The Mexican Design Scene as it Stands

Mexico and its sprawling capital Mexico City—one of the largest urban centers in the world—has long been a hotbed of creative activity; attracting nonconformists from around the world with its limited regulations, low living costs, and opportunity to exist more freely. This energy is spawned, in part, by a sense of impermanence—living in the moment. The collective desire to differentiate the massive country has always been an important impetus as has a shared sense of resourcefulness and a willingness to challenge disciplinary definitions.

As it’s often suggested by noted Mexican historian, critic, and curator Ana Elena Mallet—the force behind the “Crafting Modernity, Design in Latin America, 1940–1980” exhibition mounted at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in late 2024—this is achieved through the delicate code-switching of indigenous heritage and the ever-present influx of expats and immigrants; a concept for which she wishes there was a better term, one more appropriately identifying the numerous non-native figures that have called Mexico home over the past hundred years all while leaving an indelible mark on its fiercely independent creative scene.

(Image above: EWE Studio in collaboration with Nouvel Studio)

In a continuous bid to solidify a national identity, there’s always been an appetite to test out different ideas. “A post-disciplinary attitude is something for which Mexico has very much been at the forefront,” says Su Wu, a noted curator and co-founder of globally recognized gallery MASA, as well as one of the previously mentioned ill-defined transplants. She’s lived and worked here since 2017. “I don’t know which direction of causality it goes in, but that’s something that I have been investigating for a while which is how artists can collaborate with designers, that freedom of architects also working on non-functional pieces, that whole process of thinking about work from a different perspective rather than these strict disciplinary silos.

“We have great freedom in Mexico to experiment because our borders are less defined,” says Andrea Cesarman, co-principal of prolific, local architecture practice C Cúbica Arquitectos and the head of the annual Design Week Mexico, an event that more closely surveys the latest development in the country’s design domain than its more fine art and collectible design-focused counterpart Zona Maco, which tends to have a more international focus. “There’s a humanitarian approach to contemporary architecture and design here because we’re not as concerned with just focusing on harnessing the latest technologies. Nor are we stuck looking at the past.”

There’s no denying that Mexico and Mexico City-based design has been grabbing headlines in the past few years, especially in the reinterpretation and harnessing of age-old craft tradition specific to various parts of the country and its rich if rapidly depleting plethora of natural resources. For some, like noted research-oriented designer Fernando Laposse, this approach can sometimes be extractive and exploitative: having poorly remunerated craftspeople carry out the fabrication of sometimes gimmicky designs without really having an input or the arrangement not really benefiting them or their communities. It’s a dilemma that several other Mexican designers have begun to grapple with in earnest. 

For the past decade, Laposse has developed several projects that deal with Mexico’s massive economic inequity and the steady erasure of its once-thriving agriculture caused by overconsumption and other environmental factors. Rather than simply seeking to “revive” craft traditions as many others do to a somewhat superficial degree, he’s worked closely with various farmers to establish new craft practices that provide them with renewed dignity and purpose; especially when it comes to reinvigorating their age-old artisanal expertise. Other talents are following suit.

“I think for me it was really while being abroad, trying to almost distill what it means to be Mexican and what design could be without falling into the cliches of little sombreros, that I started to focus on the rural parts of the country, Mexico isn’t just cities and beach, it’s agriculture,” Laposse explains.

With this foundation, today’s crop of ever-influential Mexican designers is taking on the future in its own way while also finding more responsible ways to celebrate the country’s cultural history. The scene is, unquestionably, maturing. “We’ve been going to Mexico Design Week for a decade now,” says ICFF brand co-director Odile Hainaut. “Discovering and following the evolution of this dynamic community, we’ve witnessed the development of more and more sophisticated applications defined by beautiful production processes and the use of refined finishes. And yet, this scene is still adhering to its distinctive design language that I feel doesn’t align with any prescriptive trends. Rather, talents operating here are maintaining their freedom, originality, and authenticity.”

As the following practices and companies demonstrate, the tendencies, more so than fads, currently driving Mexican design center heavily on the idea of looking to the past to inform the future while also the notion of living in the moment—the balancing act Cesarman previously described; taking a more considered approach to age-old craft traditions; and as always, remaining resourceful.

Perhaps the most recognized of these creatives is Hector Esrawe. The polymathic talent and entrepreneur—also a founder of MASA gallery and EWE—has forged an illustrious multidisciplinary practice centered on the idea of translating tried and true materials, processes, and artisanal techniques in new paradigms; elevating Mexican craft heritage through highly visceral—abstract yet referential—furnishings and fully immersive interiors. His process also extends to experimental hand blown glass and even perfume. The boutique Xinū brand releases scents that incorporate locally sourced incredits, an implicit rather than explicit championing of the country’s varied flora.  

Celebrating the rich, often overlooked if understandably eclectic modernist canon of Mexican architecture and design—the abundant history explored in the previously mentioned MoMA exhibition—is furniture producer Clásicos Mexicanos. The limited edition collectibles brand re-editions obscure furnishings often integral to total work of art architectural projects, like that of Cuban-Mexican maverick Clara Porset’s Mid-century Modern Chimalistac home in Mexico City. In these purpose-built spaces, everything from the cutlery to structural engineering was taken into consideration all as the reflection of a single statement or vision. 

Comite de Proyectos—the collective force of designer Andrea Flores and Lucía Soto—channels emotion into equally holistic interiors outfitted and limited edition furnishings that take on a refined if very slightly ornate quality. Like many Mexican designers, the duo looks to cohere the seemingly disparate but actually complementary works of industrial and craft-led production. Yet another multidisciplinary studio working across interiors, furnishing, and accessories, Hiato Creativo looks to imbue projects with the human touch and sensibility of natural materials with narrative and emotion regardless of scale. The refinement of this oft-cohesive application is unparalleled. 

Perhaps best exemplifying Hainaut’s assessment is lighting practice Bandido, a studio that distills the forms, material, and techniques specific to Mexican heritage but in pared-back if just oh so alternative luminaires, unexpected anchors of emitted and diffused light. Like many of the other highlighted talents, there’s no longer a need for ostentatious or forced expression here. The point comes across in recognizable if slightly skewed compositions. 

Other emerging entities with a similar level of sophistication carrying across different sectors of design—and slowly but surely gaining international renome—include Daniel Couttolenc,  Raoul de la Cerda, AdHoc as well as Pērch, David Pompa, and StenStudio; even if airing on the somewhat more bold and geometric side. 

Explore more of the last design week at www.designweekmexico.com