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.

Martin is, first and foremost, a textile designer, but his creativity spans many realms outside fabric and fashion.  To wit, the Tramando website is one of the most creative (and functional! and fast!) that we have come across anywhere. Tramando’s two-floor  store, with its regularly changing window displays, conceived through collaborations with other artists, is a cross between Colette and Dover Street Market — though that doesn’t really do it justice as it misses out on the Argentinian flair that we have come to appreciate during our time here.  This month, the windows are a festive explosion of candy coloured pinks, made of real cake frosting and sweets that you can pick off the wall and pop into your mouth.

But of course, it is the clothes that speak the loudest. A capsule nouvelle couture collection consisted of intricately cut dresses, featured folding, pin-tucking and fabric treatments that boggle the mind. Two ready-to-wear collections were also on display, one each for Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer, reflecting growing consumer demand from Northern hemisphere tourists, as well the sophisticated Porteños of Buenos Aires. Occasionally, Martin would dash off to one of these clients to adjust a dress just so, before darting back to show us some more.

Later, we retreated upstairs to continue our discussion over some Mate tea, sharing in an Argentinian cultural tradition that goes back hundreds of years. As we passed the Mate around in a circle, we learned about the brand’s ups and downs, and plans for its future.

In the past 5 years, Martin and Trixie have assembled a talented 10-strong design collective within an overall team of 35, established a company-owned factory in Argentina capable of delivering Tramando’s complex textile designs, and built a retail presence in Buenos Aires and in Japan, through a distribution partnership with HP France which has opened 5 shop-in-shops under the Tramando brand name. Martin and Trixie believe there is a strong potential for the brand in the Middle East and plans are already in the works for a retail debut in France sometime next year.

In a poignant denouement to our visit, Tramando’s textile philosophy was finally revealed to us in a striking set of videos, demonstrating the various processes that the company uses to achieve its signature aesthetic techniques of cutting, heating, stamping, folding and sewing.

Also revealed was the brand’s unmistakable social conscience.  In 2001, at the height of the Argentinian economic crisis, Tramando collaborated with the everyday workers who were most impacted when Argentina defaulted on its debt repayments. Rather than take government handouts, these piqueteros wanted to work. In a first for  an Argentinian fashion designer, Martin worked with them to “make working fashionable”, decorating traditional working coats with his signature textile techniques.  This expression became one of the rallying cries of the political movement that has played a pivotal role in Argentina’s economic recovery.

Based on what we have seen here — in the restaurants, the stores, the museums and the individual flair of the locals — we would not be surprised if Buenos Aires once again takes its place as one of the world’s creative capitals, with Martin as its reigning king.

Tramando is available at Tramando in Buenos Aires and Tokyo, Harvey Nichols in Turkey and at Tango in Melbourne. All photos are copyright of The Business of Fashion, 2007.

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.

Compared to the relative homogeneity and formulaic feel of retail stores in New York (and London, and Paris), many stores in BA have a feeling that is all too rare in our world of  ‘retail formats’. It’s not just the overall design of the stores, but little details like floors entirely laid out in Persian rugs, beautifully reconditioned vintage cars and motorbikes, and product displayed on antique pool tables that all lend to the feeling of authenticity.

Perhaps budgetary restrictions and a weak peso have prevented store owners from buying everything new, but with these little touches, the designers have had to be a little creative, and the result is a completely different feel from what we are used to. Rather than copying each other blindly or rolling-out cookie-cutter formats, each store has a unique feel. This is something that stores in Europe and North America should aspire to if they want to engage their customers with a special shopping experience.

However, it must be said that while the enticing retail concepts easily drew us in, the product inside often left us cold. Run-of-the-mill quality, poor design, or blatant brand rip-offs (and sometimes all three combined) meant that we often left the stores empty-handed. Of course there were some notable exceptions, which we recommend highly on your next trip to BA, whether it is for holiday or some well-justified market research on how to create a retail concept that will delight your customers.

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Etiqueta Negra – The highest quality menswear in town where the retail concept, image and product are all in perfect sync. Vintage motorbikes and a seriously cool Jaguar gave a tough masculine edge to the soft silhouettes. (Gorriti 5131, Palermo SoHo and Defensa 1008, San Telmo)

Balthazar - Classic menswear for the Argentinian dandy. Our favourites were the Alpaca wool scarves, made under Balthazar’s design direction.  (Gorriti 5131, Palermo SoHo and Defensa 1008, San Telmo)

Mercer - A skylit denim emporium with Persian carpets, overhead fans and red geometric wallpaper with antique furnishings. Some of the jean cuts need some work, but the store is breathtaking. (El Salvador 4677, Palermo SoHo)

Sabater Hermanos – Forget about your local Lush store, Sabater Hermanos is a place where the authenticity is more noticeable than the sweet smelling soap.  It’s no wonder given that these guys have been making soap for three generations. (Gurruchaga 1821, Palermo Soho) 

Satori – We loved the sneakers as well as the sleek, simple interior at Satori shoes. The staff is as cool as the shoes are, without any of the attitude.

Bolivia – Menswear with a twist that doesn’t feel as predictable as Paul Smith. Lift up the collar of your classic white shirt, and you’ll find a colourful paisley or stripe. (Gurruchaga 1581, Palermo Soho)

Photographs copyright of the Business of Fashion 2007.