On February 7, 2025, Campillo unveiled its Fall Winter 2025 collection, Fictions of Reality, at 180 Maiden Lane in New York City. Designer Patricio Campillo drew inspiration from personal memories and the dreamlike elements of Mexican magic realism, presenting a collection that blurs the line between the everyday and the extraordinary. At a time when reality often feels disjointed, Campillo offers an alternate perspective, one that embraces wonder and the power of storytelling through clothing.
Campillo’s upbringing served as the foundation for Fictions of Reality, with details woven throughout the collection that reflect both personal experiences and broader cultural influences. Small coffee flowers, used as buttons across multiple garments, referenced his childhood spent on a coffee plantation. These subtle yet meaningful choices transformed everyday objects into design elements that carry deeper emotional weight.
The collection also explored Latin America’s layered history, merging traditional aesthetics with surrealist elements. By connecting the ordinary with the fantastical, Campillo reflected the region’s complex social and cultural fabric, where folklore, politics, and art often intersect.
Mexican surrealist painter Remedios Varo played a key role in shaping the visual language of the collection. Known for her dreamlike depictions of supernatural elements within familiar settings, Varo’s work influenced Campillo’s approach to texture, volume, and structure. The garments in Fictions of Reality carried that same ethereal quality, with silhouettes that balanced technical complexity and fluidity.
Through layered fabric manipulations and sculptural tailoring, Campillo experimented with new ways to create movement and depth. Charro tailoring, typically associated with traditional Mexican horsemen, was reinterpreted to introduce a structured yet fluid sensibility. This approach not only honored traditional craftsmanship but also challenged conventional ideas of masculinity and femininity, reinforcing the collection’s dreamlike and ambiguous nature.
Volume played a central role in the collection, with exaggerated shapes and unexpected silhouettes defining many of the looks. Garments moved between sharply tailored designs and pieces that felt weightless, reinforcing the idea of shifting between realities.
Beyond tailoring, intricate embellishments added another layer to the collection’s surrealist theme. Textures that mimicked natural elements, combined with embroidery and fabric treatments, created garments that appeared to transform under different lights and perspectives. The contrast between structure and softness was at the core of Campillo’s vision, emphasizing how fashion can be both grounded in tradition and endlessly imaginative.
To complete the looks, footwear and belts were provided by the Portuguese Footwear Association (APICCAPS) and Mariano Shoes. These pieces complemented the collection’s emphasis on detail, bringing an additional dimension of artisanal work to the runway.
Guests at the show included Saint JHN, Adriel Favela, Estibaliz, Gabriela Berlingeri, RaiNao, B.o.B, and Eva Gutowski. As the audience took in the collection, they were met with a series of garments that reflected Campillo’s deeply personal approach to design, where nostalgia, symbolism, and structure came together in unexpected ways.
