All images in this article appears as a courtesy of Camilo Álvarez.
In the last couple of years, the conversation about what sustainable fashion should be has become a hot topic in the industry. Beyond what standards brands should comply with to be truly eco-friendly, an important question is how can we make fashion that is truly mindful of the planet we live in, that fits our daily needs and that is also cool and desirable. Camilo Álvarez, one of the leading voices in independent sustainable fashion hailing from Latin America, offers a way in which all these variables can coexist and give great results that the public will love.
Coming from a rather eclectic background, Camilo was born in Medellín, Colombia. His mother, very structured and disciplined, was an engineer, and his father, the more creative and free-spirited parent, was a pupeteer and he designed his own puppets. This was the start of Camilo’s interest in clothing. “I was very into drawing and design. My father’s puppets were like my toys, and the things they wore caught my eye, it was the first thing I noticed about them. When the time came for me to decide what I would do after high school, it was very obvious for me that I would become a fashion designer. My affinity for numbers and proportions comes from my mother and my love of art and expression comes from my father. Fashion is the perfect mix of both influences because it’s very technical and sensitive at once.”
Lookbook of Miércoles 10:00 AM, Camilo Álvarez’s latest collection
This intersection of practicality and creativity are patent in Camilo’s journey with his eponymous brand. “I’ve run my brand for 18 years and a lot of things have happened since then. I had some collections where I released 18 looks, the biggest one was my 2014 collection where we had 43 looks on the runway, now I’m back to a more concise format and this time [Bogotá Fashion Week 2026] I’m presenting only 10 looks. At this point, for my brand this makes sense because the type of client that likes what I do is clearly defined, and as a brand that cares about sustainability being able to mix and match all pieces in new, creative ways is essential.”
When it comes to sustainable, eco-friendly textiles, Camilo has an encyclopedic knowledge. This is one of his subjects of expertise and he doesn’t hesitate to share his opinions on the current state of this side of the industry. “We decided to use local textiles to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible, but that also took away some possibilities because a lot of materials aren’t made in Colombia anymore, so we had to look into the closest options: denim from Brazil and knit fabrics from Peru. The quality in those two countries is very high and they have many fibers to choose from. This helped me mature in my work and understanding of different mixes like cotton and hemp, because how to manipulate them, how to sew them and how do they react during the laundry process is something I learned as I went deeper into this. I also learned what works for my brand’s concept and what I don’t want to use because it’s not biodegradable.”
Lookbook of Miércoles 10:00 AM, Camilo Álvarez’s latest collection
Another key factor is that his creations are body-positive and gender-neutral, thus diffusing the barriers between menswear and womenswear and reducing the amount of garments produced so there’s less waste. “I have a lot of unisex pieces, and others in one size only. Of course we try to make it as inclusive as possible, because it’s not going to look the same in all bodies. In the end this decision reduced unnecesary production. It’s part of the brand’s DNA as well because our customers are smart and they like to create new ways to wear our pieces, for me that’s wear what you have in a different way and not always wear something new and consume more.“
For Camilo, staying in touch with the community around his brand is a key component in his work. “I love seeing how women reinvent themselves through our pieces, sometimes they wear them with sneakers for daily activities or with heels for more elevated looks. It means that casual clothing doesn’t have to be simple or boring and that our customers can feel beautiful while doing mundane things.” The empowerment of Camilo Álvarez’s clients through his creations has been remarkable. “One of my customers had to wear a wig as she had no hair, and she told me that the clothes she bought from my collection made her feel so confident she decided to go to a social event without her wig on. She finally felt pretty enough to get rid of her wig and it showed me how powerful fashion can be for people.”
Runway show for Miércoles 10:00 AM during Bogotá Fashion Week, May 13th 2026.
The presentation of his latest collection Miércoles 10:00 AM (“Wednesday 10:00 AM” in Spanish) during Bogotá Fashion Week 2026 last May proved once again how practicality is at the heart of what Camilo does as a fashion creative, but isn’t oppossed to what’s beautiful and cool right now. All 10 outfits were made mostly in regenerative cotton denim, and as it’s now quintessential for the brand, all pieces were genderless and size-inclusive. The selection felt very intentional and everything displayed on the runway was coherent, much different than collections with dozens of looks that sometimes feel like they have nothing in common except for the label on them. Turtleneck jackets, butter yellow and light grey t-shirts with straps and black buttons, oversized stitching and classic dark blue hues with black completed a showcase that went straight to the point and didn’t need to overuse materials or time to put a clear message on the table.
Additionally, there were two small yet heartfelt details: the introduction video and soundtrack of the show were made in collaboration with his musician brother Santiago and voiceover artist Elsa de la Fuente, and some of his father’s paintings were printed on the pockets of selected pieces. This last gesture was especially meaningful as Camilo’s father passed away just two weeks before the presentation, turning it from a fashion show into a moving homage to his family and roots.
Detail of paintings by Camilo’s father printed in the pockets of some of the jackets of Miércoles 10:00 AM
Lastly, his stance about the current state of fashion in Colombia is one of pride and of rethinking previous stereotypes. “First of all, what we are producing right now has a very high level of quality, and it can change what people thinks about the country, because we may not fit the preconception many have about Latin Americans. We have three separate mountain ranges and we are one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, and you can see that also in the way people thinks, lives and dresses. Depending on each region and each social group you will find something different. That is something people from other places may not expect and when they come and see what it’s like is a surprise for them. I believe we escape all definitions and we cannot be reduced to one thing only. I would like people from around the world to go beyond the veil of simplifying what we are to something smaller, because we are not. We are indecipherable.”
Backstage images before the runway show for Miércoles 10:00 AM
