Three Decades of São Paulo Fashion Week, Mario Vargas Llosa’s Must-Read Books, Dominican Women in Art

And More Top Stories from Latin America's Creative Industries

Apr 22, 2025

🇧🇷 São Paulo Fashion Week turns 30 with a landmark public show by Piet. The 59th edition of São Paulo Fashion Week, the country’s largest fashion event, took place from April 6 to 11, marking three decades since its inception. This season featured 17 runway shows held across a mix of outdoor venues and key locations including JK Iguatemi and Casa Higienópolis.

Aluf, by Ana Luisa Fernandes, opened the schedule, setting the tone for a week that balanced established names including João Pimenta, Walerio Araújo, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Dario Mittman, Patricia Viera, Dendezeiro, Lino Villaventura, Handred, Weider and À La Garçonne with newer brands such as Normando and Reptilia. Exciting debuts included Leandro Castro and MNMAL by Flávio Gamaum.

“People didn’t believe a fashion week in Brazil was possible,” said Paulo Borges, founder and artistic director of SPFW, in a video posted to his Instagram account. Reflecting on the event’s trajectory, he said it helped shape professions and transform the industry.

The week closed with Piet’s anticipated return, after a six-year hiatus, drawing 4,000 attendees to its first public show at São Paulo’s Estádio Pacaembu. The SS25 “Farmers League Collection” featured collaborations with Oakley, Puma, Swarovski and KidSuper.

Renzo Rosso Eyes São Paulo for Diesel Building as Brand Expands Lifestyle Vision. Renzo Rosso is close to signing a deal for a Diesel-branded building in São Paulo, marking a new phase in the OTB founder’s growing real estate ambitions. During Milan Design Week 2025, Diesel Living unveiled two new projects: a sofa and armchair collection with Moroso, and a pendant light with lighting brand Lodes — both designed by creative director Glenn Martens. The move signals Diesel’s push to evolve beyond fashion into a full lifestyle offering. (Fashion Network.br)

ARTS

🇵🇪 10 Essential Books by Mario Vargas Llosa

On April 13, Mario Vargas Llosa, one of Latin America’s greatest literary figures, passed away in Lima at the age of 89. A towering presence in global literature, Vargas Llosa left behind more than 50 works, including novels, essays, plays, short stories, children's tales, and an autobiography. A key figure in the Latin American literary boom of the 1960s, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010, celebrated as a "divinely gifted storyteller". His powerful explorations of authoritarianism, violence, and machismo, told through masterful language and imagery, cemented his place in literary history and brought international acclaim to Latin American writing. Beyond literature, he also made headlines with his bid for Peru’s presidency in 1990.

As the world reflects on his extraordinary legacy, these ten essential works offer a window into the mind of a writer who reshaped modern literature and captured the complexities of Latin America like few others.

From La ciudad y los perros (1962), the groundbreaking debut that marked his fierce defence of freedom against authoritarianism, to Conversación en La Catedral (1969), a personal favourite where he dissects Peru’s political decay, Vargas Llosa consistently challenged and captivated his audience. His memoir El pez en el agua (1993) offers an intimate look at the experiences that shaped both the man and the writer, while La fiesta del Chivo (2000) remains a landmark novel on dictatorship and tyranny in Latin America.

(CNN Español)

Raíces y Renacimiento Mujeres Dominicanas en el Arte. Image via @AustriaUlloa

🇩🇴 Model Austria Ulloa Curates a Bold Rebirth of Dominican Women in Art

"Raíces y Renacimiento: Mujeres Dominicanas en el Arte" brings the powerful works of 22 Dominican women artists to the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture. Curated by (top model) Austria Ulloa, the exhibition explores memory, identity and transformation through painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media, drawing from Dominican folklore, Afro-Caribbean spirituality and the diasporic experience. Where: Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, located on the campus of Hostos Communtiy College | CUNY at 450 Grand Concourse, off 149th Street, in the Bronx. More info & tickets here.

MUSIC

🇲🇽🇵🇷 Vicente Fernández, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Freddy Fender Join US National Recording Registry

Mexican icon Vicente Fernández, Puerto Rican-American playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Tejano star Freddy Fender are among the latest Latin artists inducted into the US National Recording Registry. Announced on April 9, the additions include Fernández’s ranchera classic "El Rey," the original Broadway cast recording of "Hamilton," and Fender’s hit "Before the Next Teardrop Falls." They join the ranks of legends like Celia Cruz, Juan Gabriel, Daddy Yankee, Gloria Estefan, and Selena Quintanilla, bringing the total number of Latin recordings preserved by the Library of Congress to 29. (NBC News).

🎶 Billboard Names the 50 Greatest Female Latin Pop Artists of All Time

Billboard has released its list of the top 50 female Latin pop artists of all time. Icons like Shakira, Celia Cruz, and Selena Quintanilla top the ranking, alongside Jenni Rivera, Gloria Estefan, and Ivy Queen. Contemporary artists like Becky G, Kali Uchis, and Julieta Venegas also made the list. (Billboard)

🇩🇴 Rubby Pérez, Icon of Dominican Merengue, Dies at 68

Beloved Dominican merenguero Rubby Pérez died on 8 April after the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in Santo Domingo. Pérez, 68, was hosting an event at the venue when the incident occurred. The tragedy left at least 98 dead and more than 150 injured.

Known as “the loudest voice in merengue,” Pérez rose to fame in the 1980s and achieved international success in 1987 when he entered the Billboard charts. Born Roberto Antonio Pérez Herrera, he was awarded honours such as the Premios Casandra and Premios Globo. His voice and stage presence leave a lasting legacy in Dominican music and culture.

This was perhaps his most famous song: Volveré.

Venezuelan migrants relied on clickwork to survive. Now AI is replacing them

For years, Venezuelan migrants survived off clickwork — low-level digital jobs like tagging data, content moderation, or writing SEO content. Now AI is putting them out of work. ⁠

⁠“There could come a time when there are simply no more tasks, it’s over and forgotten. I think that would be a nightmare for all of us,” said Oskarina Fuentes, who trained as an oil and gas engineer in Venezuela. She moved to Colombia in 2019 and began tagging data for an AI platform. Fuentes competes with thousands of other workers for 5–25 cents per task, but the jobs are becoming fewer and further between. ⁠ Rest of The World.