The Mancandy show was scheduled for a Wednesday at 11am, a brutal time in Mexico City. And yet, the venue was packed. Most guests arrived in the label’s classics, visibly excited to see what Andrés Jiménez, Mancandy’s founder and creative director, had in store for the coming season. That turnout speaks to Mancandy’s weight within Mexico’s fashion scene.
“Much of the collection was about undoing and redoing,” Jiménez explained backstage. The first five looks made that intention clear: a cut-and-paste of ideas, fabrics, and garments, some deeply faithful to the brand’s essence, others perilously close to things we’ve seen elsewhere.
It was the sixth look that seemed to mark the true beginning of the collection: A pair of cargo pants with ruffles running down the legs and a fitted floral top were the synthesis of that initial flurry of ideas. Yes, scraps played a crucial role in shaping the collection, as they have in many of his pieces; as a self-taught designer, Jiménez learned how to sew with his mother’s leftover fabrics. “It was all about tying and stitching and making something out of what had been thrown away,” he said.
At Mancandy, the masculine and the feminine don’t clash; they coexist in harmony. This time, that harmony was steeped in a romantic raver aesthetic, with pastel colors, fluid silhouettes, delicate collars, and ruffles for some; and military prints, structured pieces, and heavy cargo pants for others. Everything flowed together, designed for whoever wants to wear it, regardless of gender.
As Jiménez put it, this new collection went back to Mancandy’s roots, but really it goes back to Jiménez himself. “I think every model and every look represents me, with something I want to wear, or that my mother would wear.” The collection was dedicated to his mom and was inspired by their relationship while he was growing up. Midway through the show, after several minutes of electronic music, “Le llamaban loca” by José Luis Perales suddenly started playing. “That song is very special to me because my mom was a huge José Luis Perales fan, and I listened to it as a child and loved it,” he recalled. Call them musical scraps, if you will. It was a deeply personal memory from the designer, one who has often felt outside the norm, and been called crazy for his ambitions.
Watching the collection, it felt like there was something distinctly Almodóvar-esque in every look. It’s not a reference Jiménez explicitly mentioned, but rather a personal reading of his words and what appeared on the runway: maximalist, romantic, elegant, and glamorous, exaggerated and intense. If Almodóvar ever made a film about modern ravers, Mancandy would be an ideal choice for the wardrobe.
