ABOUT
Mission
LAFS aims to elevate and enrich the regional fashion industry through several platforms, most notably, a yearly conference that brings together a powerful group of industry-related individuals, such as designers, high-level executives, buyers, media representatives and investors.
LAFS 2019
November 12th-16th
Cartagena, Colombia
Our second summit successfully offered different activities that fostered creativity and promoted the exchange of ideas via panels, workshops, networking sessions and for the first time ever, the LAFS showroom.
Throughout the week, LAFS provided over 25 hours of content via panels and workshops
Topics of interest as voted by our audience:
1. Retail and business strategies
2. Sustaintability
3. Marketing, Technology and Media
4. Social Responsibility.
700 attendees representing 20 countries of all Latin America.
80% of this year’s ticket holders were women; entrepreneurs, designers, business owners, leaders in their field.
Demographics
The summit speaks predominantly to Latin American and US Hispanic designers and entrepreneurs. We contribute with valuable tools and resources and provide an unparalleled networking experience to all of our attendees.
With a $160 billion dollar fashion market, Latin America has become an attractive region to major players thanks to a rapid growing middle class with high purchasing power.
The Hispanic buying power is an astonishing growing market accounting 18% of the total US population and it is the second fastest growing demographic group accounting for $1.5 trillion USD in purchasing power.
LAFS 2018 Facts
320 attendees representing 18 countries of all Latin America.
112 of LAFS2018 attendees were returning customers for LAFS2019.
75% of our attendees were women; entrepreneurs, designers, business owners, leaders in their field.
Co-Founders
Noticing increasing interest in Latin American fashion and culture, but a general lack of opportunities within the region, entrepreneurs Samantha Tams and Estefania Lacayo embarked on a mission to empower the industry, aiming to make it stronger and more relevant than ever by providing valuable tools and knowledge that adequately prepare local talent for a globalized context.
Born in Nicaragua, but based in New York, Estefania has over seventeen years of experience on the editorial, retail and digital fronts of the fashion industry.
A strong advocate for social impact and development in the region, she joined forces with like-minded Mexican co-founder, Samantha Tams, a retail specialist with significant expertise on global marketing and sales strategies.
Together, they are committed to developing the most important fashion platform in Latin America and proudly sharing its greatness with the rest of the world.
