Marie Claire Fontaine de Bueno: 'Panama has the potential to become a fashion hub'
Marie Claire Fontaine de Bueno nació en Bélgica y creció en Ecuador. El amor la trajo en los años 80 a tierras canaleras. Siendo arquitecta, optó por explorar el mundo de la moda aplicando sus conocimientos en arquitectura en esta industria, para darle vida a sus proyectos dentro del sector.
Since his arrival in the country he promoted the catwalks and fashion, a niche that, until that time, was not seen with greater potential in the isthmus.Since the 90s he has been involved in events production, he is the founder of Physical Models with Nikki Ortega de Roy, has shaped development projects for the sector as 'Fashion Days Panama' 2001, and then with the Panama Fashion Week(PFW) 2010, Macro Fest (2010), among other productions.
From the agency, Marie Claire has trained multiple Panamanian models that have reached recognition not only in the country, but also at the international level.In his professional career he has been the consultant of photographers, designers and models.
This time we talked through a video call.Good Fontaine shares his vision on the fashion proposals presented from authenticity.He also expresses his love for artisanal art and identity.In addition, he talks about the challenges that the PFW had in the pandemic and the virtuality of the events at this time.
How do you get to the fashion world?
The career I chose was architecture and for love issues I came to Panama.Here I finished my studies;I am a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Panama and, although I did not exercise the profession, it has given me a wide vision to structure spaces, visualize the things that I currently do.I consider that one of my strengths as a human being is to have a sense of well -defined aesthetics and when I mean aesthetics I speak of everything visual.I like architecture, art, fashion and cinema, but I have specialized in visual art.
How did Physical Models start?
The link with Physical comes through the models, it is an interesting story since it all started between 1983 and 1984.The agency was characterized by having very beautiful models;Near the 90s were girls like Justine Pasek, who later became Miss Universe.My person together with Nikki Ortega de Roy we dedicated for more than a decade to cultivating beautiful women, then we were involved with the production of events, we were also linked to Miss Panama.Later, we ended up doing a model contest called 'Chico y Chica Modelo', and in parallel this came to reinforce the fashion theme.With the purpose that the girls could show their talent in the catwalks, we wanted our own space and that was how in the 90s we had the stages to do so through events such as: 'Expo Model' and 'Chico and Chica Modelo';But it was not until 2001 that we decided.
How was the introduction of this fashion event format to Panama?
It was difficult, since in the country there was no habit of seeing fashion as a show;This required to train the public and ourselves;We had to learn to grow an industry that was not present in the country.With this I mean not only to design, but also to the issue of growing the collections, having the concepts of trends and we have had to educate to strengthen these points.I went to several international fashion events and realized that, in reality, fashion has its requirements and that in the end it is also very flexible.The end for us was to build our own story from Panama.In recent years we realized that when the international press came to the country, he did not want to see the same thing he observed in Colombia or in other countries, they wanted Panama to have a unique proposal, with identity.I think the approach to the Panamanian proposal must always have the touch of authenticity to arouse that interest in the consumer.I am a person who loves the work of local designers and when I can invest in pieces of Panamanian designers, I do it.What I enjoy most events such as PFW is to involve artisan with design.
What do you think of the transformation of the industry into inclusion issues within the catwalks?
We were always very demanding with the models that went up to the catwalks and asked to meet certain standards, including height and size, but I feel that these standards changed thanks to social networks.The public, especially in face -to -face, wants to appreciate a concept attached to reality;The inclusion in fashion is super important, so much that today we see people with disabilities in the catwalks.Thank God there is already a change with the issue of weight.Today we see that in the catwalks around the world there are more models of all sizes.I think everything consists in listening to what the public wants, showing the real.In the case of Panama, our approach has been this and also bet on Panamanian designers.We let the creatives flow and if they want.The important thing is to work from the authentic and not following the line of Milan or Paris;I feel that time has passed.Producers, designers and models have reached a degree of maturity that merits in a priority way to be inclusive.
For many years, fashion has always been seen as something banal, what contributions do you currently give this sector to society?
Fashion is the living expression of art, I not only mean the garments seen from the catwalks, but to the articles we use daily, for example, cups;There you can see the beautiful art.Fashion reflects identity, feeling and ability in the hand of who makes it and I think that has a lot of value.Fashion is an inheritance that can be in the form of clothing and from my perspective this is not banal, because when you wear you to feel beautiful or to feel good, what you wear is part of what you want to project.I consider that it is important to take into account that fashion can be a source of work for many people;It is an economic movement for the country and you have to pay attention to this segment of the creative industry.We see that other countries are very committed to the economic sector of fashion, in the case of Panama there is no textile industry, but this nation is of commerce and here you can carry out the tissue and fashion work.The Isthmus is a commercial portal of entry to the Central American sector.Panama has the potential to become a fashion hub, not only for local designers, but for region's designers.
What do you think about sustainability?
It is important to pay attention to what we consume;We must pay attention to the subject of sustainability, we must ask ourselves where that piece is coming from, how much it costs and why its value is very low or very high.The human being must adjust and maintain a balance when buying pieces to achieve a balance in consumption within this industry.
As for the COVID-19 and the PFW, how was the rehabilitation process in this event?
2020 was our year of learning at the PFW;In the midst of confinement we set out to make a totally digital event and thanks to the effort of the whole team we could get the activity ahead.My daughter Alessandra good supported me and was very active at that time.As for the participation of the designers, it was difficult because they did not have the workshops open and were not making collections, so we were flexible enough to understand that most of these creatives were not going to be able to have a collection of 10 pieces and there were somethat for that event they created five to six garments.Many do not know that designers worked with few resources to carry out their pieces and expose them to the public;Some worked with fabrics they had in their homes.The goal was to maintain the living flame of creativity in the world of design, so we set out to do so.Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture, to SERTV, to the Embassy of England in Panama, we were able to carry out the activity.The truth is that finally this event, which was totally virtual, brought to the country the complete introduction of the fashion films.For the following year (2021) we also did it, but this time we bet on the hybrid format.I think that pandemic allowed us to break with a scheme that we had been doing for a long time for the PFW, forced us.We also received a lot of support from the Community Board of Santa Ana, both as the Great Apple group of Santa Ana, they were encouraged by the fact that an event like PFW to the neighborhood was held.I think learning continues.Today the world of communication in terms of fashion changed forever, both for designers and for those who sell in this sector.Now for us what follows is the macro fest and in the midst of the new variant we are acting on the fly since it is about one month for it to be done.The world today is so changing that we must adapt, knowing how to play the game that life presents us, it is a matter of flexibility and creativity to continue.
What has been the secret that has allowed you and your team to maintain current events such as the PFW?
The media ask us every year: "What are they going to do for the PFW?".This forces us to be more creative, to think about news to include in the event.After 20 years the secret to remain in force has been the power of reinvention.I also believe that it is the product of the security offered by the event, for example, to comply with the times, among other aspects.Likewise, the part of the curatorship has been fundamental to carry out this activity throughout these years.
What are your projections for the sector?
We have to be conservative.I think the events will have to be hybrid and less ambitious in terms of public, they must also have a good content that must be digitized.I know that the human being will always go in search of experience, and it is evident that the screen does not give it to you, the digital may be good for meetings, learning, but the sensory experience of the human being will remain necessary;However, as I mentioned, you will have to work with less public and strict biosafety measures.
