Vogue - August 2020
Editorial: Mexican Model Karen Vega Is Bringing Oaxacan Pride to the Fashion World
Photographer: Enrique Leyva
Fashion Stylist: Pompi Garcia
Hair Stylist: Adrian’s Studio
Makeup Artist: Adrian’s Studio
At 18 years old, Karen Vega is off to a strong start with her career in fashion. The Mexican model, who is from Oaxaca, got her big break when she recently appeared in the pages of Vogue Mexico’s July issue, becoming the first Oaxacan model to do so in the publication’s history. “It was a great surprise, from the moment I received the invitation,” Vega says. “The day I had the magazine in my hands and I could see my portrait in print, my family was incredibly happy. It was a dream that we thought was very far away or, perhaps, would never happen.” And like her milestone achievement, Vega’s work is just getting started. The Mexican beauty plans to continue using her platform to provide much-needed representation for her culture in the high-fashion world.
Vega was born and raised in a small southern village in Oaxaca, Mexico, where she still currently lives. “It has a lot of folklore and traditions,” she says. “From when we were young, we participated in all of our community’s traditional festivities, so we grew up singing, dancing, and enjoying the celebrations. Living here is very inspiring because there is always a lot of color and artistic expression everywhere.” Vega only began modeling professionally recently, but she’s been dabbling in the profession since she was a child. When she was young, she would often serve as the fit model for dresses made by Pompi Garcia, an Oaxacan designer who produced his clothes in her grandparents’ sewing workshop. “I think that was when I became interested in the world of fashion,” she says. “I always enjoyed trying the designer’s dresses, having photos taken, and being asked to pose.” She got her first professional break when she was then asked by Garcia to model for one of his new collections. “From that moment, I knew that I had the talent to be a model,” she says.
Since then, establishing herself as a model in Oaxaca has proven to be a challenge in its own right, says Vega, but she tells Vogue that change is afoot and that a fashion scene is slowly forming there. “Oaxaca is best known for its traditional or Indigenous clothing, which represents different communities,” she says. “In terms of contemporary design or modeling agencies, it’s still taking off. For now, the only modeling agency that exists is the one I belong to.” Vega is currently part of an agency called Talento Espina, a boutique agency that represents male and female models in the south of Mexico specifically providing opportunities for models who are often overlooked. “The requirements that have been put in place in the fashion industry in Mexico have meant that only a very small group of Mexicans have been able to get into it,” she says. “I believe that my agency will cause a big change in the city and other cities in the south of the country. Right now, most Mexican models are currently from the north.”
Like most models who have killer off-duty style, Vega has a wardrobe that is completely indicative of her look as a model; it’s chock-full of Mexican fashion labels that play up her proud country heritage. Lately, she has been embracing Mexican fashion brands such as Cancino and Sanchez-Kane; she is a fan of local Oaxacan brands such as Pompi Garcia and Rocinante as well. “They always have a stunning way of incorporating Oaxaca into their designs,” she says. As a career gathers speed, Vega is hitting her stride fashion-wise and has been enjoying experimenting more too. “I am just starting to develop my style as a result of my modeling,” she says. “I now have more knowledge about silhouettes, colors, and the styles that I really like to wear. I have discovered that black is my favorite color, and that oversized silhouettes—with a hint of the rocker—make me feel very comfortable.”
With her first major moment on the world stage under her belt, she has plans to take her cultural pride international. “We need more representation of Mexicans around the world—and also within Mexico as well as more representation of different types of women and men,” she says. “Any project that represents my heritage will always make me very happy.”
vogue.com
Karen Vega
instagram.com/dorianuliseslopezmacias
instagram.com/annielask
vogue.mx
instagram.com/moda_mex
vogue.mx