NOT EVERYTHING IN COLOMBIA IS “TROPICAL”: JOEG PRESENTS ITS SS25 COLLECTION SELENE

All images used on this article appear as a courtesy of Luisina Cáceres (@luisinacaceres_ph) and were taken during JOEG's runway show for its SS25 collection "Selene" on September 20th 2024 in Bogotá, Colombia.

In global pop culture, Colombia is primarily seen as a “tropical” country, meaning: colorful. With Medellín and Cartagena as some of the hottest touristic destinations right now, and a myriad of cultural expressions that revolve around Caribbean sensibilities (Macondo could never be a cold mountain town), it is easy to understand why people who doesn’t know much about Colombia assume that its capital is also warm… but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Bogotá is a metrópolis that stands 2640 meters over the sea level, in the central mountain range of the country. It’s a huge city, it’s tough and mostly gloomy, where its population usually wears winter clothing, leather boots and carries an umbrella everywhere they go. In Bogotá’s culture, references to what is otherwise considered typical for Colombia are rather rare, and Colombians from other regions call it “la nevera” (which translates to “the fridge”) for its temperature, colder than most of other cities in the country, even if global warming has made it hotter in recent years.

It’s in this moorland environment, in 2020, where JOEG was born. This brand, with José Julián Guerrero as its founder and creative director, is completely from Bogotá on a DNA level. The color palette used throughout all collections is minimalistic: white (both crisp and raw), black, different hues of gray, olive green. The silhouettes are definitely urban and usually oversized, in fabrics meant to be used in colder weather such as denim, broad cloth and leather.

Selene, JOEG’s 2025 spring-summer collection, inspired by the Greek goddess of moon, was presented in public for the first time on September 20th 2024 at Boro Room, a concert and party venue in Chapinero, one of the central districts of Bogotá. This collection was a proof of the brand’s aesthetic and technical evolution, introducing new details that didn’t appear on previous collections.

The clothes in Selene were more formal, even softer, than previous works. There were shirts and pants in linen, mid-length A-line skirts, raw white dresses with black details, all of them bringing a light vibe that is new for the brand.

Textile experimentation was another highlight of Selene. Layers of white and black linen, new explorations of grey hues, burnt details, seemingly unfinished stitching, relieves in the same shade of clothes. All these non-conventional textile manipulation techniques resulted in a collection that showcased the next level for JOEG: more sophisticated, formal and elegant, with clear influences of some of the biggest creators in contemporary avant-garde fashion such as Yohji Yamamoto, Haderlump and Devoa.

Madeiro performing the live soundtrack for Selene.

The runway’s soundtrack was made by singer-songwriter Madeiro, with a fully live set where he performed raw blues and rock and roll with no backup band, just him and his electric guitar. The following sets by local DJs Dziv and Cerberus Greek, composed by selections of different techno styles, fit the metropolitan environment of the show, completely on brand with JOEG’s DNA.

Dziv playing his DJ set at the Selene's afterparty.

In a country with so many contrasts as Colombia, that has all weathers, cultures and biodiversity you could think of, there aren’t many fashion brands that dare to step outside of the stereotypes of what is colorful and tropical. Their approach to fashion is necessary to have a more well-rounded, global market. Brands like JOEG contribute to widen the perspective of what Colombian fashion can be, and to position the local industry as one of the strongest of the American continent. And, why not? Even worldwide.