Hispanic Heritage Month: Collectiva Is Pushing Mexican Culture to the Forefront Through Artisanal Shoes and Clothes
FN is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. Observed from September 15 to October 15, the occasion recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. FN invites you to follow along as we shine a light on Hispanic-American shoe designers and entrepreneurs making big waves in the fashion industry. Collectiva founder Concepción Orvañanos always wanted to get into footwear. So when a shoemaker won a local government-sponsored huarache-making contest in her home country of Mexico, the entrepreneur — who, along with creative director Huguette Hubard, released the brand’s first collection just a year ago — got into her car and drove four hours from Mexico City to his town of Sahuayo in Michoacán. “I went to his house with my children, knocked on his door and stayed with him to see the whole process [of making the shoes],” Orvañanos said. “I asked him to make a few changes, to make t