Last week I was invited by Proexport, a government agency that supports the bursting textile industry in Colombia, to view the collections at Colombiamoda as part of a group of press. Needless to say I was beyond excited to see what the city of Medellín had in store for the three days of show that encompass Colombiamoda. This year was the 23rd annual event so not only did I get to meet executives from Proexport, I also got to meet the mayor of Medellín Aníbal Gaviria Correa, attended a show that the Colombia president Juan Manuel Santos and governor of Antioquia Sergio Fajardo also attended, hit some really fun parties, and got to meet a ton of really nice people. I didn’t want to come back home…lol.

Anyway, check out some highlights from my trip ;)

Image via Inexmoda

Proexport treated all of the press to breakfast at Triada. I’m pictured above with (to my left) Jenna Sauers of Fashionista.com and Jezebel.com, (to her left) Stephany Romero of Proexport who was our SUPER awesome guide and such an intelligent and good-to-know person, and to my right Noreen Flanagan, editor-in-chief of ELLE Canada. I spent most of my trip with these lovely ladies.

We sampled traditional Colombian breakfast dishes such as arepas (bread made from cornmeal), buñuelos (ball shaped fritters that can be filled with just about any meat or cheese you can imagine), blood sausage, chocolate con queso (hot chocolate with cheese), and of course Colombian coffee.

After breakfast we were off to tour parts of Medellín. We stopped at a few schools were young Colombian children are taught sports to keep them active and in hopes to train them for future Olympic games.

Right after that we were then whisked off to have lunch with the mayor of Medellín, Aníbal Gaviria Correa. I of course had to have a photo opp….lol.

Later in the day we went back to our hotel (the Hotel Medellín Royal—sooo first class: great service, great food, and in an even greater location right next to the HUGE Santa Fe mall) and got ready for the night’s festivities. Up first was a cocktail party hosted by Natura Una, an organic Brazilian makeup company who also served as the official makeup sponsor of Colombiamoda 2012. I got to bring home a couple of products and of course will report back on what I thought soon.

Here’s a series of pics that show the Natura Una brand in action…

Then it was time for the shows! I loved the fact that aside from the day the President arrived, every single show was right on time. I got to sit front row at just about every show, too. I was totally inspired by the use of colors, textures, and silhouettes from the shows AND from the very fashionable attendees. If I were to sum up what it took to be stylish during Colombiamoda, it would be: bold colors, elaborate bib necklaces, tons of jewelry particularly cocktail rings, and high heels. The men were equally fashionable in an array of vibrant colored blazers, bow ties, hats, cuffed pants, and sock-less shoes. But what I found to be the most in style among the Colombian people I met were their warm spirits. Colombians are extremely charming. Everyone I met or randomly walked by in passing greeted me with a smile, asked me how I like their country, and were just SO engaging. Not only that but the amount of people that stopped me to ask to take my photo (I’m sure it was because of my hair—more on that later…lol). This is my kind of place!

One of my favorite shows was Leal Daccaret. I loved the way the design duo used very feminine silhouettes, bold colors, and edgy accessories. I had an Instagram fest with the images I took from their show.

https://twitter.com/lealdaccarett/status/228166823407919106

https://twitter.com/lealdaccarett/status/228168688065458177

I also got to stop by their booth at Inexmoda (a trade show run similar to MAGIC simultaneously with Colombiamoda) and got to check out more of their designs. They also do some lovely home decor.

I also really enjoyed the mix of music and fashion at the Camilo Alvarez show sponsored by Absolut Greyhound. Before, during, and after this show attendees were treated to Absolut cocktails, great music provided by a live DJ, and the futuristic fashions of Camilo Alvarez.

I spotted the current Miss Colombia, Daniella Margarita Alvarez Vasquez, during one of the runway shows.

Another show I loved was Peroni by Renata Lozano. I loved the mix of fabrics, colors, and she’s another designer who showed very feminine silhouettes.

Then over at Inexmoda, the three-day trade show that runs simultaneously with Colombiamoda, over 18,000 buyers from more than 46 countries came to see what Colombian designers and retailers had in store and did over $137.7 million USD in business. My eyes jumped around in glee at not only all the gorgeous garments, but also the lovely home decor section, Casamoda.

Then to wrap up the shows, there was a press conference with Proexport executives. We learned:

* Proexport reported U.S. businesses $ 96.7 million, other independent buyers reported $ 21 million and investors Pavilion New Business Models Business reported for U.S. $ 20 million. A growth of 31% makes the twenty-third edition of Colombiamoda, the most successful fashion business in its history.

* 18,197 domestic and foreign visitors attended the edition number 23 of Colombiamoda, 17% more than last year.

* 1,677 were for international buyers, of which 785 belong to the mission invited by Proexport.

* 8,100 people were trained for free at the Pavilion of Knowledge Inexmoda – UPB, and streaming through more than 75,000 visitors were able to link the Pavilion of Knowledge.

* Over 30,000 people enjoyed the catwalk.

So as you can see, fashion is BIG business in Colombia. I really enjoyed Medellín (I didn’t want to come back home…lol). I’ll update you all on more of the non-fashion things I did in a separate post. Stay tuned!

See more pics on my Instagram (stylenbeautydoc) and my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thestyleandbeautydoctor.

All images taken by me unless otherwise noted.