One of the pleasures of working in the fashion business is encountering the kind of creative genius and unexpected hospitality that defies fashion stereotypes. Yesterday, Martin Churba, one of Argentina’s most talented and well-known designers, graciously welcomed us like old friends into his 5-floor space in leafy Recoleta, where the creations of his design collective, Tramando, come to life.

Over the 2 hours that we spent with Martin and his business partner, Trixie d’Epanoux, we meandered delightfully from topic to topic to learn about the brand. From Tramando’s spectacular window displays to its social impact and the brand’s plans for global expansion, it was a lesson in the compelling power of a true creative force.

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Buenos Aires is a city better known as the home of the Tango, but one day it may become known as the land of the killer retail concept.

Across this metropolis of 11 million people, from the uber-cool urban jungle in Palermo Viejo to the elegant boulevards of Recolota, a retail explosion has taken place, proving that Argentina has truly bounced back from the economic crisis that virtually paralysed the country at the beginning of the millennium.

Our favourite barrio (and everyone else’s) is Palermo Soho, named for one of its urban brethren in New York. The intersection of El Salvador and Armenia is analagous to Spring and Mercer, the heart from which all the action emanates. But that’s where the similarities end.

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