Colombiamoda 2026: The Runways That Set Colombian Fashion’s New Direction

 By Kika Rocha 

Colombiamoda 2026 once again confirmed why Medellín is the heart of fashion in Latin America. Over six days, the city brought together designers, brands, buyers, media, content creators, and industry leaders around a conversation that goes beyond trends to focus on sustainability, innovation, identity, and the value of Colombian design.

Beyond the figures — which we know have consolidated its economic impact — this edition showed the evolution of Colombia’s Fashion Week toward settings where runway shows keep becoming immersive experiences. Museums, gardens, heritage sites, and urban locations provided the backdrop for collections that engaged with art, music, memory, and the cultural heritage of Medellín and Colombia.

Every show told a story. Some embraced craftsmanship as a language of luxury; others explored new forms of collaboration between designer fashion and the mass market. All of them made clear that fashion in my country is going through one of its strongest and most creative moments.

The strengthening of the City Circuit concept allowed Medellín to experience fashion beyond the fair pavilions, bringing collections closer to museums, gardens, heritage sites, and iconic locations that enriched the experience for both local attendees and international visitors. However, it also raises the question of whether this expansion is equally positive for national and international buyers, who must travel between different points of the city within an increasingly packed schedule.

The Runways That Moved, Surprised, and Raised the Creative Bar at Colombiamoda 2026

From my editorial point of view, these were some of the proposals that best captured the creative spirit of the event:

MAZ – Manuela Álvarez.

Colombiamoda’s opening runway couldn’t have been in better hands than Manuela’s and her entire creative team. Here, true luxury is born from Colombian hands and reminds us of the transformative power of design from our country. True to her brand’s philosophy, the designer presented a collection built from respect for traditional crafts and collaborative work with artisan communities.

It was called Oh My Heart and grew out of an experience of heartbreak; that’s why it speaks of impermanence, grief, resilience, and transformation. The show moved through four emotional stages through color — black, red, blue, and raw — ending in a feeling of overcoming and hope.

Jointly developed textiles, natural fibers, embroidery, and fluid silhouettes shaped a proposal of conscious luxury, where every detail revealed the time, dedication, and knowledge behind each piece.

More than presenting garments, Manuela Álvarez reaffirmed a design philosophy: showing that true luxury doesn’t lie in exclusivity, but in the value of the hands that create, the time invested, and the stories each fabric can tell.

In an industry increasingly committed to sustainability and traceability, her proposal once again established her as one of the most relevant voices in Colombian design.

Matilde – Juan Pablo Socarrás x Bata.

This was a true, heartfelt tribute to memory, music, and craftsmanship. Few collections managed to move audiences as much as Matilde.

Inspired by the unforgettable singer Matilde Díaz, Juan Pablo Socarrás’s proposal paid tribute to Latin American cultural roots through an impeccable visual narrative. Handmade embroidery, natural fibers, and ancestral textiles crafted by artisans from Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico, along with carefully constructed silhouettes, brought a deeply moving collection to life. The collaboration with Bata extended to footwear, which followed the story coherently. The chosen venue, the Museo de Antioquia, amplified the experience.

The music, artistic direction, and staging turned the show into a genuine performance, where every exit seemed to be part of a work of art. Socarrás once again showed that fashion can become a vehicle for preserving memory, honoring craftsmanship, and celebrating Colombian identity.

La Petite Mort: Puertas Adentro | Spring–Summer 2027.

The label reaffirmed that so-called quiet luxury continues to evolve and find new forms of expression. Its Puertas Adentro collection explored minimalism from an architectural perspective, where volumes, textures, and impeccable tailoring spoke for themselves.

Presented at Medellín’s Botanical Garden, nature became the ideal setting for a proposal that favored timeless elegance over ostentation. Every exit confirmed that, at times, the greatest expression of luxury lies precisely in subtlety.

In addition, its inspiration drawn from family memories and the memory kept in old photographs, in the smell of home and everyday life, undoubtedly touched the innermost feelings of everyone in attendance.

Chevignon x Ruven Afanador. Like a love letter to ’90s aesthetics, here fashion and photography found a memorable meeting point.

Under the creative direction of renowned Colombian photographer Ruven Afanador, Chevignon reinterpreted the spirit of the nineties through a contemporary, sophisticated, and cinematic lens. Denim, leather, relaxed silhouettes, and impeccable art direction gave way to a proposal full of nostalgia, yet completely current.

More than a runway show, it was a visual production where photography, lighting, movement, and attitude took center stage alongside the garments, making it one of the most striking experiences of Colombiamoda 2026.

Jorge Duque x Arkitect.

This was one of the most anticipated collaborations of this edition, and it lived up to expectations.

Here, designer fashion met retail, once again showing that it can engage with more accessible fashion without losing its essence. The collection presented a refined proposal, with clean lines, contemporary silhouettes, and a sober color palette that showed a precise balance between sophistication and functionality.

Each garment was designed to move beyond the runway and become part of our everyday looks, confirming that partnerships between designers and major brands remain one of the most effective strategies for bringing Colombian design to new audiences.

Virgilio Madinah: Andino Líquido.

Within Inexmoda’s Non Stop format, Virgilio Madinah presented Andino Líquido, a collection that drew on Andean identity to translate the force of the mountain into movement.

Exaggerated volumes, textures, layers, and fluid architectural silhouettes built an intense, contemporary, and deeply Latin American proposal. The contrast between structure and drape allowed the garments to move between rigidity and lightness, as if the mountain range were melting onto the body. There was an almost rock-and-roll energy, held in check by a quiet sophistication that confirmed the maturity of his creative language.

His participation was also a reminder of the importance of platforms like Non Stop in giving visibility to new voices and allowing emerging talent to engage, on equal footing, with the industry’s established names.

Mercedes Campuzano: ANNIE Resort 2027.

Presented at Medellín’s Museum of Modern Art, ANNIE was a study of form, body, and movement.

Inspired by the creative legacy of Anni Albers, Mercedes Campuzano explored geometry, texture, and rhythm from a feminine, sensual, and contemporary perspective. The silhouettes, designed to accompany the body without restricting it, moved between defined volumes, two-piece sets, and a construction that favored freedom of movement. Each look reinforced that dialogue between art, design, and the experience of getting dressed.

The MAMM wasn’t just the setting; its architecture became part of the narrative. ANNIE showed a designer who knows how to translate artistic references into garments that are desirable, current, and able to live on beyond the runway.

A New Direction Built from Multiple Voices

These weren’t the only notable proposals of this edition, but they were some of the ones that best reflected the diversity of the moment Colombian fashion is living: craftsmanship, memory, experimentation, collaboration, identity, and commercial vision.

Colombiamoda 2026 left one certainty: the new direction of Colombian fashion doesn’t depend on a single aesthetic. It’s built from multiple voices capable of recognizing the past, interpreting the present, and shaping an industry that wants to compete with the world without losing sight of the value of its origins.