CAMILA MIRANDA,
The creative behind ‘Le Petit Palais’
By Enfoque Magazine
Camila Miranda is a Bogotá artist who studied Fashion Design at LaSalle College; In addition, she was certified in Color Theory at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
Her mother taught her to use the sewing machine and they created clothes for her and her dolls: “I loved seeing the fabrics and imagining the things I could do,” says Miranda. She considers herself a creative, practical and persistent person; characteristics that allowed him, in 2014, to open her Boutique in Bogotá, called ‘Le Petit Palais’, a place highlighted by the uniqueness of its clothes, where each piece is exceptional and unrepeatable; also, they make preparations at the request of the clients, since “it is a team work, because they tell me their ideas and I make them a proposal of materials, colors and silhouettes that, I consider, go according to each body, color of skin and occasion of use ”, says the expert.
Throughout her career, Camila had very enriching experiences, such as participating in the ‘Bogota Fashion Week 2017’, an event that: “It marked a new stage for my brand, it motivated me to make a risky collection, full of color and textile experimentation; this platform wanted to display my work at catwalk, and I could see my three year work completed ”says Camila. She also represented Colombia in Thailand, in a series of events related to fashion, within the framework of the “Celebration of Silk 2017”.
In the same year, a new line inspired by magical realism began, with the purpose of supporting the creation of a new imaginary of Colombia, each design is an allegory of the native, and each story told refers to our flora and fauna, song s, typical instruments, ancestral symbols, peace and post-conflict, ”explains the designer. As for his creations, Camila uses colored details, brightness and simple silhouettes; In addition, transparencies, rhinestones and hand painting.
ENFOQUE CARIBE: WHAT WAS THE MEANING OF WINNING THE ‘YOUNG DESIGNER’ CONTEST AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPRESENT THE COUNTRY IN THE ‘CELEBRATION OF SILK 2017’ IN THAILAND?
CAMILA MIRANDA: Being in Thailand to represent Colombia was definitely a very important moment for my career; This contest was the key to understanding art as an essential point of my work. We were 30 designers of different nationalities and the mission was to dress the wives of the ambassadors of our countries in the most significant event of that place. On the other hand, I was invited to present my collection ‘Capital Surreal’, inspired by surreal scenes of Bogotá; I made two exhibits about peace and a private dinner party at the Colombian Embassy.
E.C.:HOW IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
C.M.: First, I must find a theme of inspiration; then, investigate about it by all means, when I have all the necessary information, I think about the colors I want and the stories I am going to tell. Since most of my materials are recycled and vintage, I make a textile selection and decide the techniques or techniques that I will use; This is considered to be the most fun part of the process, because I give new life to each reused material; In addition, my brand uses 100% of the raw material, which avoids generating waste.
E.C.: WHY WHERE YOU INTERESTED IN YOUR DREAMS ?
C.M.: I was always interested by dreams. Five years ago I started writing a dream journal; Three years later, I started a research on psychoanalysis and began to link it to feminism and empowerment, aspects that helped me understand the behavior patterns I perceived through the state of sleepiness. I was fascinated by censorship and the female body.
This creative process led me to surrealism and to represent the the unconscious methods of the mind. This was a metaphysical process about love, freedom, fear and revolution.
E.C.: WHY IS YOUR STORE NAMED ‘LE PETIT PALAIS’?
C.M.: The name was inspired by ‘Le Petit trianon’, it was a gift from Luis XVI to María Antonieta, which consisted of a shelter and private place where she escaped the formality of the French court. Because of the above, I decided to call it ‘Le Petit Palais’, I was interested in having a private space, away from malls and massive production; This ‘boutique’ allows each customer to enjoy a custom-made shopping experience, in a quiet environment away from the chaos of the city.
E.C.: ¿HOW DO YOU TALK ABOUT FEMINISM IN YOUR WORK?
C.M.: My work is based on feminism, beyond the discourse or messages behind each collection, the reason for my brand is feminist.
I am surrounded by women, from seamstresses to models; we develop conversations and a safe space, we all talk about the body without fear of censorship, understand sorority , have dialogues about freedom and, most importantly, find support and a voice that allows us to defend our right to equality.
This entrepreneur is proud to have taken the risk of founding her brand because she is aware of the difficulty it represents: “Creating a brand is not an easy job and managing all aspects of a company can be exhausting; Fortunately, each obstacle, regardless of its magnitude, is experience and part of the process that strengthens me as a person and artist, ”says Miranda. Currently, his creations have been directed towards recycling; For this reason, she wants to learn eco friendly textile intervention s techniques .Finally, for those young desires to enter the world of fashion design, she advises : “Make artistic content with intellectual density. It must be understood that fashion is a tool of empowerment and identity, it is essential to misunderstand it as superficial or devoid of substance. ”
Because of her determination, commitment and persistence, Camila Miranda was in the “Interview” section of Enfoque Caribe.