october-2009

038
ON THE TOWN: CANCUN
Hecho
En Mexico
Cancun’s top designers are making
strides in the world of fashion.
BY DAVID GARCÍA ZAMORA
Simoneta Morales was no
ordinary 13-year-old.
Instead of wearing
store-bought clothes
like her classmates,
she sketched her own
dresses and supervised
a seamstress to produce exactly what she
wanted. “My family was very art-oriented so
they indulged me,” says the now-23-year-old
designer, who recently opened the boutique
Simona & Cirilo.
A relative newcomer to the city’s fashion
scene, the Cancun native has already
garnered a lot of attention across Mexico.
“I hope to create a Mexican brand that can
have international success,” she says.
Unlike cities such as Paris, Milan and
New York, Cancun is not an international
fashion capital. Yet talents like Morales and
SIMONA & CIRILO
Plaza Nichupté Local No. 24
+52 998-802-1478
ERICA FLORES
Av. Bonampak 107, SM 3
+52 998-887-1095
veteran designers Erica Flores and David
Salomón are trying to prove otherwise.
Flores, who opened her Cancun boutique
15 years ago, has earned attention for
her simple and elegant bridal gowns and
has a ready-to-wear resort line available
at national and international beach-area
hotel chains. Salomón’s colorful designs
have appeared on the pages of InStyle and
he is included in the book Moda de Mexico
as one of the 100 most influential people in
Mexican fashion.
While each of these designers has a
distinct vision, they all create clothes that
reflect Cancun’s relaxed, beach environment.
Salomón’s designs—which he calls
“hippie chic”—are unembellished. “I
like flowing fabrics and simple, relaxed
concepts,” he says. “People who like my
designs always have an affinity with the
SHOPPING SPREE Each of these designers owns a store in Cancun,
so don’t leave town without a new outfit.
GO MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2009
DAVID SALOMÓN
Antílope 30, SM 20, M 12
+52 998-887-0630
(Clockwise from top left) An
Erica Flores design; a dress
by David Salomón; Simoneta
Morales in her store
Yucatan Peninsula, whether it’s the climate,
the colors or the relaxed atmosphere—
aspects that are incompatible with the
rigidity of a larger city.”
Flores’ designs are equally beach-y,
yet bolder and experimental. “I’m always
combining different patterns, fabrics and
natural materials, incorporating fretwork,
weaving or some other detail,” says Flores,
who is inspired by everything from paintings
to the Caribbean’s weather.
As for Morales, her vintage-inspired
style is romantic and classic. “I add an
alternative touch,” she says. Morales
understands that people don’t always like to
dress like everyone else, which is why her
collections—released every three months—
include just 40 designs, each of which only
has six reproductions. “You can wear the
clothes and be guaranteed that there are
only six of the same shirts out there,” she
says. “That level of exclusivity is rarely seen
in American brands.”
Like Morales, who matured from
a talented teenager with a vision to a
flourishing designer, Cancun is quickly
developing into what could one day be a
major player in international fashion.