Ouroboros. Designer, creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Photographer: Camilo Forero. Jewelry: Valentina Quintero. Makeup and hair: Valeria Ogliastri. Model: Paiyolet.
Materials come first. Before any sketch or silhouette, Laura Ximena begins by observing what already exists. In Bogotá, her hometown, she moves through the city guided by its material ecosystems, collecting leather remnants, industrial waste, and overlooked textiles. This process is slow and deliberate. In the studio, it shifts. Through dyeing, stitching, patchwork, and draping, discarded materials become pieces that feel immediate and alive. For her, design is not about starting new, but about seeing differently and restoring value.
Orquideas de mi Tierra. Creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Photographer: Diego Barriga. Model: Hector.
HBZVN: Dear Laura Ximena, your designs feel very hands-on and intuitive. Are you someone who enjoys working slowly and carefully, or do you prefer moments of spontaneity in the studio?
LAURA XIMENA: In my design process, the transformation of materials in the studio is where spontaneity takes over. My work is rooted in reinterpreting waste through dyeing, screen printing, stitching, patchwork, and other interventions, shifting its perception from discarded matter into something valuable.
Once the textiles are developed, I move into draping directly on the body, allowing the material to guide the form, and then into pattern making to refine the silhouettes. I’m drawn to the idea of repair, of making something more beautiful after it has been overlooked. That moment feels intuitive and immediate.
Threads of resilience. Creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Art director: Graquandra. Photographer: Heiber Fernández. Production: David Hernández. Trousers: Laura Ximena, Lizandro, Charlie by Matthew Zink, and Jace May. Jewelry: Valentina Quintero. Model: Mali. Makeup and hair: Angelica.
HBZVN: There is a quiet poetry in the way you transform discarded materials into something refined. What draws you to this dialogue between waste and beauty?
LAURA XIMENA: There is something I’m deeply drawn to in that tension between what has been discarded and what it can become. In my work, waste is not just a material, it reflects a society that has lost its relationship with care and repair. We live in a system where objects are designed to lose value quickly, and that has reshaped the way we relate to them. Everything moves fast: production, consumption, even our emotional connections, and as a result, what no longer serves an immediate function is often simply discarded rather than repaired.
Creative director, stylist and photographer: Laura Ximena. Shoes designers: Lauraximena, Ciento Cinco Lunar and Christo Triana. Model: Valentina Estupiñán. Makeup and hair: Valeria Ogliastri.
What interests me is questioning that logic. I work through processes of textile transformation, where discarded materials are intervened through manual techniques to restore their value and meaning. This transformation is not about hiding the past of the material, but engaging with it. Philosophies like kintsugi have influenced my thinking, where cracks and imperfections are not concealed but highlighted, allowing the history of the object to remain visible. I see beauty in that trace of time and use. For me, this dialogue between waste and beauty is not only visual, it is also political and emotional. It becomes a way of resisting a culture of disposability, while reconnecting with craftsmanship, material awareness, and the stories embedded in what we choose to keep.
Consumopolis. Designer, creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Art direction: Louis Rafael Valderrama & Laura Ximena. Makeup and hair: Mengtiian. Casting: Crawford Models. Model: Lola Vot.
HBZVN: Leather, in your hands, becomes almost fluid. What fascinates you about working with such a structured material?
LAURA XIMENA: What draws me to leather is its contradiction. It’s a material associated with durability and strength, yet it carries the weight of a highly polluting and complex industry. That tension fascinates me, the possibility of transforming something heavy, both materially and symbolically, into something refined and sculptural. I explored this in Dakota Livera, working with discarded leather remnants from shoe production in Bogotá. These fragments already hold a memory of form, they’ve been cut, shaped, worn. Through patchwork and reconstruction, I don’t erase that past, I build from it, creating new surfaces that guide the silhouette. Leather is structured, but through composition it can become fluid. That allows me to create pieces that feel architectural, yet intimate, always balancing control and movement.
Consumopolis. Designer, creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Art direction: Louis Rafael Valderrama & Laura Ximena. Makeup and hair: Mengtiian. Casting: Crawford Models. Model: Lola Vot.
Leather is only one part of my material language. I also work with discarded textiles like polyester curtains, denim, and industrial leftovers, always pushing materials beyond their expected behavior. I see fashion as a form of ornament and sculpture, where structure can express a darker, stronger femininity, grounded and unapologetic.
Right now, I’m developing a new collection that marks a shift in this language. I’m working with upcycled knitwear, lace, velvet and kaftans, softer materials that contrast with the structure of my previous work. Most of these textiles come from leftover stock donated by a luxury brand, which adds another layer of meaning. These are high quality fabrics that might otherwise have been discarded, so reworking them feels both like a privilege and a responsibility. I’m interested in how they behave, how lace introduces fragility, knitwear movement, velvet depth. It feels like the beginning of a new chapter.
Threads of resilience. Creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Art director: Graquandra. Photographer: Heiber Fernández. Production: David Hernández. Trousers: Laura Ximena, Lizandro, Charlie by Matthew Zink, and Jace May. Jewelry: Valentina Quintero. Model: Mali. Makeup and hair: Angelica.
HBZVN: Your pieces often carry a sense of memory. Do you see your garments as telling stories?
LAURA XIMENA: I do see my garments as carrying stories. I’m especially interested in the narratives embedded in the material itself, traces of use, time, and transformation. Because I work with discarded materials, each piece already comes with a past, and rather than erasing it, I build from it. Through repair, reconstruction, and handwork, the garment becomes a continuation of that story.
At the same time, storytelling in my work extends beyond the garment through image-making and creative direction. I draw from Colombian magical realism, where the extraordinary exists within the everyday and the line between reality and imagination becomes almost invisible. I explore this through a darker, more atmospheric lens, shaped by themes of overconsption and the loss of value in materials.
I always begin from something real: materials, the body, a sense of place. From there, I construct worlds that feel slightly unfamiliar, yet still believable. The garments become almost like protective skins, holding both fragility and strength. Ultimately, I hope the stories my pieces carry are about care, repair, and transformation, restoring meaning to what has been overlooked.
Ouroboros. Designer, creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Photographer: Camilo Forero. Jewelry: Valentina Quintero. Makeup and hair: Valeria Ogliastri. Model: Paiyolet.
HBZVN: If your current collection had a mood or soundtrack, what would it be?
LAURA XIMENA: It would reflect a duality between nature and the city, organic richness and industrial excess. I’m inspired by Colombian environments, their biodiversity and intensity.
I imagine sounds of water, humidity, and organic textures contrasted with raw, industrial tones. This dialogue between the natural and the urban defines the emotional rhythm of the collection.
Creative director, stylist and photographer: Laura Ximena. Shoes designers: Lauraximena, Ciento Cinco Lunar and Christo Triana. Model: Valentina Estupiñán. Makeup and hair: Valeria Ogliastri.
HBZVN: Outside of design, what does a perfect day look like?
LAURA XIMENA: I gravitate toward things that keep my instinct alive, exhibitions, magazines, collages, photography, or simply observing. I’ve also been learning French.
I like getting lost in cities or nature, long walks without a plan. It helps me reset. I also value quiet time, staying grounded, being with loved ones, or at home with my pets.
Dakota Livera. Creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Art direction & photography: Sophia Palencia. Production: Sophia Palencia, Roy and The Claw Models. Casting: The Claw Models. Models: Aline and Lola. Makeup and hair: Hanna and Tarasenko Nataliia.
HBZVN: Do you have any habits that help you stay creative?
LAURA XIMENA: Studying is essential. I try to learn something new about fashion every day. At the same time, I make space for spiritual connection and gratitude. That balance keeps my creativity evolving.
Dakota Livera. Creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Art direction & photography: Sophia Palencia. Production: Sophia Palencia, Roy, and The Claw Models. Casting: The Claw Models. Model: Aline. Makeup and hair: Hanna and Tarasenko Nataliia.
HBZVN: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
LAURA XIMENA: At this moment, I would be especially interested in collaborating with Colombian writers and poets, exploring how their narratives could be translated into fashion, almost as a way of creating garments for imagined characters or cinematic worlds. I’m drawn to the language of magical realism, where the extraordinary exists seamlessly within the everyday, and I’m interested in how that sensibility can be expressed through clothing. I see storytelling, film, and creative direction as a powerful way to expand fashion beyond the garment into something more immersive and culturally resonant.
Dakota Livera. Creative director and stylist: Laura Ximena. Art direction & photography: Sophia Palencia. Production: Sophia Palencia, Roy, and The Claw Models. Casting: The Claw Models. Model: Lola. Makeup and hair: Hanna and Tarasenko Nataliia.
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
