primitive horror tale that is allegorical in nature, symbolizing primal fears of human beings such as the immensity of the universe and oneself.

The visual composition of the collection facilitates an aesthetic experience of fantasy, performative evocation of ghosts, and haunting experiences. We're proud to showcase an event that supports individual expression and challenges preconceived standards. The castle photos were taken using people I met on the street.

Our approach is personal and theatrical, where people become our canvas and fashion is the medium through which we tell a story. This collection is the closest thing to an individual and collective catharsis, with a melancholic scene of grey clouds that reminds us of the fear of the unknown and other monsters. At Lakras, we've always prioritized creative expression and pushing boundaries in Colombian design.