I met Anna Fusoni, when I began my path as a fashion blogger back in 2012 when I started to write about designers and the fashion industry at Google + Fashion runway shows and participating in hangouts with designers, KOI in Fashion Anna Fusoni and Mike Alva Google’s Mexico Marketing Director back then. I decided to interview her for the site because I believe she is a strong foundation for the Mexican fashion industry. Not only by the career she has accomplished, but all the effort and time she has spent introducing and discovering new talent, building her own fashion media KS news by Anna Fusoni, succeeding by establishing synergies of collaborations with the whole industry, having her own fashion contest Moda Premio. She certainly gives Mexican fashion a whole new meaning and sense of appreciation.
Hi Anna, many people call you the mother of Mexican fashion… When did you started your career as a journalist for the fashion industry? It was the 60’s, I won a price which consisted in being at Vogue Magazine US as an apprentice of different sections of the magazine.
Did you always had a passion for fashion? I fell into fashion by casualty, involving different branches of the industry, design and comercial.
Describe your fashion style in 3 words.. It is personal, a little bit complicated, different.. I don’t follow trends.
Tell us about MODAPREMIO… When was the idea conceived, what is the main goal of MODAPREMIO and which talents and designers have participated in it? About MODAPREMIO, I came back to Mexico being thankful for the opportunity I had, and I wanted to bring a new opportunity for other persons in the industry. It began in 1985. The main goal of MODAPREMIO is to give an opportunity and competition for young fashion design students. When it began we had an sponsorship with Air France to fly the students to a competition for young creators. Many designers have passed through the contests, like Alfredo Martínez, and Julia y Renata for example.
MODAPREMIO took place from 2018 to 2020 at Universidad Londres, now in consequence of the pandemic it’s going digital. Converging with different experts in the industry in mentorships. Actually today we had a mentorship with Mexican designer Gala Limón. Our virtual classroom holds about 140 students live.
I’ve always wanted to ask… Why did Google + Fashion ended as a project? It was expensive to mantain. Google lives from sales on line, back then it wasn’t a product to sell and it didn’t have viability, it was a marketing experiment. Google + also disappeared.
What do you think about Fashion platforms in Mexico?
Everyone has it’s own audience, it brings possibility to different designers to get exposure. Not all of them are profesional , but those disappear.
About KS News by Anna Fusoni..
At first it was only exclusive for Guanajuato’s footwear industry, it was a conjoint publication with Amador Ruvalcaba, then it became about total looks and fashion all in one. Amador decided to work with Patricia Mercado, and I kept the magazine. I included fashion and industry. After two years it became digital, because sponsored adds became really expensive for a print media. Now we have branded content and sponsored adds on the sites.
What is currently your insight on the Mexican fashion industry? I think that some brands had to adjust to an online format, rather than malls because of the pandemic. They are healthy leaders in recovery. Talking about small brands, exclusive brands and generations of designers (fast fashion, sport, street, artisanal) most of them have renewed themselves. Like Mexican fashion designer Benitos Santos for example, there is an other interest of re-targeting. Like Anuar Layon and other brands in Palacio de Hierro, and other design exercises for example Liverpool, LOB the capsule collection by Benito Santos and Olmos y Flores. There are many spaces that open up the visibility to the designers in different platforms.
Do you have a favorite designer or brand? It can be Mexican or International I don’t have any preference. I like fashion phenomenons, runways and entrepreneurship.
What do you think are the key points for aspiring designers to succeed in the industry? You work for success, you just don’t design and become famous. There has to be an entrepreneur spirit behind it. You must know about numbers, not only about garments and pretty drawings. Social Media is not only a media, the designer must land a business that works. Not only a business plan.. Today having a mentorship with Gala Limón at Moda Premio for example we talked about investors, there are a lot of them who are willing to invest in brands and new projects.
To know more about MODAPREMIO : click de link https://modapremio.mx
To know more about KS News by Anna Fusoni : click the link https://ks.com.mx