Four years ago, New York-based Mexican designer and Dazed 100er Victor Barragán launched his own eponymous brand. Over the years, he has paid homage to his Mexican heritage through both his collections and accompanying lookbooks and campaigns. For his SS18 campaign, the designer returned to his hometown of Mexico City to shoot the collection. A year later, he has once again celebrated Mexican culture by shooting his SS19 campaign in locations around the city.

Shot by June Canedo in Teotihuacán, Pyramids of Sun and Moon, the aim of the campaign was to translate the beauty of the natural materials used to build the amazing monuments of Mexico. The location was not what Barragán first had in mind, though: “We actually planned to shoot at ‘Centro Ceremonial Otomí’, but unfortunately the first location was closed on the day of and we only realised that at 5am when the driver picked us up,” he recalls. “Then we let go of expectations and just drove to Teotihuacán. This is the beauty of shooting at or near my home city.”

The campaign shows models posing in front of the monuments on site while wearing his SS19 collection. All the models in the campaign were cast by Barragán’s friend Maria Osado from the Mexican agency Gürxs, who he has worked with many times previously, and each was selected in Mexico City, which was important for the young designer as not only did it reflect himself but also his family, friends, and culture. “We were colonised almost 500 years ago,” Barragán explains. “But we’re still feeling the repercussions. We have to push for a better narrative that doesn’t revolve around western beauty standards.”

The collection itself was inspired by terracotta. “We created different textures, accessories, and clay sculptures throughout. Terracotta speaks to the artisans and craftsmanship of my country and many others around the world,” the designer says. Several materials, techniques, and silhouettes were used to create his own diverse style for each look, which took the form of intricate cuts of denim, nightgowns and tailoring. To contrast this and the earthy backdrop, light and colourful chiffon-esque dresses and tops also appear. 

See the full campaign in the gallery above.