A cobija, or in English, a blanket with a thick soft cloth is a bit heavy and warm, with colorful prints of blooming deep pink roses, fierce tiger heads, and other explicit visions of nature and animals. It is inherited from Mexican culture.
“It’s such a loud piece, but in a Latino house, it’s sort of neutral—part of the environment,” from her studio in downtown Los Angeles, says designer Brenda Equihua. Homesickness encouraged Equihua to introduce a collection of remarkable exceptional coats created from new San Marcos blankets. This was also a way to celebrate Latino culture. “That is a blanket that represents family and love and comfort, and it has very strong ties to Latino identity,” she says.
Equihua considers her latest San Marcos collection a revival and needed growth of her label which got ignited due to spiritual credence. She also said, “What I really believe fashion should and will be about in the future is inclusivity, which there is not enough of now,”.
Her collection got seven-piece called New Classics which focuses on the San Marcos cobija that represents the Latino background. It was between 1976 and 2004 that the blankets were first made in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes in the area of San Marcos. Equihua keeps the joyful atmosphere in her new collection since it was created. “For most people, the sentimental value comes from growing up with it,” she says. “The idea of the heirloom comes from love.”
