Own it with Vogue Mexico's Karla Martínez de Salas and designer Johanna Ortiz on 'Guests and Gusto'
Karla Martínez de Salas is the editor-in-chief of Vogue Mexico and Latin America, and a top opinion leader in the fashion and luxury industry. Colombian fashion designer Johanna Ortiz is an international influencer and a community-centered entrepreneur. Together, they discuss the importance of their Latinx cultures, challenging stereotypes as they evolved their careers, and creating opportunities for women in fashion.
About Karla Martínez de Salas
Karla Martínez de Salas is the editor-in-chief of Vogue Mexico and Latin America. She began her career as an assistant at American Vogue and became an associate fashion editor in 2002, collaborating with renowned Vogue staffers including Grace Coddington, Tonne Goodman, Camilla Nickerson, and Phyllis Posnick. From 2005 to 2010, Martínez de Salas was the fashion director for T The New York Times Style Magazine, where she covered fashion, interior design, art, and travel. At Interview magazine, she took on fashion direction, specializing in photography and design, and then became the fashion and accessories director of W magazine. In 2016, she became the editor-in-chief of Vogue Mexico and Latin America and, since then, she has spearheaded new alliances in the market. She has been interviewed by major publications such as El Heraldo Mexico and The Business of Fashion New York and Spain, where she has explored her expertise as an opinion leader in the direction of the fashion and luxury industry. She has also appeared on television and radio, where she has shared her achievements and projects.
Martínez de Salas’ work for Vogue Mexico and Latin America was honored by Mexico’s Fashion Digital Awards for best editorial content, and she was recently included in the BoF U.S. list of the top 500 international fashion leaders. Martínez de Salas has worked with celebrated personalities such as Patrick Demarchelier, Kim Kardashian, Alex White, Annie Christensen, Edward Enninful, Fabien Baron, Jacob K, Karl Templer, Marie-Amelie Sauvé, Melanie Ward, Olivier Rizzo, Stefano Tonchi, Steven Pan, Tim Walker, and Virginia Smith, among others. She continues to reflect her extensive knowledge in the publication of each issue of Vogue Mexico and Latin America and enriches the presence of the “Fashion Bible” in this growing region. Martínez de Salas is also part of Project Paz, a nonprofit organization headquartered in New York, whose goal is to create extracurricular activities for low-income children in Ciudad Juarez to promote peace.
About Johanna Ortiz
Colombian fashion designer Johanna Ortiz’s label is worn by women around the world and is sold in more than 66 stores globally, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, and Lane Crawford. The designer’s signature flower prints and exuberant ruffles have seduced women from New York to London, Dubai to Hong Kong, and fans of the brand include Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, and Jessica Alba.
Known for her off-the-shoulder frocks and an ebullient sense of joie de vivre, Ortiz has become an influential member of the fashionable set. Her breakthrough moment came in 2014, when Lauren Santo Domingo, the founder of Moda Operandi, discovered her resort collection in Colombia and launched a successful trunk show. In the years since, the brand has developed a presence in more than 21 countries worldwide, and Ortiz seasonally presents her collections in Paris and New York, earning critical acclaim from the likes of Vogue. Ortiz’s unique point of view has been essential to her success. It is rooted in an expertise in textiles and technique, as well as a conviction that she knows what women want to wear.
Ortiz has built a company that currently employs more than 360 women and has established an onsite training program that offers professional-level seamstress and embroidery courses free of charge. Today more than 60 women have completed this program and, while there is no obligation to pursue jobs with Ortiz, most of them do. In spring 2020, Ortiz collaborated with H&M to deliver a capsule collection of her designs to women all around the world. Not only did this collection celebrate women of all shapes and sizes in more than 73 countries, it also marked the retail giant’s first collaboration with a Latin American designer. It is these initiatives that have garnered Ortiz invitations to the White House and the United Nations and earned her a coveted spot as one of The Business of Fashion’s 500, an index of people shaping the global fashion industry.
With her husband and three sons, Ortiz has homes in Cali and Cartagena, Colombia; Miami; and New York. A global ambassador for Colombian style, she plans to continue to provide “a little South American flavor” to women around the globe.
About 'Guests and Gusto'
Tune in to Guests and Gusto, the SCAD series you want with the people you need to know. All quarter long, Zoom in on exclusive virtual hang-outs, real-time talks, and cool digital content with the creators and innovators remaking culture — from big celebs to top pros to boss alumni.
The Karla Martínez de Salas and Johanna Ortiz Guests and Gusto event is open to the public.
Register below to tune in. Students who stay through the whole event will be entered to win a grand prize at the end of spring quarter. For more information, email [email protected].
Register for the Karla Martínez de Salas and Johanna Ortiz Guests and Gusto event