A few days ago, I had the privilege of sharing the Business of Fashion Crossroads stage with the extraordinary Carla Fernández. It was a defining conversation about the future of fashion, craftsmanship, and cultural integrity.
“To be original is to go back to the origins,” Carla said during our conversation. Those words have stayed with me long after we left the stage.
BOF Crossroads wasn’t just a conference. It was a moment of deep alignment—at a time when we need it most. Voices from Brazil to India, South Africa to the Philippines—and of course, Dubai—came together around a shared purpose: reimagining fashion in a way that is more just, more meaningful, and more human.
With Carla, we spoke about craftsmanship not as a trend, but as a way of living. About artisans as true designers—not simply executors of someone else’s vision. About how tradition doesn’t limit creativity—it expands it. About the imperative of visibility—for the people, the hands, and the stories behind what we wear.
Personally, this conversation touched something very raw for me. I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the pervasive narrative—even within so-called sustainable fashion— where designs are conceptualized in Paris or New York, while production is relegated to “somewhere else” in the Global South: Mexico, Peru, Tunisia, wherever.
At OSAY, we stand firmly against this supremacy of ideas. We believe that craftsmanship is not a secondary act. Makers and artisans are not just executing someone else’s vision — they are co-creators, designers in their own right. Any ethical collaboration must recognize their creativity, their agency, and their ownership of the final story. They deserve visibility, respect, and full acknowledgment in how their work is told and celebrated.
Mexico today is becoming a beacon. It’s leading the way in protecting the rights of artisans, redefining how craftsmanship fits into contemporary markets, and inspiring a global rethink about how heritage and innovation must coexist.
And this is bigger than Mexico. Across the Global South—from Latin America to Africa to Asia— we are not witnessing an “awakening.” The Global South is not the margin. It is the global majority. A powerful, undeniable shift is happening: a reclamation of agency, creativity, and economic power—on the terms of the communities themselves.
To look back is not nostalgia—it’s vision. What if we didn’t consume, but collected? Stories. Values. Garments that carry both.
The future is handmade — and it begins with us.
I am deeply grateful to Carla Fernández, the Business of Fashion team, Imran Amed, and all the beautiful connections made during this extraordinary event.
You can watch our full conversation here: 👉 Watch the conversation
