# Carla Fernández

> Carla Fernández is a textile heritage label based in Mexico City, Mexico, started in 2000. Behind the label: Carla Fernández. Known for contemporary clothes made with Indigenous and mestizo artisans, using traditional Mexican techniques.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/designers/carla-fernandez
- Country guide: https://thecastindex.com/houses/mexican-designers
- Facts checked: 2026-10-22
- Author: Kaiser Khan (Founder & Editor)

## Quick facts

- Behind the label: Carla Fernández
- Based: Mexico City, Mexico
- Since: 2000
- Focus: Textile heritage
- Makes: Clothing, sold from her own shops in Mexico City and Mérida
- Trained: Art history in Mexico City, and fashion design at a small school run by a Spanish tailor
- Official site: https://www.carlafernandez.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlafernandezmx/

## Who is behind Carla Fernández?

Born in Saltillo in 1973, Carla Fernández founded her Mexico City label in 2000 and works with artisans on design as well as production; her site counts more than 175 of them, from Indigenous and mestizo communities in 12 states, and the Denver Art Museum’s captions credited makers by name and town. The museum gave her a full career exhibition in 2022, designed by her husband, the artist Pedro Reyes. In 2026 the V&A in London added a hand-lettered ensemble from her Fashion as Resistance work to its collection, and in October 2026 she opened Volvo Fashion Week México.

## Timeline

- 2000: Founds her label in Mexico City. (source: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1813651/fashion-as-resistance-look-ensemble-carla-fernandez)
- 17 April 2014: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston opens The Barefoot Designer, its first fashion exhibition. (source: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2014/05/carla-fernandez-combines-traditional-craftsmanship-with-modern-aesthetics)
- 2018: Receives the Design Miami/ Design Visionary Award with Pedro Reyes. (source: https://www.designboom.com/design/design-miami-pedro-reyes-carla-fernandez-visionary-award-10-21-2018/)
- 1 May 2022: The Denver Art Museum opens Carla Fernández Casa de Moda: A Mexican Fashion Manifesto, running to 5 September 2022. (source: https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/press/release/fashion-designs-carla-fernandez)
- 12 October 2026: Opens Volvo Fashion Week México 2026 at Casa Club in Mexico City. (source: https://www.prnewswire.com/mx/comunicados-de-prensa/volvo-fashion-week-mexico-consolida-casi-dos-decadas-de-impulso-al-talento-mexicano-presentando-un-solido-calendario-de-disenadores-nacionales-e-internacionales-302893358.html)

## Sources

- [Carla Fernández — Nosotrxs (official site)](https://www.carlafernandez.com/pages/nosotros) — checked 2026-10-22
- [V&A — Fashion as Resistance ensemble by Carla Fernández, T.49-2026](https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1813651/fashion-as-resistance-look-ensemble-carla-fernandez) — checked 2026-10-22
- [Denver Art Museum — Carla Fernández exhibition press release (2022)](https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/press/release/fashion-designs-carla-fernandez) — checked 2026-10-22
- [Tufts Daily — The Barefoot Designer at the Gardner (18 May 2014)](https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2014/05/carla-fernandez-combines-traditional-craftsmanship-with-modern-aesthetics) — checked 2026-10-22
- [designboom — 2018 Design Miami/ Design Visionary Award (21 October 2018)](https://www.designboom.com/design/design-miami-pedro-reyes-carla-fernandez-visionary-award-10-21-2018/) — checked 2026-10-22
- [Istituto Marangoni — icons of Mexican fashion design](https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/es/tribune/los-iconos-del-diseno-de-moda-en-mexico) — checked 2026-10-22
- [Fashion Week México — October 2026 calendar (PR Newswire, 29 September 2026)](https://www.prnewswire.com/mx/comunicados-de-prensa/volvo-fashion-week-mexico-consolida-casi-dos-decadas-de-impulso-al-talento-mexicano-presentando-un-solido-calendario-de-disenadores-nacionales-e-internacionales-302893358.html) — checked 2026-10-22