Fashion thrives on fresh inspiration because we in our cultures do. We have been steered towards a consumption path that depends on shorter attention spans to maintain our appetites to keep the wheels of our economies turning. And so trends come and go with more frequency, some lasting due to more timely appeal and some briefly as the impact is not as prominent.

Part of incorporating influences is timing them with educated guesses, such as expecting certain countries or cultures to come into focus due to changes in the economic landscape or cultural impact. By referencing them in anticipation of their impending influence these designers open the door to shaping collection directions, or at least broadening the sources that are incorporated in collections to come.

Sometimes it means looking towards the possibilities, looking at various countries that are developing as the world looks to sustain production and keep their economies thriving. And in our big world, we can always count on someone doing better than someone else. As those countries gain attention our runways respond accordingly; sometimes to honor and celebrate their contributions, sometimes to entice as those companies with more ambition look to enter their markets by culturally meeting them part way.

We see that with China. Recognizing their economic status amidst the instability of others we see collections nodding to their culture, incorporating aspects of design in homage to their sensibilities as they look to make inroads into their market. But there is also recognition that one cannot put one’s eggs in one basket and, with our collage-like atmosphere that fashion has today, we fortunately have room to spread our attention. Some designers have shown us in their fall/winter collections that they, just like investors, are looking south of the equator.

Trending companies such as Mudpie are already ahead of the game, keenly aware of what is next. While Olympic fever is focusing now on London and a few years after that in Russia, the next summer Olympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. And a few years before that, it will host the FIFA World Cup in 2014. And currently companies are already investing in this country (and, to a lesser extent, others in this continent such as Chile, Argentina and Uruguay) as they see it maintain control of inflation while it enjoys a healthy and more balanced domestic market, being that it is more self-sufficient. It is in anticipation of the rise of these nations as economics places more prominence in our culture that opens the door towards embracing aspects of their culture in design. 

A few designers looked to South America for reference, albeit in vaguer tones. Some, riding with the cocooning and 70s influence that has been more prominent incorporated ponchos, in collections from Carlos Miele, Christian Cota, Custo Barcelona, Michael Kors, Y-3, Marques’ Amelda for Fashion East and Tsumori Chisato. Joseph had this as well as other Latin American elements; Mara Hoffman had South American influence in her collection as well.

Will this mean we’ll see more Latin flavor in design? Time will tell. If South American countries gain economic prominence in the same manner as China has over the last few years then it’s possible. And given the couture focus of the 50s currently in fashion on the heels of 40s intermixed with 30s and 20s, it’s not a far leap from a time when Latin music held exotic international appeal in cosmopolitan circles to now. And with the world having its eyes on South America in the coming years, we may be fixated in the grand and glorious, gay notorious, South American way.