Karen Barba-Castro gracefully walked down the staircase in the Science Education Research Center’s lobby Friday afternoon, dressed in a pink and purple pollera, lace blouse, bold flower earrings, a patterned shawl and an embroidered straw hat. Before her, 25 models and performers displayed elements of vibrant Ecuadorian culture.
Barba-Castro and her family are from Delegsol, a town in el Azuay, Ecuador, where cultural celebrations happened constantly. While Barba-Castro grew up, every school grade would display various aspects of Ecuadorian culture and kept tradition alive.
“What I’m doing right now, happens all the time in Ecuador. It happens all the time. So, it’s going to make me feel like I’m back in Ecuador doing this thing again, but just older,” said Barba-Castro, a junior international business major.
About 130 people attended the Ecuadorian Fashion Show. Barba-Castro is a recipient of the You Are Welcome Here scholarship that lets her represent her country through social events. With assistance from the International Student Affairs office and her friend and marketing director, Alex Quach, Barba-Castro combined her love for fashion and Ecuador. She hosted the event to model traditional Ecuadorian fashion with food, performance and indigenous history.
Grace Zweitzig, a senior media studies and production major, emceed the fashion show, announcing the cultural context for each look and dance. The performers were organized by each region of Ecuador: la Costa, the country’s coastal region, la Sierra, the mountains and el Oriento in the Amazon.
The first region included cultural clothing from el Oriento, honoring the Shuar people of the Amazon. Their culture reflects a deep connection to the rainforest and ancestral traditions.
One model wore the karachi draped over one shoulder with accessories made from natural beads, seeds and feathers. Another wore the itip, a skirt-like garment crafted from plant fibers, and a feather crown. The feather crowns and body paint are worn during ceremonies, representing strength, connection with sacred animals and cultural symbolism.
In a performance honoring the traditions of the Shuar people, spears represented the importance of hunting and fishing. As they danced, their rattles, called chajchas, mimicked the sounds of the rainforest. The women also carried small bowls used to make Chica, a popular Ecuadorian drink.
The next group of models represented La Costa and highlighted the Afro-Ecuadorian community with the women’s colorful wide skirts, embroidered blouses and headwraps.
Zweitzig then introduced a model wearing a pink dress with a beaded bodice and a tulle silhouette symbolizing the quinceañera, a coming-of-age milestone for many Latinas.
La Sierra region started with the Otavalo community within Andean culture. The models wore white linen kushmas representing Mother Earth, anacos, wrapped skirts with multicolored layers, and walkas or necklaces that honor the sun god, Inti.
Ben Martinez, a sophomore year political science major, modeled a poncho, a guagua chumbi, a woven belt, and alpargatas, similar to sandals, to represent the Otavalo culture.
“I don’t really see a lot of it [representation] on campus. I think any representation of any Latino community is good, it’s appreciated, it should be acknowledged,” Martinez said. “I think seeing an Ecuador fashion show in general, is kinda rare.”
Following the garments, the show featured a mask representing El Diablo Huma, known as Aya Huma in its original indigenous language Kichwa, which translates to “Spirit Head” or “Leader Spirit.”
The double-faced mask symbolizes duality: day and night, sun and moon, good and evil. The mask’s ears and nose often form symbolic shapes related to the four cardinal directions and the four elements representing harmony between humans, nature and the cosmos.
Barba-Castro chose a look that specifically honored her grandmother, the attire of the cholitas. The model wore the pollera, an embroidered blouse and the chalina, which are meant for everyday use to protect against the cold or to carry items. The model also wore her hair in traditional braids with ribbons and a paja toquilla atop her hair.
As the final look, Barba-Castro debuted a purple and pink pollera that was formerly her aunt’s, Norely Castro. Castro displayed in her local Reinado, a regional competition similar to a beauty pageant, where she won Queen. The pollera featured a hand painted Ecuadorian woman on the back of the skirt weaving paja toquilla, reflecting Barba-Castro’s agricultural heritage.
Jael Amaya, a freshman political science major who also modeled, highlighted why he believes events like these are necessary.
“Especially in fashion, I don’t think there’s a big space for Hispanics,” Amaya said. “We got Willy Chavarria, which is a very big Hispanic brand. He’s now just getting traction, but I feel like there should be more.”
The afternoon ended with catering from El Rinconcito, an Ecuadorian restaurant in Northeast Philadelphia. All attendees were able to participate in a raffle featuring Ecuadorian jewelry, bags and painted shot glasses. Boys kicked around a soccer ball, while family and friends ate and chatted.
