RAGE, the steps of youth
Gabriela Hernández, Alfredo Márquez and Jorge Diez are the members of the RABIA team, a sneaker brand based in León, Guanajuato. The brand emerged with the initiative of proposing new and fresh designs to fit Mexican youth. They show their interest in the avant-garde, the urban and the pop in their designs and material proposals. RABIA is a young brand (it has only been on the market for a year) and also youthful.
180º: What does each of the team members do?
Gabriela: Alfredo and I are designers, he is more focused on the selection and purchase of materials and I am in charge of the image and branding of the brand. Jorge is in the operational part, the engineering part, productions, consumption and so on. Everyone's participation is very important for the brand.
180º: Did the brand start in León?
G: Yes, the three of us had already worked in the footwear industry for many years and decided to create something of our own.
180º: How has your journey been in such a competitive environment?
G: We try to create things with an identity, something that is within the same trend, because that is how the world of fashion moves, but always trying to differentiate ourselves and offer something unique. It is good to listen to people's comments to have references of what they want to see and make it different. One year after launching we have had a very good response.
180º: Do you launch collections or models?
G: We operate by season, we have had three so far. Although the combinations and styles are a bit timeless so as not to pigeonhole them so much, we do try to propose something special for each one.
180º: What was the inspiration for this season?
G: This season, which is spring-summer, was called Creamy And Funky and is inspired by young people, by the entire culture that surrounds them, by their urban environment. There are fast food prints and pastel designs. We also use a lot of iridescent, which is a very strong trend, influenced by the 90s. It is basically inspired by the urban movements of young people transmitted in the materials.
180º: Is the brand specifically aimed at young people?
G: Yes, to the entire urban movement. What surrounds young people, music, art, everything pop interests us and we try to transmit it in the products.
180º: Which cultural figures do they take influence from?
G: We took influence from Pop Art, for example from Andy Warhol and artists from the 80s with this trend, like Keith Haring, we released an edition with designs by him. In general we take influence from the nineties fashion movement, the patches, the embroidery, the colors.
180º: What are your materials?
G: We have two types of materials: synthetic, like the litmus models, with a very original touch (like the case of corrosive), almost no one dares to use these materials; and there are also leather models. We personally design the leathers with the tannery and decide what type of processes and finishes we give them, we really like metallic finishes. It is a unique concept, we do experiments in the tannery to see what completely original finishes we can give it.
180º: Where in the country do you sell your products?
G: We have just entered Guadalajara, we are in Mexico City and León.
180º: What are your plans for the future?
G: Well, in the short term we want to perfect the men's line, give it more emphasis. We are also going to launch a children's line and we are already working on the next women's season.
180º: What is this season about?
G: It is the autumn-winter one, it will be focused on the concepts of nature. With a predominance of earth colors, we are going to introduce a little leather with artisanal finishes, without leaving aside the fun part of RABIA, which is shine and iridescent.
180º: Do you have a favorite model?
G: Many! The corrosive and the models in pastel colors, now.
180º: How was your arrival at 180º SHOP?
G: I met Rojo, creative director of Pay's, at university. Now that we started the RABIA project, he was like our agent in Mexico City, and he connected us with 180 GRADOS. It's going to be a year that we've been there. I think we understand each other very well with the store. It has given us a lot of impetus to grow to see the result of being there. I think the concept of the store encompasses the lifestyle of the young man who wears RABIA. We identify a lot with the concept of the store.
Instagram and Twitter: @rabia_mx