If fashion is a statement then Olga Piedrahita is book in which every line has been written with exquisite detail. As one of Colombia’s most recognized courtiers, Piedrahita has been at the forefront of the industry for three decades and her name is synonymous with elegance and style.
Like art, one of her great passions and influences, her clothes draw on symbols and icons of our times. From a lofty and ephemeral line of prêt a porter to her more layered couture, Piedrahita is a designer whose clothes are always in demand and recognizable due to their unique and precise craftsmanship.
Born in Medellín, Olga Piedrahita has witnessed the evolution and growth of the fashion industry in Colombia, and has participated since it began, in the most important textile and trade show Colombiamoda. “The fashion industry here is still crawling,” reflects Olga on the expansion of an industry which has its roots in the green hills of the Aburrá valley.
Dressed in black from head to toe, Piedrahita thrives on contradiction. With graceful movements she shuffles through her atelier in Bogotá’s Zona Rosa and one of the few designers who can showcase her designs in a boutique setting. Surrounded with pins and needles, glossy fashion magazines and mannequins adorned with white translucent fabrics, on wooden floor she carefully arranges her iconic black lace boots and in which purple flowers have been placed.
Piedhrahita like to tackle a wide range of subjects, from her passion for dance and movement, to literature and enchanting far away places. I am transported to the Istanbul of Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk and the cabarets of pre-wars Paris. World where decadence and opulence collide.
The clash of cultures and the magnetic attraction of opposing forces are influences in the clothes of Olga. Soft white cottons share counter space with black tanned leather, intense white plastic single-piece dresses with bold iconic red prints are poised next to translucent tops, so light, they almost float. There is a sense of movement and balance in her work, influenced by a time in her life when during the late sixties, she decided to study classical dance. “I found myself through dance moving without a noticeable effort and owning the space,” she says, as we steer through waters deep with meaning.
Drawing on the influences from many time periods, such as the Belle Epoque or the punk movement of 1970’s London, Olga Piedrahita’s foray into the world of fashion began in 1982 at her Medellín-based Taller Barroco, and a creative workshop in which the materials and colors were explored.
Fashion for Olga is about sensations where blending materials creates an effect on the eye. There is drama happening in her work; from classical cuts to her vibrant, Carnaby Street inspired “punk echo.” Piedrahita’s clothes tell a story of her Colombian experience. “It’s not about following in the footsteps of European design,” she says. “It’s about knowing what has been done and giving it a ‘twist’.”
Having showcased her designs at prestigious shows across Europe, especially Madrid’s Semana Internacional de la Moda (SIMM), Olga Piedrahita looks at the evolution of Colombian fashion with enthusiasm. “A beautiful era is coming,” she says. “Young designers are educating themselves more and more and are learning to search for their inner selves through fashion.”
The story of Colombian fashion still has yet to be told. “The country is beginning to find its fashion persona,” states the designer as she launches collection ‘LaFayette’ with bold printed dressed with scenes of mountain lakes, butterflies and forests. Capturing her country’s biodiversity on textiles from the Medellín manufacturer seems in line with Piedrahita’s ode to fashion: “The task can only be completed if we look at who we are.”
Olga Piedrahita – Cra 14A No.82-36
