Esteban Sinisterra Paz, a 23-year-old university student with no formal design training, is at the center of an Afro-Colombian fashion explosion.
Sinisterra is behind the wardrobe of Francia Márquez, an environmental activist and lawyer who on Sunday became Colombia’s first Black vice president. In a matter of months, Márquez has not only pushed racism and classism to the center of the national conversation, she has also revolutionized the country’s political aesthetic, rejecting starched shirts and suits in favor of a distinctly Afro-Colombian look that she calls a form of rebellion.
Natural hair. Bold prints. Dresses that highlight her curves.
But Márquez and Sinisterra are just the most visible ambassadors of an Afro-Colombian aesthetic boom that proponents say is part of a larger movement demanding greater respect for millions of Black Colombians.
“Colonization tried to erase Black people,” said Lia Samantha Lozano, who began outfitting her hip-hop and reggae band, Voodoo Souljahs, in African fabrics more than a decade ago, positioning her as a pioneer in the movement.
“A big part of the plan was to make us feel ashamed of who we are, of our colors, of our culture, of our features,” she went on. “To wear this every day, not as ‘fashion,’ not to dress up for a special occasion, but as a way of life, as something you want to communicate every day — yes, it is political. And, yes, it is a symbol of resistance.”
Head to the link in bio to read more by @fotojulie about the Afro-Colombian fashion boom happening in the Colombian streets and presidential palace. Photos by @nathalianph, @historiassencillas and @augusto_gallo.
