Fernando Montaño the Colombian dancer who now performs internationally having previously been a soloist with the Royal Ballet, based in London's Covent Garden, launched Cachua, a new fashion brand 'from the Andes to the world', in central London last week.
An exciting new, sustainable and ethical luxury fashion and jewellery brand, Cachua premiered a unique catwalk fashion show which celebrated the bicenturies of Colombia and Peru by combining Colombian jewellery and Peruvian alpaca garments. The packed event was full of industry experts and designers alike who came to support both Cachua and Fernando himself, in a successful event which highlighted the importance of sustainability. The catwalk included pieces for both men and women, with bespoke, elegant and simplistic designs. A white, black and red theme emerged as one of the highlights of the smart, knitted garments, as well as the more formal dark blue full body pieces. The show lasted just over an hour and a Colombian/Peruvian inspired soundtrack played throught before cocktails were served for the guests. At the end of the event, Fernando gave a speech detailing his excitement and optimism for the future of the brand, and highlighting that luxury products can and should also be sustainable. He also expressed his humility, stating that he was still a student in his own learning process, before patiently posing for a long queue of guests who wanted photos with the star of the show.
Special performances included Alexandra Dariescu, an internationally acclaimed Romaninan pianist and producer of The Nutcracker, Elly Suh, Korean-American award winning violinist and pop singer Sofia Lafuente. More information on his new eye-catching collection can be found on https://cachua.co.uk or at @maisoncachua on socials.
Fernando is the first Colombian to dance with the Royal Ballet having joined them in 2006. In both 2013 and 2014 he was voted Personality of the Year at the LUKAS Awards and in November 19, 2015 he made his debut in a principal role when he performed 'the lover' in The Two Pigeons. More recently, his new fashion brand Cachua danced into the spotlight at its debut this week.
Fernando has since has performed in many different countries including Mexico, Russia, Japan, China, Jamaica, Spain, Italy and the US, whilst working regularly with the British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood. In 2016 Fernando was a judge on 52 episodes of the first ever Colombian series of Dancing with the Stars, known locally as Bailando con las Estrellas. He was also the subject of a BBC documentary, 'Dancing for Peace', that was broadcast in the UK and around the world in 2016. In September 2016 Montaño premiered 'Foot-Ba', his new fusion of dance and football, at the globally televised opening ceremony of the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Cali.
Creative Director: Leslie Alejandra Palacios
Photographer: Juan Manuel Arróspide
Model: Molly Tuesta
Assistant Production: Mauricio Palacios
Hair: Vanessa Fernández
Make Up: Maria Fernanda Delgado
Location: Amano Museum
Special thanks: Mundo Alpaca by Michell (Arequipa-Peru)
