Our country is a point of reference when it comes to shopping tourism, especially for other countries in Central America, the Caribbean and South America.
Jaime Luna
Entrepreneurship and the creative industry drive this economy, both in the sale of handmade crafts and fashion designs. For this reason, the Ministry of Culture (MiCultura) has a department to promote everything related to the Creative Industry such as fashion, and a section dedicated to promoting and preserving national crafts, where its Director is the fashion designer Jaime Luna.
Another way of shopping tourism, is directly with the artist, visiting his “Show Room”, workshop and fairs, creating a more personalized experience with the author and his team.
Hélene Breebaart
The fashion designer Hélene Breebaart, born in France, but Panamanian by heart, brought to the Panamá her childhood-rooted feeling for making unique designs to wear and her passion for watercolor painting. From her first contact with Panama, she found a niche where there was much to do in art and fashion. On her trips to Guna Yala she fell in love with the “molas”, which inspired her to create a Pineapple, her first design. She had great acceptance in the late 80s that it became her personal brand. “People abroad speak very well about fashion designs with Panamanian themes, an example are jackets made with molas designs that are the best selling product,” said Breebaart, who has dressed local and foreign personalities, beauty queens, even the former First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter, in one of her appearances with her husband in Panama.
Both Luna and Breebaart are part of the local designers who believe in supporting new talents to help them polish in fashion, creative process and clothing inspired by Panamanian indigenous handicrafts. Luna works on the creation of a fashion line as a country brand named “Panama Spectacular”, where he will work as a designer and creative director with emerging talents in search of international exports, and Breebaart, who has been the godmother of new fashion promises, la bringing back her project Looking for a Star, to integrate other artists with passion to create high quality fashion.
Their careers have been consistent and are proof that there is local talent. Part of their success has been the support among colleagues especially to open new platforms that generate more exposure in the country and abroad. Both are prophets in their land. Soon Breebaart will receive recognition in France for her artistic contribution in Panama, her home; and Luna will be able to mix his passion for fashion inspired by crafts, and open new cultural opportunities for emerging designers.
