By Rebecca Kleinman
Designer Silvia Tcherassi at her Coral Gables, Florida, studio.
Operating thousands of miles from fashion’s global capitals, Silvia Tcherassi is an outlier. It’s one thing to have established her eponymous fashion brand in her native Barranquilla, Colombia, in the late 1980s, when some of her initial international accounts were in Brazil and Aruba, but another to remain there decades later with stores and wholesale partners worldwide. “People always ask us why not New York, but this makes sense because of our business structure,” says her daughter and Director of Ready-to-Wear Sofia Espinosa Tcherassi, alluding to their frequent flights to company headquarters in Miami, where they also recently opened the city’s second boutique at Bal Harbour Shops and own a home; as well as to Milan for fabric suppliers; and to Madrid, where they have a showroom. “What we really need is a little atelier on the plane!”
Director of Ready-to-Wear Sofia Espinosa Tcherassi works on four collections each year, as well as the brand’s recently introduced bridal collection.
Beyond Barranquilla’s alleviating a grueling travel schedule, it’s understandable why they don’t leave. Speaking over WhatsApp, the two describe the view from their desk that most of us would kill for: Picture natural light flooding in through huge windows and tropical birds flocking to a flowering Macondo tree, in all its Magical Realism glory, planted by Silvia’s mother and the brand’s cofounder and president Vera de Tcherassi for future generations to enjoy. Given how much of the creative process occurs in this space, nature plays a vital role in fueling the tank.
“It’s like boot camp; we’re here from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” says Silvia, the brand’s creative director. “We’re here a full month before each collection’s presentation,” she says of the four collections a year, plus bridal.
Silvia’s maverick spirit also affects how her concepts are born. Instead of constantly sketching, she is more like a sculptor, and her swatches of fabric and other textural elements are her media. Scattered about her workspace, she refers to them as “a beautiful mess.” The textiles’ colors, textures, patterns, and innovation spark inspiration, a holdover from her days as an interior designer. (Those skills still come in handy, from designing her Miami residence to curating her personal pieces of Italian midcentury modern furniture for the Bal Harbour Shops boutique. She sees no real difference in dressing a home or dressing a woman, seeking to avoid pretentiousness and excess in both exercises.)
“Sometimes sketches are so beautiful, but then there is the reality of a woman’s body. The entire process is highly experimental, which I believe is evident in my designs—nothing feels rigid or formulaic,” says Silvia, who prefers to design silhouettes directly on mannequins and fit models.
In developing exclusive fabrics through collaborations with European factories that blend tradition with cutting-edge technology, the brand has become recognized for novel finishes like laser-cut patterns, neo silk, techno lace, and artistic appliqués. “I always arrive to fabric factories with a clear vision, yet I remain open,” says the designer.
Atelier pieces are demi-couture, meticulously crafted through hours of manual labor.
The Spring/Summer 25 collection’s futuristic florals show off Silvia’s knack for combining timelessness and technology. Adding another layer to Spring’s innovative prints and finishes, oversized pearls bursting on blouses and sandals are anything but demure. Gowns feature colorful, all-over macro-lacing, while Pre-Fall picks up on the material in a palm-shaped patchwork of bright white macro-lacing with stonewashed blue denim. A maxi dress and high-waisted pants are among its elevated, everyday pieces.
“I wanted to explore denim in a new way that’s grungy but feminine,” says Silvia, who often plays with juxtapositions. “It’s very common for our pieces, like suiting with embroidered flowers.” Signature fabrics extend to all categories; the Sofia bag, a new style introduced last October, advances in a shiny fabric resembling wrinkled leather, will be released later this year.
The mother and daughter are putting the finishing touches on their second bridal collection. “I’m not engaged, but what I say about every dress is, Save it for me, and then I want to hide it,” says Sofia.
This multigenerational family business also includes Silvia’s son, Mauricio Espinosa, who serves as chief commercial officer, playing a vital role in driving the company’s growth. It’s customary for the family to gather around the atelier’s dining table for lunch together. They’ve become spoiled with Silvia’s cooking, a therapeutic hobby she picked up during the pandemic. When in Miami, the family often heads to Bal Harbour Shops to dine at some of their favorite restaurants. More than meeting their needs for geographic convenience, exciting culture, and access to nature, Miami has grown invaluable from a business angle.
“As a cosmopolitan city with a dynamic profile, it offers the opportunity to test ideas and quickly adapt them,” says Silvia. “If something works in Miami, I am confident it will succeed anywhere.”
Images courtesy of Silvia Tcherassi
