Moshika: Femininity With an Edge
To Los Angeles–based designer Vanessa Carreno, fashion is not all glitz and glamour. The Mexican-born designer studied the garb of women soldiers during the Mexican Revolution of 1910 for inspiration for her Moshika line.
“I do a lot of raw with a lot of feminine,” said Carreno, pointing out a silk chiffon blouse in her collection that has brown suede shoulder straps attached by metal rings. Such suede straps and metal rings and buckles lend an air of ruggedness to the collection. But the shapes hit on key trends, such as a cropped stretch cotton canvas pant with utility straps and cotton/linen darted shorts with ruffled suspender shoulders.
Some of the best pieces reference the women she was inspired by. A long silk noil pleated skirt with a flap pocket at the waist has a similar shape to skirts the Mexican “soldaderas” wore.
The designer studied fashion design in Milan at Istituto Marangoni and then moved on to study the technical side of fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.
“[In Milan] it is more creativity. It helps you a lot to open and start designing great things, but they don’t teach you that much in the business side and manufacturing side,” said the designer, who also makes her own patterns.
Carreno debuted her second collection, Spring 2006, at the POOL Trade Show in Las Vegas in August. There, Moshika was picked up by The Kids Are Alright in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles and several stores in Japan. Wholesale price points range from $69 for shorts with suspenders to $149 for a paisleyprint silk chiffon dress with suede shoulder straps. For Fall, prices go up to $320 for a coat. For more information, call (310) 801-8939. —Rhea Cortado
