“No siesta, only fiesta!”
Renowned for its celebration of Latin American heritage and biodiversity, Colombia-based Agua Bendita luxury fashion brand has just dropped its High Summer/Early Fall capsule collection in collaboration with “illustrator and paper lover”, Andrea Wild.
“This collaboration is a celebration of our shared love for Latin America and our commitment to exhibiting the unexplored beauty of the region,” says Mariana Hinestroza, who, in 2003, founded Agua By Agua with Catalina Alvarez. Their latest twenty-six-piece collection features designs inspired by the flora and fauna of Colombia, including the endemic lior. It takes 500 hours to make one site, which is hand-made by a team of AB Hearts or stay-at-home crafters.
“Every brushstroke is a story and holds a purpose,” says London-based Wild, who founded Pickled Pulp Illustrations Studio, which also makes luxury stationery and wedding invitations.
“The Agua by Agua Bendita collection is a tribute to our roots, honoring generations of artists and artisans.”
Wild also produced a collection with Colombian swimwear brand, Tropicaland, inspired by the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
But when it comes to pure linen, you must go to Colombia.
For Gatti Monstrata shorts, Florencer hand-embroidered honeysuckles and orchids, sweetheart necklines, Aurora Barbara Bougainvilleas, and Marea Alhaji trousers
Agua By Agua Bendita was founded in Medellín while Alvarez and Hinestroza were studying fashion design at the local Colegiatura Colombiana University. For a class project, they came up with the idea of taking discarded off-cuts of fabrics and, using Grandma Alavarez’s machine, sewing them together into bathing suits with good luck scapular amulets. They bought garbage off local textile manufacturers in Medellin and Bogota, recycling it onto the Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, featuring Marissa Miller and Bar Rafaeli wearing Agua Bendita swimsuits.
Inspiration comes from their fellow countrymen and women – their happiness, extroversion, and diversity, especially in the way they enjoy their country’s warmth and natural environment. Around 600 local women (with a few men) hand-stitch and embroider bikinis, beachwear, athleisure, and climate-ready resortwear.
The brand collaborated with Gucci Vault, at the time the Italian house’s online experimental store. They became the first Latin American label to export.
Explains Alvarez: “The name comes from the Spanish word for holy water. My mother insisted we bless all the leftover fabric from our first collection. We always wanted to create an eco-conscious brand that paid homage to nature’s most important element, while embracing the charm of Latin America. Inspiration comes from everything that surrounds us. Nature is our greatest source of inspiration.”
Agua By Agua Bendita has four shops in Florida and is available in over fifty countries worldwide.
For them, resortwear is a lifestyle. Each item of clothing is a balance between the past and the future.
“When we couldn’t sew everything ourselves, we began recruiting female artisans in the area,” adds Mariana. “They put the best of what they know into the embroideries, and at the end, you have a beautiful garment that has been made step-by-step by a human being. You know what you are buying. Something really special.”
The rand also launched a resale program, Ciclos, where Agua fans can buy or sell items from past collections.
“We believe that we have designed heirlooms,” adds Hinestroza. “But we understand some people don’t want to keep pieces in their closet forever. But still want them to have a second life. People can therefore still get hold of clothes from collections like 2022’s Luckiest and Travesia, 2023’s Pacifico, Love Affair, and Verano Road, as well as 2024’s Diving Into Dreams. Tropic of C. and Land of Flowers streetwear collection.”
The first two collections of SS 2025 were Diez Veranos and Riviera radiance
The label, famous for its botanical motifs, has diversified into more cold-weather clothing with its first knitwear collection, made from baby alpaca wool, in collaboration with the Peruvian brand Escvdo.
Hinestroza continues: “Both of us like mixing different styles, elements, and trends. But the most important thing is to feel comfortable and confident in what you wear.
“Honoring nature and building a sustainable business are our two main concerns. We’re committed to creating less and doing better, which is why we stick to a production schedule of only three collections a year and try to reduce our environmental impact wherever possible.
“The Agua woman has a deep passion for culture, art, and nature, and appreciates attention to detail. She is conscious of social and environmental matters, too. Seeing mega stars like Kendall Jenner, Katy Perry, and Irina Shayk in our designs is such an honor. We are grateful that influential women and the fashion elite like our designs and appreciate what we’re trying to do from a sustainability perspective.
“We don’t want women to feel like they’re wearing a Colombian costume, but instead that they’re wearing a very beautiful brand designed by Colombian minds and developed by Colombian hands.”
