Can you introduce the minds behind Chroma Bureau?

 

Naty: Hello, I’m Naty Lara, the art director and co-founder of Chroma. I’m also the founder of “Los Puentes”, my physical accessories brand.

 

Pablo: Hi everyone! I’m Pablo Alfieri, creative director of Playful and Chroma Bureau.

 

How would you describe Chroma's mission and creative ethos?

 

Pablo: Chroma Bureau is born out of the meaning of the purity of color. The three rings represent the RGB of the digital world and at the same time, the synergy between humans, nature, and technology.

 

Naty: Our mission with Chroma is to create a new spectrum of fashion and also provide people with tools to generate a new digital identity. In order to provide those tools, we have created a collection of 11 different looks and 12 different identities that people can mix and play with to generate their own identity.

 

Could you tell us more about your personal backgrounds and how you entered the world of digital fashion?

 

Pablo: My career dates back to 2008. I worked in local graphic design studios in the City of Buenos Aires, and after a couple of years, I began working in an animation studio more focused on television branding. In 2010, I founded a studio with Mariano Farías called Plenty, and after six years, I decided to take a new direction because I needed to explore new artistic expressions within the digital world. I founded Playful in 2017, and later, around 2019-2020, I met Naty in a well-known coworking space in Barcelona called Pamplona. After a few years, we founded Chroma and grew the project together.

 

Naty: I started as a fashion designer in Colombia for a multinational company where I designed lingerie and swimwear. Later, I decided to come to Barcelona to specialize in art direction. And, as Pablo says, we met in a coworking space. I worked for a renowned photographer as his art director. That’s where we met and found a way to create something from our creative encounter. And well, that’s Chroma.

 

 

Your inspiration is very diverse, from science fiction to vintage clothing models to professional uniforms. What does the Chroma style represent?

 

Naty: For us, Chroma represents sophistication in sports. Our collections endure; they are seasonless. We also aim for it to be gender-neutral, so anyone can wear Chroma to express themselves however they wish. Thus, we reside at the intersection of sportiness and luxury.

 

 

How do your designs talk about the world today or the future?

 

Pablo: Our designs speak from a slightly more technical and functional perspective. We not only want to create beautiful garments but also ensure they are functional. We believe this is one of the current trends in the fashion market. We aim to belong to that niche where garments are truly designed for specific uses, especially with the idea of protecting us from harsh winters or intense hot summers.

Do you have a favorite design that represents you more as a studio? Why?

 

Naty: Yes, we have two favorite designs. The first one is the ‘Dream Catcher.’ It was one of the first designs we created, and I think the name somewhat represents us. We are like dream hunters. This look represents elegance and athleticism. The second look we like and that represents our brand concept is the ‘Zodiac Agent.’ Especially the version we made for the suit in the short film directed by Mariano Abel. There we found a conceptual coherence between how we merge with nature to coexist with it and transcend. So, those two looks are the ones that represent us the most as a studio.

 

 

Your "chapters" are true digital art pieces. What's your process for drawing inspiration and executing these videos?

 

Pablo: Thank you for the compliment! Yes, we believe they are small digital works of art. It was a beautiful idea that came about from the very moment we created Chroma. The concept of the campaign was the journey. After the pandemic period, it was something both Naty and I needed, and we believe that the journey is not only the travel to places, but the conceptual idea of traveling, whether in dreams or in any spectrum. The idea of the chapters was for each of them to be directed by friends of the family. Super talented people in the world of CGI. The names are Diego Diapolo, Mariano Abel, Macs Riedel, Fede Kanno, and Alex Levington. With them, we were fortunate to work under the idea in which the human being merges with nature through the journey.

 

 

Does music inspire your fashion? How?

 

Naty: I believe that music is a tremendous source of inspiration for us. It’s something that not only inspires us for Chroma but also for ‘Los Puentes,’ my brand. It takes us to places we haven’t been and where the mind can wander. That’s why music is so important to us for the project. Each of the short films has a very special musical touch. For the 4th one, for example, we were looking for something that would make an impact and convey an awakening to this new spectrum.

 

Chroma currently offers physical garments alongside digital creations. Do you foresee a fusion of these realms in the future?

 

Pablo: One of Chroma Bureau’s missions is precisely to transcend to the digital realm. We made a small attempt by embracing the first digital collection, creating a pack of goodies with a bag, a belt, and a balaclava. But the truth is, when some of our designs or even looks will transcend into the real world, we want to be more conscious, responsible, and ensure that they are truly functional garments, meeting certain sustainability requirements. We don’t want to produce quantity but quality. We hope to partner with real-world fashion producers in the future. In fact, we already have some potential partners.

 

 

How do you think technology is changing how we see and wear fashion?

 

Pablo: We believe that the use of technology should be for the greater good. The fashion industry is going through a very challenging time. I think ‘fast fashion’ will have to end in some way in the next ten years. Technology has to help make this happen, especially by being mindful, embracing sustainability, and producing materials that stop harming the world. It’s the only way.»

 

Naty: I believe that technology is bringing us a lot in terms of fashion, especially being able to produce much more technical clothing, more adapted to extreme heat or cold, including fabrics and textiles that have sun protection.

 

Pablo: And good materials that make us feel more comfortable.

 

Naty: So, yes, we feel that technology truly is our great ally. It can be our great destroyer, but our vision is much more positive and enthusiastic.

Could you introduce us to your muse, the model who wears all your creations? How did you envision her, and what does she represent to you?

 

Pablo: Our muse is named Siurana. Her name is precisely inspired by the Siurana reservoir located in Catalonia. We visited it when we were creating her, and we loved the name. We thought her Asian features were exotic. We wanted to mix them with different ethnic genres, and that’s how she was born. But to be honest, our original idea was to create 11 different identities. At the time, two years ago, the work was very complex to solve. Nowadays, avatars can be generated with metahumans in just a few minutes. But our muse was generated before this technological advance, so we practically had to commit to her. Imagine that technically adapting clothing to different human anatomies is very laborious and time-consuming. But we would have loved to work with different anatomies, bodies, ethnicities, and actually not define genders. Unfortunately, sometimes CGI has its limitations.

 

 

Is there anyone you'd love to work with on a project? Why?

 

Naty: I have many people in mind. But Knick Night is a photographer I’ve been following for years and who has inspired my design and my perspective a lot. In addition to that, he has been revolutionary in the world of fashion and technology. I think he is one of the people I would most like to connect with at some point and show him Chroma.

 

Pablo: Wow, very difficult! With Naty, we have many, many dreams or aspirations of people we want to work with. Personally, I would love to work with Craig Green. I feel a strong affinity with him and his projects with Moncler and Adidas; they never cease to amaze me time and time again. Perhaps in the creative world, I also admire Demna Gvasalia and his transgressive approach through his collections and especially his shows. I find them to be very distinctive, and of course, I would love to work with him on a fashion show.

 

 

What is your vision for the future of Chroma and how do you think it may impact the evolution of digital fashion?

 

Pablo: Just as there are trends in the world of real fashion, we believe there are trends in the digital fashion world. We want to somewhat separate ourselves from those trends, trying to anchor ourselves more to the real world. Despite the infinite possibilities offered by the digital world, we would love for the transcendence to be through that thin line with the physical.

 

As for the impact, I’m not sure what impact we could potentially generate, but I suppose if we are one of the first digital brands to transcend into the real world, I sense that there may be some impact in that regard from our practices. Perhaps today, our explorations may also lead us in a certain direction, but we are content with being able to continue moving forward and bringing this project to life.