Satellite Voices

Santiago

Bernardita Torres

December 21, 2011

In demand Chilean fashion basics from the local hero designer

• Text by Fer Munizaga

Bernardita Torres is the Chilean designer behind Candies, a women’s clothing brand that dedicates itself to well made and quality basic clothing. The Peruvian and Brazilian cottons she uses and the spectacular fitting of Candies’s basic pieces makes the label one of the most in demand across Santiago and Chile.

Satellite Voices: When did you realise that fashion design was your path?
Bernardita Torres: Ever since I remember, I’ve been related to the world of sewing and fashion. My grandmother owned a boutique of party and bridal gowns. Later, my mum and my sister, my actual parters at Candies, bought the representation of the French brand Kookai under the name of Bagatelle, where I had to travel to Paris to choose the collections. All these experiences made me realise that fashion was my thing.

SV: How was Candies born?
Bernardita Torres: The concept was born during the year I lived in London. After finishing my career in fashion and textile design in Chile, I went to London to study. There, I took courses that related fashion business, forecasting techniques and cool hunting in the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins. These studies helped me to polish the idea of creating a women’s brand based in basic apparel, adding a trip I did to Peru for a fashion fair in Lima looking for cotton suppliers to finally concrete Candies.

SV: Tell us about your latest collection?
Bernardita Torres: Candies is a simple and functional clothing brand. For this reason, a large part of the collection is composed of basic pieces made in the best Peruvian and Brazilian quality cotton. Without any patterns, the colours that are always present in Candies palette are white, black, blue and melange. For this summer I added red, orange, yellow and pastels like apricot and aqua.

SV: What are your future plans with the store?
Bernardita Torres: My plans are to expand the brand throughout Chile. We already have loyal customers in the north of Chile in Antofagasta, and in the south of Chile in Valdivia and Temuco. Thanks to them, the idea to opening an online store with delivery to the whole country is going to be available in January! And hopefully in a future, not so far away, get to open stores throughout Chile.

SV: What do you think about fashion design in Chile?
Bernardita Torres: I think there are good proposals, but in quality and fit is still very peak. An independent designer has the same obligation to make a pieces to perfection as a commercial designer that makes a thousand pieces to perfection. Today the customer is more demanding and we are obliged to respoder that!

SV: Which Chilean designers should we be looking out for?
Bernardita Torres: I love the mix of Parisian luxury and Latin American crafts of Octavio Pizarro. I had the chance to wear one of his dresses! The fit and quality were incredible!