Arlette, the mysterious Mexican designer sparking a buckle revolution

This story is taken from the spring 2024 issue of Dazed. Order a copy here.

Mexican multidisciplinary artist Arlette is recalling the exact moment her life changed. Commissioned to create a piece for Kendrick Lamar’s appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2022, she found herself on a plane from her native Mexico to New York with just a backpack and the outfit she had designed for the hitmaking rapper. “I hadn’t showered in two days, so I brought my cap because my friends told me, ‘Güey [Dude], your hair looks disgusting,’” chuckles Arlette, whose craftsmanship blends intricate metalwork and accessory design.

Arlette navigated the alien terrain of the city – with all of its New-York-minute pace and American Dream-defining spirit – with caution. “I got into a cab that looked like a fake that wanted to charge me $80,” the 25-year-old recalls. “I thought, ‘Oh shit,’ and got off in the middle of New York. I had to get to Kendrick’s hotel. When I got there I was intimidated by the racks [of clothes] coming out of the hotel, and I met his stylist. She told me my cap was dope so I said, ‘I made it, keep it.’ Everything seemed like a movie to me.”

Her father played a pivotal role in shaping her visual language, instilling in her a deep appreciation for Mexican culture. “My dad used to train horses for Joan Sebastian,” she says with a shaky, almost wistful voice. “My dad is my idol in my eyes. He taught me a lot of that horse stuff. That’s what I grew up watching and it’s always been my dream to incorporate that language [into my work].” Today, she holds a deep reverence for the more modern corridos tumbados music – the rebellious guitar-led urbano sound pioneered by Natanael Cano – alongside late, great regional figures like Chalino Sánchez and Sebastian.

Arlette, her business, is the product of the artist’s deepest passions and contradictions. Well-mannered yet refreshingly foul-mouthed, in person she fires off reams of Mexican slang and exudes an infectious energy about her art and upbringing. When Arlette was 16, a tragic accident left her father with a brain injury, robbing him of speech and leaving him semi-paralysed. It marked a radical shift in the artist’s trajectory, steering her away from her envisioned cowgirl life, and towards art. She began practising photography and experimenting with visual storytelling, but it wasn’t until she met her roommate, a model, who encouraged the budding artist to explore fashion, that everything finally began to click.

Her move to London at 19 years old, to study at Central Saint Martins, also marked a turning point in her appreciation of queer culture. Coming from a predominantly heteronormative environment in Mexico, where caution was often advised regarding expressions of sexuality and identity, she found London’s LGBTQ+ culture liberating. “When I moved to London it was all this exploration of sensuality and sexuality that I had never known,” Arlette reflects. “I had met people in Mexico from that community, but it was always like, ‘Be careful.’ Seeing all this expression was very inspiring.” This exposure broadened her perspective. “It’s about questioning, accepting and embracing – a journey that continues to shape my work and personal growth.”

The aspiring designer finally took the plunge into the world of high fashion. For a show for Mowalola Ogunlesi, the Nigerian-born fashion designer living in London, Arlette crafted metal shoe accessories, merging her brassy, artisanal skills with high-fashion craft. “I really admire Mowa, not only because of what she’s like or for the fashion side, but because she’s a woman and a strong character in the industry,” she says. 

After finishing her course and struggling to extend her visa, Arlette returned to Mexico and settled in Guadalajara. Undeterred, the new graduate responded to an old DM from Kendrick Lamar’s stylist. “When I was [in Guadalajara], I was like, ‘I need to do something. I’m gonna write to Kendrick and do this outfit,’” she remembers. “It had to be this crazy thing. I sat down, did this design, sent it to them, and they loved it… Then they were like, ‘Can we have this in, like, four days? My whole family obviously knew because it was the opportunity of a lifetime.”

The SNL performance unfolded like a dream. Arlette, alongside newfound Mexican friends including photographer Joaquin Castillo, experienced the electrifying moment at a local NYC bar, downing free tequila courtesy of a bartender friend. “I remember we were all sitting down like, ‘OK, this is the moment. What is he gonna wear?!’ Then he appears dressed in my full [look] and my cap – which was not part of the outfit!” The emotional surge was overwhelming: there were tears, laughter and a collective sense of achievement. “Joaquin was like, ‘¡No mames! [No way!] Amiga, you made it!’ We went to the door of SNL to take pictures.” Later, Arlette was invited to dress the star for his European tour, including a performance that’s been nominated for a 2024 Grammy for best music film, Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour. “That full outfit is mine. It’s incredible,” she beams.

“I’ve never been one to show my face or put myself in photos. A lot of people think I’m a man… maybe because the things that I might be seen as ultra-masculine” – Arlette

The collaboration led to more high-profile successes: Burna Boy was seen wearing her signature buckles at the half-time show of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Utah; Travis Scott commissioned her to design the belt he wears for his 2023 album, Utopia; and there have been fits for the likes of Rauw Alejandro and Rosalía, Rema and one of this issue’s cover stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “The artists I’m collaborating with have given me that space where we can get deep and find meaning in our conversations to create things that make us both proud,” she reflects.

Beyond her buckle revolution, late last year Arlette unveiled her first solo exhibition, José, at Rose Easton gallery in London. An homage to her beloved father and national heritage, the show featured sculptures blending volcanic rock with metal, a symbolic mechanical horse and a whimsical vending machine filled with trucker caps, belts and jewellery. Showcasing her mastery over elemental materials rooted in her upbringing in the silver-rich Zacatecas, the exhibition delved into themes of love, family loyalty, grief and the culture of hypermasculinity in Mexico. “Let’s say that fighting cocks has become something very cancellable for the world, as well as palenques [where bullfighting happens]. If I were running a palenque in London? ¡Verga! But these are cultural things I inevitably grew up seeing,” says Arlette, whose work toys with materials employed in traditionally masculine roles in her hometown from carved rock to welded silver. “Today when I am creating, I draw from that. For example, the show José, which was about my father, had a lot to do with all this childhood nostalgia, with these very masculine symbols.”

Despite her recent successes, Arlette keeps a low profile on social media. “I’ve never been one to show my face or put myself in photos,” she says. “When I’ve had projects, a lot of people think I’m a man. In fact, with Burna Boy, everyone thought I was a man, maybe because the things that I might be seen as ultra-masculine.” Instead, the Mexican creator prefers to bury herself in research. Today she’s back working on the corridos tumbados scene currently dominating the Billboard Latin charts and beyond, powered by artists like Natanael Cano, Peso Pluma, and Fuerza Regida.

From the rural ranches of Mexico to the high-stakes world of fashion and celebrity collaborations, Arlette’s journey seems to drift organically and well outside the box. I’m struck by the relentless spirit she embodies, her passion for Mexican tradition and the gritty determination of a Mexico City native as vivid as the stories she encodes in her metalwork.

Arlette, with her infectious energy and street-smart savvy, is a testament to the hustle that defines her. As a fellow Mexican, her journey resonates deeply, of navigating unfamiliar territories with a bold heart and an unyielding drive. “Just because I’ve done a few projects for some güeyes who are big doesn’t mean I’ve made it,” she says, as we wrap. “I’m still in the hustle trying to see qué pedo [what’s up].”

Photographic assistant JAIR FRANCO. Title type ARLETTE, 3D modelling MONIKA ADAMCZYK