Johanna Ortiz is having a New York moment, and she’s bringing the heart of her Colombian brand with her.
“I love coming to New York; it gives me a sense of speed that we don’t have back at home — waking up in a small town that’s surrounded by a lot of nature. In my work, the atelier is five minutes away from my house — it’s comfortable living. Here, I also get to understand how women would wear it in the city. I love watching women style the pieces differently across seasons, as well as in Paris,” the Colombia-based designer said during a preview appointment held at her beautiful new Upper East Side townhouse offices. She added that her brand’s biggest clientele is in the U.S. (especially New York, as well as California).
The last time Ortiz showed in New York (in 2018), a quintessential resort ethos of florals, frills and takeaway-minded fashions filled her collection; for multiple seasons now, Ortiz has been pushing the needle far beyond her original look by studying how women style her clothes across the globe and seasons. The result is a well-rounded assortment of easier silhouettes that continue to exude her signature intricate handcraft, luxe fabrications and lush color palettes year-round.
On Wednesday evening, the designer will unveil a selection of this evolution à la a 30 look presentation (edited down from the 80-plus look collection) at New York City’s Casa Cruz eatery.
“What we wanted to include in this collection is that we are transitional and are citywear, we are not only a brand of interest for resort or a destination. There’s something you can use in the city; there are transitional pieces in fall, and that’s what we tried to do with this resort collection,” Ortiz said.
The designer was also inspired by ’70s and ’90s feminine, “simple” silhouettes, but modernized them with rich fabrications, accessories and handcrafted finishings — a continuation of the artisanal work by local artisans to whom she’s teaching couture-level craft in Colombia.
The idea could be seen through transitional knitwear, leather dressing (including stellar metallic midi skirts and knotted bra-like tops) and hybrid tailoring (a denim and pinstripe trucker-meets-blazer with sleek matching pencil skirt), as well as plenty of body-skimming resort dresses and holiday-minded frocks. A few key styles, and standouts, included a green double silk georgette sequined slipdress with matching capelet (both breezy and eye-catching); a gilded brocade strapless mini with train (fastened with a knot on its backside — perfect for ringing in the New Year), and a hand-embroidered and -beaded burnt orange and silver matching blazer and midi halter dress set.
This beauty also stemmed into the details: Ortiz’ handmade wood bangles sparkled with emerald inserts, delicate beads swung from the hems of a bell-sleeve caftan, and the metallic knotted accoutrements on the backs, straps and busts of various looks were actually designed as little buckles to add versatility to any look.
Symbolically, the collection’s knotted details (also seen within the ready-to-wear) served as a metaphor for being in a moment when “we all need to stick together.” Ortiz said it’s a symbol she hopes to translate through her designs. It’s one she also values within her expanding company, putting an emphasis on the importance of keeping their vertical production local — even as they grow in New York and beyond — to continue to uplift and offer growing opportunities to local artisans.
“These days, everyone has to have a purpose because that’s what moves you to another point of view of reality,” she said, later adding, “We’re looking at building a lot more than Johanna Ortiz; that’s what we show, and is our face, but we have a huge heart in the back.”
