Campillo Reimagines the Charro for SS27

On a sharp late-summer day, a helipad on a downtown pier overlooking Governors Island became the site of one of the most anticipated New York Fashion Week runways. Here, Campillo staged its Spring/Summer ’27 show entitled In Media Res—or “in the midst of things” in Latin.

 

Mexico City-based designer Patricio Campillo’s collection occupied the middle ground between his Mexican heritage and the brand’s space in the contemporary fashion realm, which continues to be restless as the greater landscape begins to move towards a slimmer minimalism reminiscent of the ’90s. 

 

There were bold, heavily saturated primaries in fluidly moving silks and crepes, powerful suiting shoulders that cinched in dramatically at the waist, horsehair fringe running down trousers and flowing from the footwear, all of which swayed from side to side as the grinning models trotted down the runway. 

The individual pieces became all the more intriguing through styling that balanced the undone with the refined: jackets were deliberately misbuttoned, collars sat asymmetrically, and jeans were left splayed open to reveal layers beneath. Coquettishly cropped graphic tees appeared alongside horsehair dresses and skirts, wrestling tops, and denim jackets worn backward.

 

Charro dress codes continued to be reinterpreted through Campillo’s design language, with side-buttoned trousers that expose bright sunset-like colors underneath, cropped jackets fringed with horsehair and western detailing, silk neckties, and coats with embedded horsehair strands reminiscent of Charro ornamentation. Models sported antique bridles as accessories, as a further nod to the equestrian tradition, feathered necklaces, knotted belts, and treated silk chaps.

Footwear was made in collaboration with Mariano Shoes, where Portuguese leather was transformed with Mexican craftsmanship. Mules came in hot pinks and deep blues, both square and pointed towards the toe with a slight springstep, some with horsehair and others as reserved as Campillo would allow, taking on a more traditional slipper shape.

 

As the show concluded, it was hard not to pick up on a certain kind of joy, perhaps from the smiles and bright colors; it felt like a resistance to the stuffiness that tends to dominate NYFW and a celebration of a culture under heavy scrutiny in the United States.