Colombia stopped being a country of maquilas and now creates fashion

The fashion and clothing sector has managed to consolidate in the last decade in the local market, this industry represents 8.4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and in 2020 it employed more than 616,000 people.

In addition, the products belonging to this sector have gained relevance in the household basket. It is estimated that Colombian families spend 3.4% of their monthly income on fashion, with clothing, jewelry and footwear being the segments with the highest sales.

Another aspect to highlight is that Colombian garments have managed to conquer international markets. Only in 2020 the country exported 129 million dollars in fashion products and imports of inputs exceeded 2,200 million dollars.

Given the relevance of this sector and within the framework of the Fashion and Clothing ecosystem business matchmaking, Colombia Productiva and Econexia carried out the webinar ‘Fashion with purpose is to buy what is made in our country’, a space in which the great potential that Colombia has regarding this matter.

For María José Arboleda, head of image of the RCN Channel, Colombian fashion has managed to transform and advance in the last decade, considering that now there are a significant number of entrepreneurs dedicated to design.

"Before we saw ourselves as maquilators, but we turned this situation around and we can say that in the last ten years Colombia has managed to become a creator and we have also understood the value of what ours is," said the expert.

For her part, the architect and jewelry designer, Natalia Ochoa, highlighted that fashion can also be a powerful tool for social transformation, “when we go to a neighborhood where supposedly people have no style, because it is from Bosa not from New York, it is possible to appreciate that diversity is absolute, that is our content, the most authentic thing, it is powerful, and we can conquer markets in the world with this”.

For both experts, fashion has managed to break down economic and social barriers, becoming a lifestyle that allows people to express how they feel.

“Throughout my career I have asked myself: what is fashion? I have concluded that it is no longer that unaffordable runway, it is no longer that aesthetic luxury, but a custom, what happens in the street, with which being human feels comfortable, happy and can express himself”, affirmed Arboleda.

Along the same lines, Ochoa affirmed that “everything that we are as a society is reflected in fashion, in a color, in a shape, in a relief, in a size, there are a lot of elements that are really pure sociology, that groups us together, but at the same time differentiates us”.

Amid of the webinar ‘Fashion with purpose is to buy what is made in our country’, the experts talked about how to monetize designs and gave some tips that should be considered when making a closet change. You can relive these key moments by entering this link or also through Facebook.

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