THAT could attract a successful Ecuadorean fashion designer to relocate her business to the Middle East? At the age of twenty five, young and talented Liz Cardenas opened her first shop in Quito. She displayed a limited prêt-a-porter line of clothes designed for both men and women. Her collections were shown in Paris, Milan, Florence, Latin America and the United States.
Following a business trip to Egypt, Liz Cardenas fell in love with its language and culture but she was also ready for a new challenge: “I thought that being in Egypt would be a good place to be close to my target market: Europe and to look for opportunities to produce at relatively low costs.”
When it comes to business in the region, Egypt’s strategic location between three major continents is attracting a growing number of investors. Since her settling in Cairo, Cardenas has designed a new line of accessories including bags and jewelry which will be launched in Paris in the next few months: “The jewelry line is simple and without fuss. I avoid any excess of decoration and instead rely on the combination of colors and natural elements” she explains.
Her jewelry pieces are principally made from the Tagua nut also known as the vegetable ivory nut. The nut ranges in size from that of a cherry to a grapefruit and the color varies from blue-white to amber. Similar to elephant ivory, the nut is often passed off as real ivory as it can be very deceptive. In texture and color, it resembles the finest ivory but its structure and grain is more dense and resilient. The coming of synthetics, after World War II, put an end to the ivory nut market; however it is making a come back because of the near extinction of mammal ivory.
“The ivory nut is the fruit of a palm tree that grows naturally in the tropics of my country, and it has the same properties as ivory but it is vegetal. It can be carved, polished and pigmented and the shape of each nut is unique. I combine this element with leather, silver and toquilla straw,” explains Cardenas.
From her headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Liz Cardenas exudes a formidable joie de vivre. She loves Egypt’s challenging, vibrant and frenzied atmosphere. The energizing and exciting ambience stimulates her creative spirit. She acknowledges that many things inspire her: Nature, nightlife, art, music, beauty, people and even chaos: “I believe more in a ‘state of mind’ rather than what we call inspiration.”
Besides the launching of her collections of bags and jewelry, Liz Cardenas is still producing a line of clothes with a wide range of products, from swimwear to bridal gowns. Her style, described as contemporary, eclectic, pure and sophisticated, is designed for a cosmopolitan woman with a strong sense of fashion but who is relaxed at the same time. A colorist, at heart, Cardenas uses vivid and bold colors and readily admits that red is her favorite color: “It is passionate, energetic, and powerful. Once, a fan of conceptual designers such as Hussein Chalayan, she now prefers more commercial designers such as Vera Wang, Alexander McQueen and unknown designers: “I don’t believe in big brands; I think they have lost their souls, a little”.
Although Liz Cardenas admits that it is very difficult to conquer the international market nowadays and remain competitive in business, she has noticed that “the number of fashion events in Egypt and the Middle East is growing and there is a good potential market for different types of clothes and designs”. For more info: www.lizcardenas.com