mexican textile industry strutting down international runways · 2018-09-04 · mexican textile...
TRANSCRIPT
VII - 2011
www.oaxaca.gob.mx www.oaxaca.travel
VII - 20
11 •
MexIcan shoe Industry Fashion Marries Technology Underfoot
MexicanTexTileinDUSTRY Strutting DownInternationalRunways
CampeChea state of InValuable rIchness and hard-workIng people
• Strategically located in Southeast Mexico for international trade: 4,488.68 km of roads, 385 km of railroads, two sea ports and two international airports.
• It is the first producer of palay rice and honey, the largest producer of rock aggregate and crude oil in the country.
• It has a wide range of exportable grains, fruits and vegetables such as corn, watermelon, papaya and habanero peppers.
• The Calakmul Biosphere –the second most important reserve in America and Mexico’s largest tropical rainforest– is located in Campeche.
caMpeche: the greatest place for busIness opportunItIes!
trade and Industrial development secretary, campeche +52 (981) 816 0043http://sedicocamp.comoj.com
2 Negocios
From the CEO 6
Briefs 8
Special Report CampeChe: great business opportunities 10
Business Tips Competitiveness in mexiCo 12
Guest Opinion Competitiveness, an attitude 16
Special Feature mexiCan shoe industry:
Fashion marries teChnology underFoot 18
Mexico’s Partner botas jaCa 24
dione 26
gösh 28
grupo kaltex 35
santiago textil 38
Compañía mexiCana de trajes 40
siete leguas 42
Compañía industrial de parras 44
grupo industrial miro 46
Figures tourism: a strategiC seCtor 48
30Cover featureMexican textilesstrutting down
international runways
Contents
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4 Negocios
50 DestinationMexiCo as a seCond hoMe
66 FashionCarla fernández:
MexiCan fab goes Creative
70 Architecturerevitalizing MexiCan Cities
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The lifestyle Contents
ProMéxiCo
Carlos guzmán bofillCeo
ilse oehler grediagaimage and Communications director
sebastián escalantemanaging [email protected]
miguel Ángel samayoa advertising and [email protected]
natalia herreroCopy editing
q-10 CoMuniCaCión
emma lucila lópez valtierra publisher
sergio anaya editor in Chief
Carlos molinadesign
this is an editorial project for proméxico by q-10 Comunicación.
download the PdF version and read the interactive edition of Negocios ProMéxico at: negocios.promexico.gob.mx
Negocios ProMéxico es una publi-cación gratuita, editada mensual-mente en inglés por proméxico, Camino a santa teresa número 1679, colonia jardines del pedregal, delegación Álvaro obregón, C.p.
the guelaguetzaExpression of Mexican Essence
68
54MexiCoWorld’s Heritage
01900, méxico, d.F., teléfono 54477000, pá-gina Web www.promexico.gob.mx; correo electrónico [email protected] editor responsable: gabriel sebastián esca-lante bañuelos. reserva de derechos al uso exclusivo no. 04-2009-012714564800-102. licitud de título: 14459; licitud de conteni-do: 12032, ambos otorgados por la Comisión Calificadora de publicaciones y revistas ilustradas de la secretaría de gobernación. issn: 2007-1795.Negocios ProMéxico año 4, número vii, julio 2011, se terminó de imprimir el 18 de julio de 2011, con un tiraje de 12,000 ejemplares. im-presa por Cía. impresora el universal, s.a. de C.v. las opiniones expresadas por los auto-res no reflejan necesariamente la postura del editor de la publicación. Queda estrictamen-te prohibida la reproducción total o parcial de los contenidos e imágenes de la publica-ción, sin previa autorización de proméxico.
ProMéxico is not responsible for inaccurate information or omissions that might exist in the information provided by the participant companies nor of their economic solvency. The institution might or might not agree with an author’s statements; therefore the responsibility of each text falls on the writers, not on the institution, except when it states otherwise. Although this magazine verifies all the information printed on its pages, it will not accept responsibility derived from any omissions, inaccuracies or mistakes. July 2011.
Mexico’s business environment is one of the most promising in the world. Behind this success, there are multiple public and private efforts, as well as strategies that have helped improve the country’s competitiveness and generate opti-
mal conditions to attract more productive investment.
Competition is becoming more intense and difficult. Cost reduction is no longer enough and innovation is becoming necessary, given that it adds value to both products and services in order to boost their presence in key markets. Innovation is an increasingly widespread process, and the textile and footwear sectors are prime examples of that. Nowadays, Mexico offers unique and extraordinary design.
Thanks to innovation, many Mexican textile and footwear companies have succeeded in reversing the difficult conditions they once faced due to low cost competition. Far from trying to compete in terms of volume, the Mexican industry understood that specialization was the way to go in order to meet market needs that high-volume producers were unable to satisfy.
Today, the textile and footwear sectors in Mexico have won ground in international markets by forging a path of new proposals based on design, quality, response time and the ability to adapt and satisfy special needs and demands.
This issue of Negocios highlights several Mexican companies, as well as the strategy followed by the textile and shoe industries, offering in-sights into why Mexico’s growth expectations in these sectors are sig-nificantly improving.
Welcome to Negocios!
Carlos GuzmánCEOProMéxico
From the CEO.
ENERGY
EnergeticAlliance
OFFICES ABROADNorth AmericaRegional DirectorWashington, [email protected]
Offices in: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York, Toronto and Vancouver
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www.promexico.gob.mx
8 Negocios8 Negocios
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Fokker Aerostructures and A-merican Industries will build a new Fokker production facil-ity in the city of Chihuahua in Mexico, to be opened by the end of 2011.
With a 14 million usd invest-ment, the facility will produce
work packages for aircraft pro-grams of major Fokker Aero-structures customers.
Production is expected to be-gin in the fourth quarter of 2011 and its initial output is expected to be delivered in the first quar-ter of 2012.
Fokker’s partner in the project, American Industries, is a Mexi-can company that has supported leading aerospace industries with the set-up and management of production activities in Mexico.
www.fokker.com
AerospAce
A New Player in the Mexican Aerospace Industry
briefs.
BBVA Bancomer, Mexico’s larg-est bank, will invest 2 billion usd over the next three years to ex-pand its services in Mexico.
The investment, unprecedent-ed in the Mexican banking sys-tem, will be used to develop the
bank’s technology, expand its branches and cash machines, promote mobile banking and finish building BBVA Bancomer’s new headquarters in Mexico.
www.bbva.com
FinAnciAl services
UnprecedentedInvestment
iT
Plexus Bets on MexicoThe US company Plexus Corporation inaugurated the expansion of its plant in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where it will manufacture high-tech electronic devices and create 450 new jobs.
Plexus invested 14.6 mil-lion usd in the expansion, which represents a 47% increase on the company’s initial investment upon its ar-rival in Mexico in 1999, when it established its first plant with 22 million usd.
Plexus Corporation is a company based in Neenah, Wisconsin, that manufac-tures and develops informa-tion technology (IT) products and services for sectors such as telecommunications, health, security and aero-space, among others.
www.plexus.com
briefs.P
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Improving Capacity
elecTric indusTry
With an investment of more than 60 million usd, the Swedish compa-ny Electrolux expanded its manufacturing facilities in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to manufacture plastic injection and metallic embossing parts for washing machines, dryers and refrigerators.
Electrolux, a company established in Stockholm, Sweden, manu-factures and sells appliances for home and professional use. It has three manufacturing facilities in the state of Chihuahua where it manufactures washing machines, refrigerators and floor-care appli-ances, which are exported mainly to the US.
group.electrolux.com
Mazda Motor is building a new 500 million usd factory in the city of Sala-manca, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato.
The facility will be the fourth overseas assembly site for the Japa-
AuTomoTive
Mazda Parks in Mexico
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nese automaker after the US, Chi-na and Thailand.
Construction of the new plant in Mexico is set to begin this fall, with vehicle production to start in the second half of 2013.
Mazda plans to build compact cars, initially for sale in Mexico and South America, and even-tually export to North America. The factory will have initial ca-pacity of 50,000 cars a year but by March 2014, annual produc-tion is expected to reach up to 140,000 units.
www.mazda.com
personAl cAre
Ongoing Expansion
Procter & Gamble (P&G) started operations of its new plant in Irapuato, Guanajuato, where Gillette razors will be manufactured. About 250 million usd were invested in the new facility, which was built in two years. P&G has nine facilities and two dis-tribution centers in Mexico, where it employs more than 7,000 people.
www.pg.com
10 Negocios
CampeCheGREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIESWith a high potential For manuFaCturing World-Class produCts, CampeChe is the best plaCe to Find a Wide range oF exportable grains, Fruits and vegetables that goes From habanero pepper to honey, exotiC Fruits, Wood and a great variety oF seaFood.
Photos arChive
The state of Campeche is part of the Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeast Mexico. Its agro industrial infrastructure has enabled growth in the manu-
facturing of various products, such as honey and rice, which are ranked first in national production; habanero pepper from the Yu-catán Peninsula, with appellation of origin; sugar cane, with a production of 46,000 tons; corn, whose production doubled in 2010 compared to 2009; watermelon, papaya, wood, fish and seafood such as shrimp, octo-pus, snail and crab.
The state has also developed natural fruit beverages from aloe vera, tamarind and co-conut, as well as various types of habanero pepper sauces that are widely accepted in the market. Apiculture and the habanero pepper industry are key components of the indus-trial process that has been developed in the state of Campeche, which has a high growth potential. It also represents an amazing op-portunity on an international level.
After many years of being ranked the second largest producer of honey and its derivatives in Mexico, Campeche finally be-came the national leader in 2010. Campeche honey producers have worked hard to rescue
their industry, investing in development and increasing productivity, without affecting the natural resources that are characteristic of Campeche honey. Currently, Campeche’s api-culture is highly technical, intensive and orga-nized, and is expected to increase production volumes, leveraging scale economies. This situation will bring increased negotiating power, reduced production costs and boost the country’s competitiveness globally.
Campeche’s main honey producing mu-nicipalities are Hopelchén, Candelaria, Cham-potón, Tenabo, Campeche, Calakmul, Escárce-ga, Carmen, Calkiní and Hecelchakán. These municipalities have exported to countries such as the US, Germany, England, France and sev-eral countries in Central America.
Habanero pepper is one of the most tra-ditional vegetables in Mexico which features in the daily diet of thousands of Mexicans. Its farming, which goes back thousands of years, has transcended to this day, and it is con-sumed in many countries around the world. Habanero pepper became more relevant on June 4, 2010, when the appellation of origin “Habanero pepper from the Yucatán Penin-sula,” was granted to the states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, which together produced 5,431 tons in 2009.
This pepper is appreciated because of its exquisite texture and piquancy; it is known and accepted around the world as one of the vegetables whose image is immediately asso-ciated with Mexico. In the state of Campeche, several value-added habanero pepper prod-ucts have been developed, such as sauces with various degrees of hotness made with habanero pepper and other ingredients like garlic and spices, in order to create a unique flavor. The finished products are of the high-est quality, excellent image and have a deli-cious and unique flavor; primed for success, they can be exported around the world. Mexico exports sauces mainly to the US, Ger-many, the Netherlands, China, Thailand, Italy and Spain, in order of importance, with a 6% annual growth rate.
Campeche is an inviting place to learn about Mexican gastronomy, given the qual-ity and uniqueness of its products –food, beverages, exotic fruits and woods, as well as traditional and quality fish and seafood– and to savor a piece of culture, growth, develop-ment and hard-working people. In short, Campeche’s products, like its people, are in-comparable. n
www.productodecampeche.mx
sPeCial rePort CampeChe
aFter many years oF being ranked the
seCond largest produCer oF honey and
its derivatives in mexiCo, CampeChe Finally
beCame the national leader in 2010.
outstanding produCts: Food,
beverages, exotiC Fruits
and seaFood.
CampeChe’s produCts are
oF the highest Quality.
Mexico –along with Tur-key– made the most size-able gains in competi-tiveness in 2010, of the 59 countries analyzed in the
World Competitiveness Yearbook 2010-2011 produced by the International Institute for Management Development (IIMD). The re-covery achieved by Mexico in 2010, after the dire economical situation facing the world in 2008 and 2009, is good news.
According to the yearbook, the most compet-itive countries and/or areas are the US and Hong Kong (equal top), followed by Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Canada, Qatar, Australia and Germany. In 2010, Mexico climbed from 47th in the 2009 list, to 38th. Meanwhile, Brazil, dropped from 38th in 2009 to 44th in 2010.
The IIMD yearbook classifies countries according to a global competitiveness index calculated in line with indicators that are real and perception-based. The former are hard variables to objectively measure fac-
12 Negocios illustration arChive
COMPETITIVENESS IN MEXICOevery year, mexiCo beComes a better plaCe to do business in. aCCording to the World Competitiveness yearbook by the international institute For management development, mexiCo is making progress in its business environment andimproving its advantages For doing business.
by maría Cristina rosas*
tors such as a country’s government’s debt. The latter are variables that arise from sur-veys carried out in each country, where ac-tors in the economic sector are asked about various factors and about their perception of how these factors may or may not become obstacles to doing business.
In the specific case of Mexico, progress in competitiveness indexes can be explained thanks to improvements in various indicators. First of all, the economic performance indica-tor ranked it 16th in the list, nine places above its 2009 ranking. This factor weighs up the domestic economy, international trade, foreign investment, employment, and inflation.
The government efficiency indicator rose to 43rd place, up three spots from 2009. That factor takes into consideration public finance, fiscal policy, the institutional and social frame-work and business legislation.
In terms of business efficiency, Mexico was ranked 43rd, climbing eight places from 2009. That factor assesses business productivity, the
labor markets, the finance sector, management practices, social attitudes and values.
For infrastructure, the country ranked 49th, climbing one place from 2009. That factor evalu-ates basic infrastructure (water, energy, and transport), information technologies, scientific in-frastructure (research and development), health, education and the environment.
As noted above, the criteria that compris-es each factor derives from an objective mea-surement as well as from perceptions based on surveys.
This progress has been made possible by Mexico’s growing strengths, such as the incor-poration of information technologies, the size of the country’s internal market, its macroeco-nomic stability, a relatively low public debt and a public deficit that is under control.
Mexico’s proximity to the US market and its increased competitiveness with the entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), have been two major contributory factors for that success.
business tiPs
Alongside the US and Canada, Mexico is undertaking a process of consultation and reaching agreements on competitiveness at various levels, with the private sector playing an ever larger role. In fact, after 9/11, the pri-vate sector in the three countries has made efforts so that the security measures applied along their borders and within their territories do not have an adverse effect on trade and in-vestment.
Mexico is also aware of the importance of increasing its competitiveness in the light of two equally relevant situations: the presence of a wide network of trade agreements with countries across three continents and the growing competitiveness of countries such as China. However, unlike Mexico, China lacks trade agreements with either the US or Can-ada, owing to the great distance that separates them, which places the Asian country at a rela-tive disadvantage.
We must also consider another important factor. The IIMD indicates that, as a result of
the financial crisis, the most developed coun-tries have decided to increase their public debt –up to 47% of their gross domestic product (GDP)– and a dozen European countries have even exceeded the 50% mark. Though it may
be understandable that public expenditure is raised in order to stimulate their respective economies and to benefit society, in terms of competitiveness it is risky to bet exclusively on government expenditure. Of course this will
force governments to be more efficient, given that it will strongly affect their countries’ com-petitiveness. But if the government manages the situation poorly, the cost may be high. The ideal scenario, according to IIMD, is where a balance is struck between efficient govern-ments and companies, exemplified by Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.
Mexico is therefore in an advantageous po-sition given the healthy state of its finances and increasingly skilled workforce. Its economy is growing, some of its industrial and services sectors are expanding and overall it has a more promising outlook.
Mexico also remains one of the most com-petitive countries in terms of the cost of pro-ducing and exporting goods, since its proximity to the world’s major markets has improved its response times to meet demand and lowered its inventory costs. On the issue of freight, it is suffice to mention that in percentage terms the costs of sending goods from Mexico to the US represent 1.1% of the product’s value; from
mexiCo remains one oF the
most Competitive Countries
in terms oF the Cost oF
produCing and exporting
goods, sinCe its proximity to
the World’s major markets
has improved its response
times to meet demand and
loWered its inventory Costs.
14 Negocios illustration arChive
in the World CoMPeTiTiveNess
YeArbook 2010-2011, mexiCo Climbed
to 38th plaCe From 47th in the 2009
list. meanWhile, brazil dropped
From 38th in 2009 to 44th in 2010.
business tiPs
Europe, this costs US citizens 3.8% of the prod-uct’s value; from Eastern Asia, 4.4%; from Chi-na 6.2%, from Brazil 6.3% and from Chile 7.7%.
The Mexican government has further-more begun to cut red tape in order to in-crease the country’s competitiveness and pro-ductivity. That has cut the 34,457 regulations that existed up until at least three years ago to 19,254 in 2011, a reduction of at least 15,203.
That has resulted from the increasing inte-gration of production patents in Mexico with those of the US and Canada, with participat-ing economies creating the conditions to en-sure supply chains and workforce training as required in the various production processes.
With NAFTA, a trilateral standardization of norms can now be discussed. In fact, following consultations with private sector communi-ties in Mexico, the US and Canada, the three governments have agreed to take forward the proposal of common criteria for standards and norms, to help improve the competitiveness of the three countries and of Mexico in particular.
In the understanding that increasing the competitiveness of countries does not happen overnight, governments must prioritize. Mexico has therefore set about making progress by:
Promoting structural reforms in educa-tion, the labor sector and fiscal policy.Improving the business environment for a more efficient regulation.Making major investments in public in-frastructure to reduce freight costs be-tween Mexican cities.Improving technological infrastructure.Focusing efforts on strengthening the in-ternal market.
Prudent handling of public finance and improvements in the administration of fiscal policy have led the government into becom-ing more efficient, especially with higher wages and improved performance in the business sector. As a result, the aforemen-tioned work has made Mexico a better place to do business in, within an environment of certainty, trust and efficiency. n
*Professor and researcher in the Political and Social Sciences Faculty, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
16 Negocios16 Negocios
Competitiveness, an AttitudeMexico is fully equipped to lead as a global player with the busiest and most profitable border on the planet, two seas flanking the country and a great variety of climates for the production of a wide range of goods. But what Mexico has more of is: a new spirit.
by josÉ mario rizo rivas*
“The problem is never how to get new, in-novative thoughts into your mind, but how to
get old ones out.”— Dee Hock.
Jack Welch, the long serving CEO of Gen-eral Electric Company, said that if a company lacked a major and useful competitive ad-vantage, it should avoid competing. That idea can be applied just as well to the situation of national identities in an era where hyper globalization is breaking down borders and creating a new definition –a complex one, to be sure– for “competitiveness.”
Therefore, what is Mexico’s competitive advantage? And what do we mean when we talk about competition in Mexico?
The World Bank recently published its report Doing Business 2011 which gives the country a higher ranking than in previous years.
The report says that Mexico’s economy has improved in the process of opening it-self up to new business opportunities, be-
coming swifter in handling construction and infrastructure permits and making significant progress in professionalizing its foreign trade and compliance with business contracts. That represents a leap forward in terms of global competitiveness. Mexico climbed six places for its ease of starting a business and is Latin America’s top ranking country in that area, 35th of the world’s 183 economies.
Doing Business reports that “globally, Mex-ico has been one of the countries to have made most reforms to its business regulations to ex-pand the opportunities of local firms.”
The World Economic Forum’s Global Com-petitiveness Report 2010-2011 indicates that Mexico must make much faster progress in meeting its commitment to a major agenda of structural changes to become one of the world’s 10 largest economies before 2050. Mexico is progressing toward achieving that objective.
Mexico is working hard to improve its com-petitiveness in terms of labor market flexibil-ity, quality of education and the closing of the
digital divide separating different sectors of the population.
According to data provided by the World Economic Forum, Mexico is well placed to protect foreign investments, ranking 33rd of all countries. It ranks 20th in terms of its air transport capacity, its macroeconomic indi-cators also continue to be notably stable and attractive for investors, generating added confidence, and, in addition, foreign busi-nessmen are grasping the strength of the country’s internal market.
“Mexico also has a number of important competitive strengths that are similar to those of Brazil, such as the large size of the market available for local companies and a sophisti-cated and innovative private sector with well developed clusters and companies operating throughout the value chain. Mexico is an econ-omy moving toward the most advanced stage of development. The current administration has adopted, or plans to adopt, a number of competitiveness enhancing reforms,” accord-ing to the report.
guest oPinion
doiNg busiNess reports that
“globally, mexiCo has been
one oF the Countries to
have made most reForms to
its business regulations to
expand the opportunities
oF loCal Firms,” While the
World eConomiC Forum’s
global Competitiveness
report 2010-2011 indiCates
that mexiCo must make muCh
Faster progress in meeting
its Commitment to a major
agenda oF struCtural
Changes to beCome one
oF the World’s 10 largest
eConomies beFore 2050.
But over and above the figures, there’s something else that is changing in the spirit of Mexicans and clearly reflects a distinctive mark of the country’s competitiveness. Some-thing that, in the words of Jonas Ridderstrale, is built on two factors: emotions and imagination.
The symbolism of national identities is a factor and in Mexico’s case, the eagle that grasps the serpent, almost taking flight, reflects the spirit of Mexicans’ strength over the centu-ries. That shows the emotion and imagination to which Ridderstrale refers.
That is the attitude and aptitude to press on despite future uncertainties.
In Mexico we know that the time has come to believe in our abilities and to take advantage of our talents, our natural creativity, our skill in solving problems and our crystal clear vision of what we want, especially in terms of business.
Mexicans are highly competitive when faced with challenges. For example we have world class companies and businessmen, with exam-ples such as Telmex, Bimbo, Cemex and others that are currently competing on the world stage.
“Mexico needs to act with a sense of urgen-cy, dramatically improve its ability to execute, as we’ve moved beyond the planning stage and now we need to put things into motion. It’s also important to follow up on everything that has already been implemented, as these achieve-ments are the anchor and the foundations for the future,” according to Roberto Newell, presi-dent of the Institito Mexicano para la Competi-tividad (IMCO), an independent research cen-ter on competitiveness in Mexico.
Mexico is positioning itself in the 21st cen-tury with the same strength as its roots and it is taking flight with a visionary and powerful attitude. Mexicans’ talent, the drive to start businesses, the character to handle unforesee-able changes, these are all signs of a unique competitiveness, that of Mexican businessmen who venture out into the world to make the most of opportunities and excel in complex global markets. n
* Partner-Director of Salles, Sainz - Grant Thornton,
S.C., Guadalajara, Mexico.
18 Negocios Photo archive
FAShION MARRIES TEChNOlOGy UNdERFOOT While countries like China opt for quantity versus quality, Mexico’s shoe industry is focusing on the designer niche and is modernizing its processes in a drive to become more competitive and anticipate trends.
by gustavo arÉChiga
MexiCo’s Partner enersavesPeCial feature mexiCan shoe industry
Mexico doesn’t just make cowboy boots. In fact, the country’s shoe industry dates back 400 years, well before the days of the Wild
West. Boots are still made, of course, except to-day they form part of designer collections in an industry that creates almost half a million jobs. Innovative design, technology and the applica-tion of know-how are helping push back fron-tiers in a market that is as fiercely contested as the pioneer territories of old.
The country’s 7,980 shoe manufacturers produce 244 million pairs of shoes a year, on average, for sale in Mexico and export. The state of Guanajuato accounts for 70% of do-mestic output, Jalisco pitches in with 20% and other states make up the remainder.
In 2010, Mexican shoe exports were valued at 325.6 million usd, with the bulk of sales ending up in the US, Panama, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Guate-mala, Japan, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Colombia.
The 2009 financial meltdown had as much of an impact on the shoe industry as it did on other sectors and tough economic times forced manufacturers to seek out new markets.
“We are recovering from a crisis during which we received assistance from our federal and state governments in the form of programs that prevented mass layoffs in the sector. We
are now in the process of consolidating exports to the US, which has turned to Mexico for rea-sons of proximity and price. American com-panies preferred not to chance doing business with China because they weren’t sure how the market would react to the huge volumes. That bolstered the Mexican shoe industry,” says Ar-mando Martín Dueñas, president of the Gua-najuato Shoe Industry Chamber.
In light of market conditions, the Chamber has concluded that Mexico should be con-centrating on the fashion side of the industry. To get an edge over their global competitors, Mexican manufacturers need to cash in on their capacity to produce collections in short production cycles, ensuring they stay one step ahead of the latest trends.
That means that if China competes in terms of volume and costs, accounting for 6.5 of every 10 pairs of shoes purchased world-wide, Mexico’s competitive advantage lies in creating short production cycles to meet the demands of more discerning consumers who are after cutting-edge fashion.
“In Mexico, we believe the alternative is to produce small volumes for consumers and distributors to sample and after we’ve tested the water, we can restock orders much more quickly. We’re talking about shipping merchandise to the US in two or three days,
something that is complicated for China,” says Martín Dueñas.
This same model has been adopted by Jalisco. According to Francisco Javier Jimé-nez from the Jalisco Shoe Industry Chamber, the future of footwear will be shaped by en-trepreneurs who understand the importance of fashion trends, brand positioning, the mod-ernization of production processes, short-cy-cle exports and better trained workers.
“Ultimately, the goal is not only to defend the domestic industry from competitors like China but also to conquer new markets with quality, well-designed products,” says Jiménez Rojas.
Mexican manufacturers are improving their processes by the day. A series of plant modernization and quality control programs, like the Mexican Shoes Quality certification program, have been introduced. Since it was launched in July 2007, that program has re-ceived applications from over 130 companies eager to be certified under its four-phase methodology geared toward improving pro-cesses, planning and quality control.
“We’ve also created platforms for specific design requirements. For instance, 10 Gua-najuato manufacturers are making shoes for the Spanish-based Grupo Inditex and its Zara stores, which is a great accomplishment for Mexico,” says Martín Dueñas.
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20 Negocios Photos courtesy of botas Jaca
froM the Cobbler to the
Cobblestones
The chain of production begins with the leather sector and includes vari-ous suppliers of lasts, soles, straps, uppers and other parts needed to make the finished product we see in store windows. In Mexico, the shoe industry employs 571,000 people.
Mi Zapatería (My Shoestore) is a relative-ly new program set up to provide marketing advice and business software for the shoe in-dustry. The first phase of the program has a budget of 1.5 million usd, which will be used to assist over 1,000 shoe stores in Guanajua-to, Jalisco and Estado de México.
ProsPeCta Moda
Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs once said: “In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation.”
Guanajuato’s shoe manufacturers have al-ready grasped this concept and are now focus-ing their efforts on design, smart marketing and market research.
Last year, the Guanajuato Shoe Industry Chamber channeled over 5 million usd into Prospecta Moda, a center to promote innovation and boost competitiveness.
The center monitors export trends and areas of opportunity in the shoe industry of 41 countries and sends regular reports to
Mexican manufacturers. Based on that in-formation, they can tap into new niches or change course as market winds dictate.
Not long off the ground, the project is al-ready creating jobs and producing new shoe collections, with designers fresh out of col-lege offering their services to shoe manufac-turers. Prospecta’s role is to get the industry to listen to these informed views on fashion trends and comprehend the competitive val-ue of each pair of shoes.
Prospecta Moda also seeks to shore up the domestic market by changing the percep-tion of the Mexican consumer.
According to the 2010 report on National Consumer Trends in Footwear, only 2.6% of the population is influenced by the design of a pair of shoes when making a purchase decision.
The premise is that an industry that de-signs its own shoes can go a long way toward boosting local sales of Mexican-made shoes.
“We’re trying to redirect the local con-sumer toward the country brand. Com-pared to other industries, the shoe sector has changed gradually, very slowly. We know
the consumer cares more about design, com-fort and brand than where the shoe is made. Nonetheless, based on the information we’ve been compiling, the message we’re sending out to the consumer is that this shoe was made in Mexico and not only is it well made, it’s well designed,” says Martín Dueñas.
Prospecta Moda is currently run by de-signer Mario Méndez, a plastic artist with a degree in art history. Méndez teaches at top Mexican universities and works with various public and private sector institutions on proj-ects of a cultural nature. n
sPeCial feature mexiCan shoe industry
footwear of the future
Over the next 15 years, Mexico will have to double its annual pro-duction to 360 million pairs of shoes just to hold on to its 2% share of the global market.
The Guanajuato Shoe Industry Chamber has outlined four specific areas for the country to work on to achieve that ambitious goal:
1. CoMPetitiveness and business develoPMent:
• Mexican Shoes Quality - a quality certification program for Mexican shoemakers.
• Shoes from Mexico - a platform to publicize the full range of Mexican-made shoes.
• Cevem - a training and consulting forum to strengthen the industry.
2. iMPort duty relief on MexiCan-Made ProduCts.
3. innovation and fashion
• Prospecta Moda - a Guanajuato-based center to promote innovation and competitiveness at every phase in the produc-tion chain, from leather suppliers to the marketing of the final shoe displayed in store windows.
• International Fashion and Design Competition (Creare, for its acronym in Spanish) to attract young clothing and shoe designers.
4. Conquering new Markets
• Participation in international fairs.• Trade missions to other countries.• International Footwear Fair (SAPICA, for its acronym in
Spanish). Held twice a year in León, Guanajuato, this is the leading industry event of its kind in Latin America and the second most important on the continent.
• Business meetings with foreign investors.
The Footprints ofMexican Shoe Industryin the World
MexicanShoe
Industry
Source: Guanajuato Shoe Industry Chamber
MajorBuyers ofMexican
Shoes
$3.00 38,379
$4.68 57,520
France
$1.98 214,846
$2.71 228,030
Spain
$1.42 474,212
$3.37 756,493
Brazil
$2.84 240,184
$1.70 156,697
Cuba
$2.03 193,123
$3.38 420,221
Guatemala
$2.54 120,432
$2.64 211,781
Costa Rica
$1.73 216,698
$1.74 268,605
Panama
$7.20 248,984
$11.44 283,420
Japan
Millionsof USD
Pairsof Shoes
$ 2009
$ 2010
Country
1 2 3 1
2
$4.24 290,405
$5.73 388,059
Canada USA
$217.30 12’209,352
$275.41 15’159,109
3
$1.00 100,120
$1.89 191,455
Pto. Rico
Simbology
325.602010
$18.74
257.152009
$15.07
256.142008
$12.60
265.332007
$10.74
247.502006
$10.15
237.522005
$10.17
108.482011
$5.21
Value of MexicanShoe IndustryExports inmillions of USD
Simbology
$
Millionsof Pairsof ShoesExported
Exports
22 Negocios inFograPhic oldemar
The Footprints ofMexican Shoe Industryin the World
MexicanShoe
Industry
Source: Guanajuato Shoe Industry Chamber
MajorBuyers ofMexican
Shoes
$3.00 38,379
$4.68 57,520
France
$1.98 214,846
$2.71 228,030
Spain
$1.42 474,212
$3.37 756,493
Brazil
$2.84 240,184
$1.70 156,697
Cuba
$2.03 193,123
$3.38 420,221
Guatemala
$2.54 120,432
$2.64 211,781
Costa Rica
$1.73 216,698
$1.74 268,605
Panama
$7.20 248,984
$11.44 283,420
Japan
Millionsof USD
Pairsof Shoes
$ 2009
$ 2010
Country
1 2 3 1
2
$4.24 290,405
$5.73 388,059
Canada USA
$217.30 12’209,352
$275.41 15’159,109
3
$1.00 100,120
$1.89 191,455
Pto. Rico
Simbology
325.602010
$18.74
257.152009
$15.07
256.142008
$12.60
265.332007
$10.74
247.502006
$10.15
237.522005
$10.17
108.482011
$5.21
Value of MexicanShoe IndustryExports inmillions of USD
Simbology
$
Millionsof Pairsof ShoesExported
Exports
sPeCial feature mexiCan shoe industry
24 Negocios24 Negocios Photo archive
Mexican boots Made for Walking
by antonio vÁzQuez
Jaca is a Mexican company specialized in manufacturing boots. Its creations can be found in more than 25 countries, among which are some of the world’s most stringent fashion markets, such as Japan.
MexiCo’s Partner botas jaCa
For over 60 years, Jaca has been conquering new lands. Made in León, in the state of Gua-najuato, these cowboy boots have set foot in 25 countries and lived to tell the tale in every one of them.
America, Asia and Europe are the main markets for this Mexican company that has spent six decades perfecting the classic cow-boy boot.
“From the color and quality of the leath-er to the novelty of the design, the sole and the embroidery, these are just some of the small, but important details that make our boots perfect and unique.” These are the two words a company source used to define its product.
According to Triny Negrete, director of the company’s export department, Jaca boots are sold in a long list of countries, including “the US, France, England, Germany, Spain, Greece, Poland, Japan, Dubai, Austria, Hungary and Italy,” where they go by the brand names of Mezcalero, Hacienda, Legendario, Western and Rancho Foots.
“Jaca is a successful company focused on innovating design and comfort. It has evolved over the years, reinventing and perfecting the classic cowboy boot without losing its essence,” she continues.
Three decades ago, cowboy boots were far from a pleasure to wear. Today, thanks to mod-ern materials and technology, they are now soft and comfortable, but durable and with that classic “tough guy” attitude.
That’s not to say they’re for men only: the cowboy boot is universal, worn by women and children too. And Mexico has the potential to meet even the largest purchase orders. “We’re not afraid of the competition. We have skilled craftsmen,” says Negrete.
Jaca produces some 200,000 pairs of boots a years, most of which –some 120,000 pairs to be exact– are exported, generating some 8.5 million usd a year in foreign sales revenues.
Its Good Year Welt boot in particular, made of 100% cowhide, has struck a chord with international clients. “Good Year Welt is representative of the quality of our products. Resistant and of the finest quality, the skilled craftsmanship that goes into these boots is what people come to us for.
Another selling point is their price, which is relatively competitive compared to other mar-kets,” says Negrete.
Of the company’s 230-strong workforce, the design area takes pride of place, since it is responsible for the creative collections sold ev-ery year in Mexico and abroad.
According to Negrete, some 80 boot mod-els are produced for the domestic market. These are generally launched at specialized fashion and footwear fairs like the Interna-tional Leather and Footwear Show, an annual industry event held in August and September in León, Guanajuato.
Some of Jaca’s collections feature as many as 20 models, which are showcased at least
twice a year at fairs like the MICAM Shoevent in Milan, Italy; the Magic Clothing Show in Las Vegas, Nevada; and the Tokyo International Shoe and Leather Goods Fair in Japan.
A thriving market for Jaca boots, “in Japan we’ve introduced a style that’s fashionable, yet classic at the same time, especially for women. The girls there wear hot pants and tend to show off their legs. In winter they wear cow-boy boots. It’s more of an equestrian style,” says Negrete.
Cowboy boots, biker boots and even tradi-tional Mexican boots adorned with a serape hand woven in the state of Oaxaca are just a sampling of the designs Jaca has produced during its 60-odd years in the saddle.
“We plan to focus more on the South Amer-ican market. We’ve been concentrating on North America and Europe, but strategically speaking, we’d like to explore South America, Australia and the United Arab Emirates in the future,” sums up Negrete. n
www.botasjaca.com
jaCa produCes some 200,000
pairs oF boots a year, most
oF WhiCh –some 120,000 pairs
to be exaCt– are exported,
generating some 8.5 million
usd a year in Foreign sales
revenues.
26 Negocios Photos courtesy of dione
Making stridesThe footwear company, founded by Federico González Obregón in Guadalajara, 67 years ago, is still on a firm footing and aims to penetrate international markets.
by karla garduño
MexiCo’s Partner dione
Sixty seven years ago Dione took its first steps in the Mexican footwear industry. It has continued its prog-ress confidently, but never in a rush. Dione walks, it doesn’t run.
The company, founded by Federico González Obregón in Guadalajara in 1944, with 35 em-ployees, has since expanded ten-fold. It now has over 350 employees and 25 stores in 10 states across Mexico, including Mexico City.
“The factory was founded with the idea of manufacturing high-quality ladies’ shoes, always respecting two core principles, which continue as part of the company’s philosophy to this day: top-quality natural materials and specialized workforce with an eye for detail,” explains Ro-drigo González Martínez de Velasco, commer-cial director of the company and member of the third generation of the company’s founders.
Shoes made by Dione –a name taken from Greek mythology, the wife of Zeus and mother of Aphrodite– aim to stand out through their comfort, design and quality of materials, ex-plains González Martínez de Velasco. After con-solidating its position in this segment, the com-pany began manufacturing handbags, scarves, hats, key-rings, belts and other leather goods.
Despite competition, especially from coun-tries such as China, and the global financial cri-sis of 2008 and 2009, Dione has taken the right steps to continue growing.
In 2010 the company grew by 29% and ex-pects to grow by 15% in 2011.
“The competition is stronger than ever in our market and it’s increasingly difficult to achieve growth. We have succeeded by im-
proving our manufacturing and retail pro-cesses. We’ve begun using lean manufacturing processes and we have changed our sales and other methods in our own stores,” explains González Martínez de Velasco.
“With our clients such as department stores and shoe stores around the country, we have benefitted by focusing increasingly on fash-ion which, combined with the comfort of our products and the use of exclusive materials, has given us continued strength. The short distance between manufacturer and client enables a fast response time which also helps,” he adds.
Toward the end of 2009, Dione decided to halt its exports. However, the company is cur-rently developing plans to market its shoes in the US, Canada and South America.
a Modern aPProaCh Dione seeks to distinguish itself with fashion products of genuine value. To this end a team of designers based in Guadalajara work to-gether with the production department that sources the finest materials and uses the lat-est techniques.
innovative Model
• Dione was founded in Guadalajara in 1944 by Federico González Obregón, Ignacio Orozco and Dionisio García.
• 25 boutique stores in Jalisco, Sinaloa, Nuevo León, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Guerrero, Mexico City, Quin-tana Roo and Estado de México.
• 350 employees. • Target market: women aged between 27 to
50, with its core market focused on women between 35 and 45 of a middle and middle-high socio-economic status.
despite Competition, espeCially
From Countries suCh as China,
and the global FinanCial
Crisis oF 2008 and 2009, dione
has taken the right steps to
Continue groWing. in 2010 the
Company greW by 29% and
expeCts to groW by 15% in 2011.
The company recently invested in technolo-gy that modernizes its processes and increases its production by 20%.
According to Pablo González, the com-pany’s manufacturing director, at the close of 2009, when the footwear industry was reeling from the financial crisis and the AH1N1 pub-lic health scare, Dione was producing 9,000 pairs of shoes per month but now, thanks to the modernization of its manufacturing plant and with more personnel, it is producing up to 12,000 pairs per month.
But this increased production has not come at the expense of quality. Dione’s challenge is to keep its promise of value and to offer fine and well-made products, explains its Commercial Director.
“The difference between us and our com-petition is that our most important asset is our brand. We use every means necessary and go into great detail to ensure each of our products is fashionable and comfortable. Dione is a semi-luxury product whose value often exceeds its price,” says González Martínez de Velasco.
industry ChallengesMexico’s geographic location and its trade agree-ments with several countries give its footwear in-dustry an advantage. “The next step is to strength-en brands and the operation of Mexican compa-nies,” states González Martínez de Velasco.
He considers that for the Mexican footwear industry to consolidate its position it must build up clients’ trust in Mexican brands and fashion. Dione is making great strides in that direction. n
www.dione.com.mx
28 Negocios Photos courtesy of gösh
GöSh GETS UNdER JAPANESE FEET gösh is one oF the FeW mexiCan FootWear Companies that have managed to enter the japanese market. the Company is noW planning to expand its presenCe in europe and Central
ameriCa.
by antonio vÁzQuez
MexiCo’s Partner gösh
Four years ago, the footwear com-pany Gösh invaded Japan with the firm intention of getting un-der Japanese feet. Based in León, in the state of Guanajuato, this is
one of the few Mexican shoe manufacturers that have managed to make inroads in Japan, a market that produces 100 million pairs of shoes a year and imports 600 million made in other countries.
Under the Economic Partnership Agree-ment, currently in force between Mexico and Japan, Mexican-made shoes enter the Japa-nese market free of import duties, while quotas increase annually by as much as 20% during the import period, which runs from April to May. In 2010, 662,000 pairs of Mexican shoes sauntered into Japan under that favorable ar-rangement.
“We began attending international fairs, conducting market research and visiting other companies in Japan in 2007. I think un-derstanding the Japanese market is the key to success. Japan is another world, but once you have a clear idea of the concept you want to offer and understand the kind of footwear the Japanese want, you can develop your prod-uct,” says Cozzete Gutiérrez, who heads the company’s export division.
Gösh sold 3,200 pairs of shoes during its initial foray into the Japanese market back
in 2007, a figure that is expected to rocket to 10,000 this year.
“Twice a year,” says Gutiérrez, “Gösh takes part in trade fairs in Japan. One of these is the Tokyo International Fashion Fair. Generally speaking, what the Japanese con-sumer is looking for is a handcrafted product representative of Mexico, like our eye-catch-ing woven shoes, which are a very Mexican concept.”
In its efforts to adapt to the Japanese con-sumer and vice versa, Gösh has created regis-tered trademarks tailored to Asian tastes but with a 100% Mexican feel. For example, the Purépecha product line sold in Japan takes its inspiration from the sandals worn by the indigenous communities of Michoacán.
To make the sandals, Gösh employs a 30-strong team of skilled workers. “We have groups of weavers in Michoacán, communi-ties of people who work from home. They make the shoe and weave the fabric. It’s a special weave they use, similar to the serape,” says Gutiérrez, adding that “We also have a rustic concept that’s very much in demand. This shoe features a natural rubber sole that makes it look worn.”
After 11 years in the business, Gösh has certainly found its footing but, according to Gutiérrez, it’s not just about having a good product: service matters too. “Customer ser-
vice and punctuality are vital to our business relations with clients,” she says.
With an annual output of over 1.3 million pairs of shoes, Gösh footwear is a favorite among the ladies. “We usually go for what’s fashionable. The Gosh concept is a trendy one. We sell young fashion. Our consumers are generally aged between 12 and 30,” says Gutiérrez.
Every season, the company designs two collections: one for the Mexican market and another for export. Aside from Japan, the brand has tapped into markets in the US, Canada and Guatemala in Central America.
“Japan is our main market at the mo-ment, but we also have a presence in the US, where our hand-stitched men’s and ladies footwear is proving popular,” says Gutiérrez,
Every year, Gösh religiously attends the Magic Clothing Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and MICAM, an international footwear fair in Milan.
“We are interested in expanding. Our strat-egy for this year is to get a firm toehold in the Japanese market and broaden our client base in the US. But we also want to explore Europe and make an incursion into Central America, where our products have awakened interest,” she concludes. n
www.gosh.com.mx
gösh sold 3,200 pairs oF shoes during its
initial Foray into the japanese market baCk
in 2007, a Figure that is expeCted to roCket to
10,000 this year.
30 Negocios Photo courtesy of grupo industrial miro
MEXICAN TEXTIlES STRUTTING dOwN INTERNATIONAl RUNwAySmexiCo’s textile industry is shoWing oFF its Fashionable neW garb, designed With Quality and added value. baCk on its Feet aFter the international FinanCial Crisis, it is noW out to ConQuer Clients the World over.
by jesús estrada
Cover feature mexiCan textile industry
Mexico’s textile and clothing industries have undergone a fashion makeover. Decked out in original designer dress with more added val-
ue than ever, the sector has left its international competitors behind on the runway and is now reaping the fruit of strategies adopted a few years ago to address the global financial meltdown.
According to Rodolfo García Muriel, presi-dent of the National Textile Industry Cham-ber, in 2010, the textile and apparel industries “bounced back,” with “textile and clothing ex-ports up 43% and 5%, respectively.”
This rebound in foreign trade can be attrib-uted to greater market diversification: in 2010, North America accounted for 66% of the sec-tor’s exports, Latin America 30% and Europe 4%.
Creative, well-designed products that echo the latest trends have made the industry more attractive in the eyes of the outside world, to the extent that many companies who were seduced by Asia in the past are now taking a fresh interest in Mexico.
The Mexico Fits initiative has indubita-bly contributed to this trend. “We have been approached by major US brands interested in returning to the region and are working with them to fill large orders. Many brands
left this part of the world and went to Asia. Today they are coming back, partly because costs are starting to increase in Asia, while we are still competitive. Also, our proxim-ity to the US market means we can deliver fashion products several times a year,” says García Muriel.
Mexico Fits has proven an invaluable pro-motional vehicle. “Mexico has recognized mar-ket strengths and the big international brands are enticed by the country’s value-added prod-ucts,” says García Muriel, adding that, with the help of Mexico Fits, “we hope international cli-ents will turn to Mexico as a supplier of more product categories. There’s even demand for yarn. We now export yarn to countries we’ve never exported to before.”
But the textile industry isn’t strutting down the catwalk on its own; it is accompanied by the apparel industry, because the Mexico Fits pro-gram “isn’t just to promote fabrics and yarns, but clothes designed and made in Mexico,” says García Muriel.
taylor-Made MexiCo
According to Mexico Fits promoter, Luis de la Calle, the program has been a success since day one. Implemented three years ago, it arose not from an “inward-looking “X-ray” of the sector, but an external diagnosis based on interviews
with international clients, who were asked to give their views on the Mexican textile and clothing industries in terms of price, quality, stitching and delivery, among other aspects.
“This led to the development of the ‘Tay-lor-made Mexico’ or ‘Mexico Fits’ concept. The outcome has been a change in how the Mexican industry is perceived: once viewed as ‘complementary to the large collections,’ it is now judged on its design potential too,” says de la Calle. A brand has since been built to bring the industry closer to the consumer and now, he says, we enjoy a good relationship, not just with importers in the US, but with “chains that are rediscovering Mexico as a major supplier at a time when China is starting to experience problems due to hikes in raw materials. In re-cent years, we have been posting considerable growth, especially in exports to the US, and we are now beginning to make up the market share we lost ten years ago.”
stitChing
strategies together
With the backing of the Mexican govern-ment, the country’s textile and clothing industries are tacking together tactics to give the sector a leg up. Sustainability is at the heart of one such strategy, prompting the National Textile In-stitute to enter into an agreement with the Textile Technology Institute of Spain. The goal is to help between 15 and 20 Mexican companies a year obtain the Made in Green certification, which international firms typically demand of their suppliers.
According to sources from the Puebla-based institute, the agreement also pro-vides for a Textiles Development Center to foster the application of new technologies in the manufacture of fibers and design of garments. The center is expected to be up and running by 2012.
The strategies adopted by textile and clothing industry leaders have had a marked impact in western parts of the country, where measures to boost com-petitiveness have met with support from other fashion and design-driven sectors.
“We are on the lookout for new, innova-tive products so we can compete on an international scale. That is where design and innovation come in. We are involved in some very interesting projects with the shoe, jewelry, clothing and textile cham-bers, which have similar interests,” says Uriel Díaz Santana, president of the West-ern Textile Industry Chamber.
Minerva Fashion is a prime example of that type of project. The event, which showcases the creations of designers from all four industrial sectors, celebrates its fourth anniversary in December.
This year, Minerva Fashion coincides with the 2011 Pan American Games in
Guadalajara, which the industry views as an excellent opportunity to “show the world what we do with fashion here.”
“We are also working on the Jalisco Industry Research, Development and Innovation Center (CIDIJAL), which will boast lab, design, innovation and market research areas,” says Sergio López de la Cerda, who represents the Jalisco delega-tion in the National Clothing Industry Chamber.
CIDIJAL, which will open its doors this year, will focus on developing “new techniques and ways” of designing and manufacturing garments and on improving training to make the industry more com-petitive,” says López de la Cerda, adding that the sector also has a Design Center that “furnishes members with up to date information on fashion, color, fabric and consumer trends.”
aCCording to rodolFo garCía
muriel, president oF the na-
tional textile industry Cham-
ber, in 2010, the textile and
apparel industries “bounCed
baCk,” With “textile and Cloth-
ing exports up 43% and 5%, re-
speCtively.”
32 Negocios32 Negocios Photo courtesy of grupo industrial miro
Another positive offshoot is that Mexican companies are now “utilizing their production capacity more, but with a focus on value added brands and design [...] There is also a greater variety of fabrics, which broadens the possibili-ties for the clothing industry [...] We are start-ing to win market share in sub-products such as fabrics for industrial uniforms and high-spec fireproof cloths. We are well positioned in the fabrics market for the medical sector [...] and have registered substantial growth in cashmere suits,” says de la Calle.
The underlying goal of the program is to promote recognition of Mexico’s potential. And it seems it is taking its mission seriously: this year’s Magic Show, the preeminent ap-parel and fashion trade show in Las Vegas, will feature a Mexico Fits Pavilion to promote the concept, brand and products. This is a first for Mexico,” says de la Calle, adding that the coun-try is “the US’ fifth-most-important supplier in these areas and now we’re going to tell them we’re back, with better quality, more variety, trendier and with a brand to boot.”
Companies interested in participating in Mexico Fits must meet international certifica-tion standards pertaining to employee work-ing conditions and environmental regulations.
a hoMe viCtory
It isn’t just on foreign soil that the apparel and textile industries are hemming in their adver-saries. Mexican companies are finally winning the battle against black market goods, a com-plex problem that affects all nations to a greater or lesser degree.
“We’ve noticed that our clients are buying more domestic products than imported ones. This change in attitude began in 2010 and has a lot to do with the rise in the price of Chinese-made goods,” says Sergio López de la Cerda, president of the Jalisco delegation in the Nation-al Clothing Industry Chamber, which represents the central-western region of the country.
“Imported merchandise has become more expensive,“ says López de la Cerda, “and small-er businesses aren’t selling the volumes they used to, so they’re looking for similar Mexican-
design, innovation and added
value may be the seCtor’s neW
WatChWords, but lópez de la
Cerda believes it has a number
oF other strengths, not least
“a great deal oF experienCe
and knoWledge oF the market.”
ConstruCtive textiles
Some of Mexico’s textile companies have taken to targeting niches that have escaped the attention of their larger Asian competi-tors. The strategy seems to be paying off for one of them in particular – the Jalisco-based Corporación Burlington.
“We have sidestepped the international markets targeted by countries like China to concentrate on more specialized niches, like cotton paneling for the construction industry, which we sell on the US mar-ket. Growth is encouraging and we don’t have a lot of competition at this moment in time,” says Burlington’s CEO Javier Gutiérrez Treviño.
The sheetrock walls typically found in American homes are filled with fiberglass but Burlington’s cotton panels act like in-sulation, allowing homeowners to “save on air conditioning and heating, while offering a long lasting, environmentally friendly alternative that doesn’t burn and can’t be destroyed.”
“There are two or three companies in California offering products like ours but
demand is high in the housing construction sector and this is where we have been able to get a competitive edge over China,” says Gutiérrez Treviño, whose textile firm is one of the few in Mexico that has dared to venture off the beaten track.
But Burlington isn’t resting on its cotton panels. According to Gutiérrez Treviño, the company has also made an incursion into the “medical industry, manufacturing tow-els, sheets and hospital supplies; the food industry, making tablecloths for restau-rants and the cleaning products business, selling mops and cloths. These are totally different markets in comparison to the Asian ones and they’re growing, especially the restaurant and medical niches. What’s more, we don’t have to slash our prices like you have to when you’re competing with Chinese made clothes.”
These are the strategies that have driven Burlington’s sales growth in 2011. “During the three previous years, we were stuck, but next year we’re projecting growth of between 15% and 18%,” says Gutiérrez Treviño, adding that “exports are up 10% too.”
made products. Larger businesses that rely heavily on imports have also seen their rev-enues drop because higher import costs have eaten into their profit margins. They continue to import, but are buying more Mexican-made goods as a means of boosting their profits.”
But the home victory over imports goes beyond the issue of costs; it is also tied in with the strategies the government and the industry have been implementing in recent years. “Mex-ican-made products that combine fashion and added value are ousting imported ones, which is why we are focusing on this aspect,” says López de la Cerda.
Western Mexico has a textile tradition dat-ing back more than 150 years. Home to some of the country’s key industrial centers, it is also the region where there has been an upturn in foreign sales. According to López de la Cerda, this is where “we are winning the most ground, with exports up 12% in 2011 compared to 2010. Major brands that used to buy from Asia now account for the bulk of Mexican exports and this has given us a larger share of the US mar-ket, for example.”
The apparel industry has reported growth of 5% in domestic and foreign sales combined, “but as the sector gathers momentum, we should see markets expand and sales increase,” says López de la Cerda, adding that “it will be a much more mature sector that will necessarily incorporate design and originality into the gar-ments it makes.”
Design, innovation and added value may be the sector’s new watchwords, but López de la Cerda believes it has a number of other strengths, not least “a great deal of experience and knowledge of the market. More special-ized products are being made,” he says, “a trend that is particularly evident in regions that have access to skilled labor and creative talent, and we have manufacturers turning out top quality apparel.” n
interModa, the world’s
window on MexiCan fashion
Without a doubt, the most prestigious fair of its genre in Latin America, Intermoda at-tracts 20,500 buyers and visitors, and 700 exhibitors representing 2,000 brands to its twice-yearly shows in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara. Now celebrating its 27th anniversary, this is an invaluable opportunity for those on the prowl for talent and quality.On January 18-21 and June 19-22, Mexico paraded its 2011 Spring-Summer and 2011 and 2012 Fall-Winter collections in front of ten countries in a 36,000-square-meter exhibi-tion venue.
Conceived in Guadalajara in 1984 at the initiative of regional members of the National Clothing Industry Chamber, Intermoda ini-tially took the form of showrooms set up in the rooms of some local hotel or other. Soon it sprouted a mind and body of its own, fiercely independent and of monstrous proportions.
Today, Internacionales de la Moda, S.A. de C.V. (Intermoda) is a private corporation that is kept busy most of the year coordinating the 1,282 stands and ten runways of its two sea-sonal fairs, in addition to organizing endless conferences and finding accommodation for representatives from countries interested in sharing views on the supply, design and pro-duction of clothing, accessories and footwear. In 2011, Intermoda received visitors from Colombia, India, China, the US, Spain, Turkey, South Korea, Barbados and Panama.
Intermoda President Mario Flores says that Mexico is starting to grab the world’s
attention thanks to a sizeable group of young Mexicans, the so-called “children of globaliza-tion,” whose fresh ideas have taken the indus-try by storm. “Schools and universities, both public and private, have also played a role in the professionalization of the fashion indus-try and this has contributed to the boom in Mexican design,” he says. New talent is always welcome at Intermoda, whose more recent shows have featured a pavilion exclusively for emerging designers.
The lifting of trade barriers is another factor that has forced the country’s textile and clothing industries to wake up, to the extent that today they can compete on a par with any other in the world. “Manufacturers,” says Flores, “are now aware that design is what puts them in a position to compete and
international fairs have become a showcase for designers, so manufacturers can see and hire them.”
Most of Mexico’s clothing manufacturers and exporters are located in the metropoli-tan area of Mexico City, including Estado de México, although many are also to be found in Jalisco, Yucatán, Aguascalientes, Monterrey and Coahuila. It shouldn’t be forgotten, howev-er, that the northern states have been growing and processing cotton since time immemorial, providing a source of top quality cloths for the domestic clothing industry.
Intermoda is the world’s window on the work of the country’s top designers and manufacturers of clothing, footwear and ac-cessories. Don’t miss the upcoming show on January 17-20, 2012!
four days of interModa fashion in figures*
• 36,000 square Meters of exhibition sPaCe.
• 2 business Centers.
• 136 Million usd in CoMMerCial transaCtions.
• 20,500 buyers and visitors.
• 2,000 MexiCan and foreign brands.
• 700 exhibitors.
• 91 Creators at the design Pavilion.
• 73 “eMerging designer” stands.
• 10 runway shows for adults.
• 6 runway shows for kids.
*January 2011
Cover feature mexiCan textile industry
34 Negocios
Mexico Clothing the WorldMexican Textile Industry Exports (Millions of USD)
Mexican Textile Industry
ExportDestinations
*From January to May
10,958.872000
10,624.442002
10,311.362003
10,435.192001
10,384.222004
10,609.392006
10,144.512007
10,715.942005
9,947.652008
9,336.702010
7,745.922009
4,263.772011*
3.8%Asia andEurope
30.2%Latin America
66%North America
Source: Banco de Información Económica, INEGI / Mexican Textile Industry Chamber.
inFograPhic oldemar
MexiCo’s Partner grupo kaltex
Textile success Grupo Kaltex has been growing steadily for 86 years. After starting out as a clothes’ distributor, it is now a full-service company that includes producing cloths, making clothes and packaging the final product.
by karla garduño
Grupo Kaltex is like a haute couture garment, meticulous-ly tailored and adaptable to appeal to any client –always upholding its high standard
of quality.There are various strands to the success
of this textile company founded 86 years ago but mainly it has been due its ability to understand clients and their specific needs, says Humberto Flores, commercial director of Grupo Kaltex.
“As we’ve become a large industrial com-pany and gained a presence throughout the Americas to reach our sales and growth tar-gets, the most important thing is to under-stand the needs of each client and market
Ph
oto
ar
ch
ive
segment in which we operate. As we de-velop an understanding of the client, we can create a product that is suitable for those particular markets and client segments. We need to combine the product development elements, the understanding of the client and service for each region – that is what has helped us achieve our growth and hit our targets,” explains Flores.
Since the 1980s, the company that started out as a textile distributor began to diversify its production. It now has Kaltex Fibers, focused on manufacturing acrylic fibers, Kaltex Home, producing textiles for the home, and Kaltex Apparel, which offers a full service including everything from the design to the manufacture of textiles, fash-ion design and clothes’ making, right down to the finishing touches and even the pack-aging of the garments.
With this wide-reaching client service structure, Kaltex has become one of Mexi-co’s largest textile exporters –it exports up to 50% of its production– and one of the most prestigious in the domestic market.
Self-supply has been one of its advan-tages, especially in the case of acrylic, a fi-ber that is not produced on a large scale in the world, and therefore Kaltex decided to become Mexico’s sole acrylic producer and one of just four or five that exist globally.
Like a swan, Kaltex has not only flown safely over the financial crises –which left giant textile companies destroyed in their wake– but it has also become stronger as a result of them. It also handles the day-to-day problems facing the industry, such as vola-
tile raw material prices, competition from countries such as China and the informal economy, in a very successful way.
When asked about the company’s strategy in the face of the crises, the commercial direc-tor of Kaltex replies that there is no simple solution.
“Through innovation and new products. The market spectrum, segmentation and customization that exists in developed mar-kets has helped us compete in each spectrum of these segments and forced us to scale our operations for the most fashionable seg-ments, with greatest added value. If you want to compete with a basic product, on a price basis, you’re going to be at a clear disadvan-tage compared to low-cost manufacturing countries such as China, Pakistan or India. It’s important to develop a product, innovate, create fashionable goods, create added value –and that’s how we’re positioning ourselves,” says Flores.
With 12 plants for spinning, weaving and finishing, as well as laboratories in Queré-taro, Hidalgo and Estado de México, Grupo Kaltex has nearly 12,000 employees on its payroll.
an exPanding CoMPany
While thousands of Mexican companies were battling the global financial recession of 2008 and 2009, Kaltex announced its intention to expand to South America and acquire one of Colombia’s leading textile companies, Coltejer.
Coltejer, in business for over 100 years in Colombia, was mired in a crisis when the
grupo kaltex desCribes itselF as a vertiCal
Company. the Company produCes all kinds
oF Cloths: Cottons suCh as denim, Corduroy,
gabardine, polyester Cloths and nylon and
mixes to satisFy the demand oF the market
–not only For making Clothes but also For
the manuFaCture oF linens, uniForms and
aCCessories.
founding family of Kaltex acquired a con-trolling interest in it – and they now own 65% of its shares.
Kaltex’ method of applying its skill at achieving successful results was easy to see in Coltejer’s 2009 annual report. Despite having posted a net loss of 28.37 million usd, that figure was far below the loss of 165.07 million usd recorded in 2008.
In 2010, the company turned around the operational loss of 2009 and achieved a net profit.
Grupo Kaltex describes itself as a vertical company. The company produces all kinds of cloths: cottons such as denim, corduroy, gab-ardine, polyester and nylon and mixes to sat-isfy the demand of the market –not only for making clothes but also for the manufacture of linens, uniforms and accessories.
With Kaltex Apparel, the group launched an ambitious company that requires greater infrastructure and control. That process has involved a team of designers, the latest equipment for pattern making and cloth cut-ting, tailoring plants, laundries for processes such as stone washing, stone bleaching and distressing, among others. The quality of the laundries and finishes are also certified with ISO 9000.
exPort strength
Kaltex began exporting to the US in 1986. Currently, half of their production is distrib-uted across various markets including the US, Colombia, Nicaragua, China, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, Canada, Venezuela and Paraguay.
36 Negocios Photos courtesy of grupo kaltex
Also as a part of its ecological work, the company is seeking to substitute chemicals and colorings which do not comply with envi-ronmental regulations.
As part of its work on design, since 2009, with the Designer’s by Kaltex Program, the com-pany has been endeavoring to support and pro-mote talented young Mexican fashion designers.
Designers such as Malafacha, Mancandy, Ocho Store and Daniel Andrade have par-ticipated in this program which produces haute couture garments and clothes for the high street. Its designs have appeared at events such as Intermoda, one of the largest events in the Mexican fashion calendar that
takes place each year in the city of Guadala-jara, in the western state of Jalisco.
“Kaltex believes strongly in supporting new designers, creating a business model that helps them to set up a company with an established brand and to demonstrate to other countries that Mexico has first-rate textiles and designers,” says Flores. n
www.kaltex.com.mx
selF-supply has been one oF its
advantages, espeCially in the
Case oF aCryliC, a Fiber that is
not produCed on a large sCale
in the World, and thereFore
kaltex deCided to beCome
mexiCo’s sole aCryliC produCer
and one oF just Four or Five
that exist globally.
The company’s commercial director ex-plains that denim is their star export prod-uct, both as a cloth and as a tailored product.
“The concept of pure assembly or maquila that existed in the 1970s and 1980s has evolved. Many of our clients are either vertically inte-grated or use services of companies that have transformed from being maquiladoras to pro-viders of a full-service. One full-service clothes’ making provider can choose the cloths with which to meet the client’s requests. It can sug-gest designs for jeans and finishes for those jeans, offer additional services in the distribu-tion, just-in-time deliveries, revise inventories and take decisions on how to schedule its production so that the market is never under-supplied. It’s a much more complex maquila process, one that is much more valuable than that experienced in the past,” explains Flores.
alternative oPtions
Grupo Kaltex’ strategy goes beyond foreign trade, manufacturing quality, sufficient capacity of its production chain and the effectiveness of its business. It is also focusing on design and ecology.
Kaltex is proud of its environmental policy at its plants ever since it set up its Environmen-tal Committee in 1998. In San Juan del Río, in the state of Querétaro, the company built an entirely computerized water treatment plant to recycle treated waters, to provide water to the plant, for production processes where possible, and for the watering of green areas.
It has also implemented programs to re-cover glue and soda used in its processes, in order to prevent these substances from en-tering the drainage systems.
MexiCo’s Partner grupo kaltex
Covering the World in Cashmere and Wool
38 Negocios Photos courtesy of santiago textil
Santiago Textil is one of Mexico’s oldest textile companies. Founded over 100 years ago, the company is still a leader in the domestic market and a major international player.
by antonio vÁzQuez
Located in Mexico’s capital city, Santiago Textil has focused on manufacturing cashmere, a wool used to tailor men’s suits, for over 100 years.
In 1888, the founders of Santiago Textil identified the need to set up a company that would supply high-quality wool textiles to an increasingly refined Mexican society that needed better fibers for its clothing.
“Despite a series of difficulties –the Mexi-can Revolution, Mexico’s sudden opening up to foreign markets, various financial crises and global recessions– ever since the company was founded it has uninterruptedly supplied the Mexican market with the best cashmere and woolen material and has exported its goods since the 1980s,” says Martín Urrutia, owner of Santiago Textil.
The company’s continued success, accord-ing to Urrutia, comes down to over a century of good management. “We have seen many tex-tile factories, both here in Mexico and abroad, disappear,” he says.
“Textile production has historically moved to wherever labor and costs of production are cheapest and today that means India and China. However, companies remaining a rea-sonable size and having the flexibility to adapt to their clients’ specific needs have been able to survive,” he continues.
MexiCo’s Partner santiago textil
Santiago Textil’s competitive advantage lies in its cost efficiency, its innovation, its improvement of product quality and, above all, its long process of adaptation to meet its clients’ needs. “We’re a company that seeks out niche markets, where profit margins are highest,” explains Urrutia.
For over 100 years, this Mexican company has exported to five continents but its main markets are North and Central America. Mar-tín Urrutia says that the demands of markets, albeit different, do have a common denomina-tor: competitiveness in price and quality. The speed in response times to meet buyers’ needs and supplying orders accurately are other key factors for international clients which are also priorities for Santiago Textil.
“Clients don’t want to buy problems, so if you become a reliable provider, your chances of success and survival are much greater,” says Urrutia.
Santiago Textil is one of the few textile com-panies to have survived in the global market-place. In the US and Canada, for example, al-most all of the textile manufacturers have been closing down, likewise in South America and Europe. In Mexico, just a handful of special-ist woolen textile producers have successfully adapted to the shifting global sands. “I like to think that it’s because clothes makers perceive Santiago Textil as a reliable, competitive and in-novative supplier,” says Urrutia.
The company’s products can be found in menswear product stores practically the world over.
But it has diversified its range of textiles to meet the needs of the fashion markets. Santia-go Textil has explored various other areas: la-dies’ fashion, uniforms, felts for billiards tables and casinos, bedspreads, blankets and uphol-steries, among others.
“As a global exporter, our quality control is first class. For instance, with our felts for billiard tables, Santiago Textil has higher stan-dards of quality that others seek to emulate,” Urrutia points out.
On a daily basis, Santiago Textil embarks on new developments to meet clients’ demands. The caliber of the thread, the production of its weaves, the different qualities of its wool and its blends with synthetic fibers all combine to create hundreds of products for the markets. Martín Urrutia explains that some specialists have defined his company’s achievement as combining a bespoke production with the lat-est technology.
During this time, when the global crisis has devastated some economies, companies sur-vive by keeping costs under control, looking after their workers and remaining faithful to what makes them special to their clients.
“After the storm, only the strongest survive. We’re sure that we’ll be among the survivors […] and then we’ll be looking to plan new ar-eas of growth and to penetrate new markets,” concludes Martín Urrutia. n
www.santiagotextil.com
santiago textil is one oF
the FeW textile Companies
to have survived in the
global marketplaCe. in the
us and Canada, For example,
almost all oF the textile
manuFaCturers have been
Closing doWn, likeWise in
south ameriCa and europe.
in mexiCo, just a handFul oF
speCialist Woolen textile
produCers have suCCessFully
adapted to the shiFting global
sands.
40 Negocios Photo archive
Compañía mexiCana de Trajes: FITTING OUT ThE BUSINESSMENFounded 50 years ago, this 100% mexiCan Company, dediCated to the produCtion and merChandising oF mensWear, has suCCeeded in the international markets thanks to its Quality, serviCe and priCe.
by maría eugenia sevilla
MexiCo’s Partner Compañía mexiCana de trajes
Menswear specialists Com-pañía Mexicana de Trajes and Confecciones MAK have a longstanding pres-ence on the Mexican and
international markets, where the duo has forged a prestigious reputation based on the quality of their products, excellent service and reasonable prices.
With some 600 employees on its payroll, Compañía Mexicana de Trajes has been ac-knowledged by Mexico’s National Bank of For-eign Trade (BANCOMEXT, for its acronym in Spanish) as a high-volume exporter (Empresa Altamente Exportadora or ALTEX). The com-pany is also certified under the Mexican Cloth-ing Industry Chamber’s Quality Assurance Sys-tem for Garment Production Processes.
“Compañía Mexicana de Trajes was found-ed almost 50 years ago and is now one of Mexi-co’s leading makers and retailers of men’s suits, jackets and pants,” says Operations Director Salomón Sarfati.
Originally founded on December 4, 1962, it wasn’t until 1990 that the company was ac-quired by its current owners, who boast wide experience in the menswear department and who also happen to be the founding partners of Confecciones MAK, a company specializing in pants that dates back to 1975.
Compañía Mexicana de Trajes has built up trusting relationships with its clients, who, in the words of Sarfati, “know they’re not likely to hear a ‘no’ from us.”
Renowned for working closely with clients to find the ideal product for their final con-sumer, Sarfati is convinced that: “Aside from quality and reasonable prices, it is in this stan-dard of personalized service that the company’s strength lies.”
Together, Compañía Mexicana de Trajes and Confecciones MAK have a portfolio of 550-plus clients in Mexico. Their products, which feature brands like Perry Ellis, Halston, Polo and Ted Lapidus, to name just a few, can be found at over 2,400 points of sale, including most major de-partment stores in Mexico.
“We have all kinds of clients in Mexico, from supermarkets to department stores like Liver-pool, Sears, El Palacio de Hierro and specialized stores like Saks,” says Sarfati.
In addition to six stores in strategic locations throughout Mexico City, the company also has
agreements in place with its corporate clients, whose employees can buy designer brands straight from the factory and finance their pur-chases via a special voucher system.
Since 1996, Compañía Mexicana de Trajes and Confecciones MAK have been exporting to North America and the Caribbean as part of an aggressive international expansion plan that offers major distributors cut-make (CM), cut-make-trim (CMT) and full-package services. Clients such as George Weintraub Sons, HMX, Ballin, Bremen and Berle have already signed up for these cross-border services.
In the process, Compañía Mexicana de Trajes and Confecciones MAK have been certi-fied by a long list of companies, including Levis, Federated and Jos. A. Banks.
The group has two factories, one in Mexico City and a second one in Zinacantepec, Estado de México, both equipped with cutting-edge machinery, like the two-shell suit-assembly system and a modular, rapid-response one for making pants.
It is machinery like that which enables the company to churn out some 850 suits and 2,000 pairs of pants a day, 70% of which are sold on the domestic market, with the remaining 30% being exported.
“Initially,” says Sarfati, “products intended for the Mexican market and those produced for export to the US were very different. But over the years, they have become increasingly similar to the point where they are now virtu-ally identical.”
sMart fashion for
savvy entrePreneurs
Compañía Mexicana de Trajes boasts its own hi-tech designer line. Created with the business-man who spends his days on the road in mind,
these garments incorporate innovative water-resistant, natural stretch and anti-wrinkle fab-rics.
“Our catalogue features our basic, restock-able product line, in addition to our annual Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter collections,” says Sarfati.
“Depending on what’s fashionable, our Spring-Summer collection generally focuses on light to medium color palettes and lightweight, versatile fabrics like pure linen or cotton and linen blends, and tropical wools, which are ideal for city dwellers. In the Fall-Winter season, our catalogue veers more toward wool serge suits and classic raincoats, with modern variations in cut and storm flaps in keeping with the latest European trends in texture, finish and silhou-ette design,” he continues.
A large stock of basic suits, pants and blazers in the most popular fabrics and colors reveals in-depth knowledge of consumer purchas-ing habits and allows Compañía Mexicana de Trajes to offer immediate delivery on plain and fancy 100% wool, super 100s imported from Italy and 100% Mexican wool fabrics, among others. The company caters to a large market segment with a permanent inventory of casual pants in wool polyester, polyester viscose and cotton, while a choice of models and fabrics at-tracts a more diverse clientele. This capacity to restock on-demand translates into unbeatable services in tailored menswear products.
The “smart suit” recently launched by Com-pañía Mexicana de Trajes was an immediate hit, shooting to the top of its category in terms of sales. Comfortable, versatile and functional, that product is for the gentleman who strives to look impeccably turned out at all times.
Corporate, staff and school uniforms are an-other product line. These come in a wide range of designs, from the very formal to more casual, modern looks.
“We plan to continue increasing production capacity because it isn’t currently sufficient to cover sales,” reveals Sarfati, who believes now is the perfect moment to expand.
“Right now the textile and clothing industry is at a good place because many of the foreign cli-ents who left Mexico at one point are returning. They’ve realized it’s not easy to find the service, price and quality we offer here,” he concludes. n
www.mextrajes.com
renoWned For Working
Closely With Clients to Find
the ideal produCt For their
Final Consumer, sarFati is
ConvinCed that: “aside From
Quality and reasonable
priCes, it is in this standard oF
personalized serviCe that the
Company’s strength lies.”
42 Negocios Photo archive
Denim empire For over 50 years, Siete Leguas has positioned itself as Mexico’s leading denim producer. The company has made the most of the country’s advantages and opportunities to become a major exporter of this textile.
by antonio vÁzQuez
MexiCo’s Partner siete leguas
In more than five decades, Siete Leguas has built an empire in the denim indus-try. The company –founded in 1959 in the city of Lerdo in Mexico’s northern state of Durango– has become a key
supplier for international brands such as Levi’s, GAP, American Eagle, Polo Ralph Lauren, Dickies and Vans, to name just a few.
At the end of the 1950s, Siete Leguas began operations as a small company that produced clothes sold by its owners. By the mid-1980s, the domestic economy required diversification and the company started to export its products. That marked the start of its growth due to the reinvestment of its profits, effective marketing and an export focus.
In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) gave Siete Leguas the op-portunity to make a step-change in its export business. During that period, Siete Leguas was producing up to 350,000 garments a week as a maquiladora.
Juan José Medina, the company’s vice president of sales and design, says that over time it shifted to another model: the full service package. That involved the company buying the raw materials, creating the design patterns and selling the finished articles to the client. Whereas the company used to charge 6 usd for assembling each manufactured garment, it was now charging between 12 and 48 usd per unit. Today, Siete Leguas produces around 200,000 denim jeans a week and 80,000 trousers made of gabardine.
“Around 80% of our exports go to the US. The rest are shipped to Canada, China, Russia, Dubai, Argentina, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and parts of Europe,” explains Medina.
The company currently has over 3,000 employees. It offers outsourced full-service packages and also produces brand products. Its industrial complex comprises 14 buildings where it can carry out the entire production process in a single place: design, cut, tailor,
wash, sandblast, press, package and shipment of its product.
Medina attributes the success of Siete Le-guas to the company’s mission statement. “That mission focused not just on one but on several factors that have differentiated it from its rivals in other parts of the world,” he says.
Siete Leguas has set its targets on the follow-ing key areas: product design and development, building a direct relationship with internation-al brands and retail stores at the end of the pro-duction chain, high-quality garments, on-time product delivery and competitive pricing.
According to Medina, the factory’s dynamic approach and five decades in the business has given it expertise in design and development. Each year, Siete Leguas sends a group of its top designers to visit international fairs, festivals and conventions in cities like Tokyo, Amster-dam, New York, Los Angeles, Barcelona and Berlin in order to immerse themselves in the latest trends in denim products.
“One of Siete Leguas’ advantages is that it went from full service to full value, which means that the Siete Leguas plant is now the right hand of the parent company. From that point on, Siete Leguas has been the right hand of our clients’ designers,” points out Medina.
Delivery and price are other factors that give Siete Leguas that little extra something.
“Siete Leguas focused strongly on distance. Generally, a product from Asia takes between 20 to 32 weeks to reach retail outlets. That time represents the period from the original con-cept to delivery at the store. In terms of time, Siete Leguas takes just eight weeks from the cli-ent’s approval of the concept to delivery at the store. That means that the product, when it ar-rives, is still fashionable and therefore it’s going to sell,” explains Juan José Medina.
Medina gives the following lowdown on cus-toms’ tariffs: “While in Asia products continue paying 16.8% in US import taxes, since NAFTA entered into force, Mexico pays zero-rate tax. So, even though the manufacturing costs in Asia are lower, after taxes the product ends up being more expensive than the product which Siete Leguas delivers to the same clients.”
That is explained by the fact that, added to the same “competitive advantages,” as Medina describes them, there is also the advantage that the production plants are just eight hours by road from Laredo and just 15 hours from El Paso, Texas, two major customs entry points in the US.
Furthermore, the company has undertaken environmental commitments. Its factory has its own wastewater treatment plant, it recycles a large proportion of the water it uses and pro-motes a culture of respect and care for natural resources. It has also chosen to comply with la-bor laws in respect to its almost 3,000 employ-ees and its production processes have been cer-tified by international organizations. That has all given its clients a high level of trust in Siete Leguas, mainly American Eagle, a company that has awarded it a contract for manufactur-ing its products solely for Mexico.
“We’re going to continue building up the com-pany, focusing on its specialization and ensuring it remains Mexico’s leading denim manufacturer. Then we’re going global,” concludes Medina. n
www.sieteleguas.com.mx
siete leguas has beCome a key
supplier For international
brands suCh as levi’s, gap,
ameriCan eagle, polo ralph
lauren, diCkies and vans, to
name just a FeW. today, siete
leguas produCes around
200,000 denim jeans a Week
and 80,000 trousers made oF
gabardine.
44 Negocios Photo archive
ThE MEXICAN BlUE-JEAN REVOlUTIONCompañía industrial de parras is mexiCo’s largest denim produCer and one oF the First in the region, dating baCk to the 19th Century. Founded by the revolutionary madero Family, the Company has the CapaCity to produCe 70 million linear meters oF denim a year, enough to make 1.7 million pairs oF jeans a month.
by gustavo arÉChiga
MexiCo’s Partner Compañía industrial de parras
Francisco I. Madero is a Mexican hero par ex-cellence, religiously occupying his place along-side other legendary figures in the country’s hall of revolutionary fame.
But his celebrity doesn’t end there. It was his grandfather, Evaristo Madero from Coa-huila, who purchased La Estrella back in 1870 –the same textile factory where Compañía Industrial de Parras manufactures denim and gabardine, today.
It was the year 1873 and America was in the throes of gold fever. Some 300,000 miners and small-time prospectors made their way to California in the hope of striking it rich. Oscar Levi Strauss seized the opportunity and came up with a pair of pants made from a resistant, washable fabric. And so denim was invented, a fabric that was to be central to the success of the Mexican company that was to evolve into Parras.
On February 17, 1870, Madero & Co., a company formed by Evaristo Madero and Lorenzo González Treviño, purchased La Es-trella in Parras, Coahuila. Don Evaristo, the grandfather of Francisco I. Madero, knew full well the textile factory would only be profit-able if they invested in more modern machin-ery. And so they did.
By 1899, the factory had several areas where the denim was prepared, woven, stitched, dyed and bleached, as well as two small boiler rooms.
“The company was one of the main tex-tile manufacturers that ushered in Mexico’s industrial era. In the 1960s and 1970s, de-mand for denim grew exponentially and it began producing stretch fabrics in different finishes. In the 1990s, consumers began to demand more variety, from basic denim to other fabrics in a range of finishes and colors. That was when two factories were bought, one in Puebla and a second one in Torreón,” says Grissel Ramírez, the company’s market-ing director.
In 1993, Parras partnered up with Cone Mills Corporation, the world’s largest denim manufacturer, and invested 22 million usd in
the construction and operation of the Parras-Cone de México factory, also in Parras.
Madero’s rickety old machinery is a relic of the past: the Parras of today boasts state-of-the-art technology and an annual installed capacity of 70 million linear meters. The com-pany launches two collections a year, fruit of the market research conducted by its team of fashion designers.
“We combine fibers, mix new dyes and create new finishes. The company’s execu-tives are constantly traveling to other coun-tries to get a feel for the market and check out stores. That’s how we begin to develop new types of denim,” says Ramírez.
Combining traditional denim with bam-boo, alpaca and wool-based textiles, Parras has come up with high-added-value blends that look great and retail even better. Fashion designers appreciate their versatility, as do some of the world’s top selling brands.
By analyzing trends like that, Parras is able to produce the type of fabrics required by the large foreign brands.
“Every year, we launch collections in Paris to reach out to brands in Europe, the US, Mex-ico and South America, namely Argentina, Chile and Colombia, among other countries. Our present goal is to target Bolivia, Peru, Bra-zil, Paraguay and Ecuador,” says Ramírez.
fabriCating a better world
Four years ago, Parras changed the climate of the industry by creating fabrics made of rem-
nants and a percentage of recycled cotton fi-bers, marking the company’s incursion into the world of environmentally friendly products.
Such was the impact of these fabrics that in December 2010, Parras launched the Terra Collection, featuring fabrics dyed with 100% natural pigments obtained from desert and tropical plants, insects, nuts and other non-polluting sources.
“That was the work of our Textile Innova-tion and Technology Center, an area that con-ducts research on fibers and materials. A group of field researchers from the center visited in-digenous communities in Mexico to see how they dyed their clothes and we applied these techniques in creating this collection. What we’re looking to do is close the eco-circle and produce our own environmentally friendly in-puts, such as natural dyes made from insects, cactus and other desert plants,” says Ramírez.
But going green isn’t the only thing Par-ras has got right. Aware that consumers are tired of the same old same old, the company’s design executives are getting creative. Textile companies are producing more innovative products to ensure that the brands of jeans that buy their fabrics are the most original on the market.
“We’re trying to address changes in con-sumer patterns and tastes in the wake of the global crisis by being more creative. Don’t for-get the textile industry has had it tough due to hikes in cotton prices, which have skyrocketed as much as 400% in some cases. That is why we’re blending cotton with lighter, man-made fabrics of the highest quality, to keep our pric-es competitive so the final consumer isn’t af-fected,” says Ramírez.
Parras is upgrading its Coahuila plant and plans to take its textile tradition to European countries where it doesn’t currently have a presence, opening facilities to meet product demand and cut down on transportation time, particularly in Spain and Germany. n
www.parras.com
in deCember 2010, parras
launChed the terra
ColleCtion, Featuring FabriCs
dyed With 100% natural
pigments obtained From
desert and tropiCal plants,
inseCts, nuts and other non-
polluting sourCes.
With an impressive port-folio of well known international brands such as Adidas, Nike, Levis and Zara, Grupo
Industrial Miro is practically an institution on the Mexican textile market, manufacturing every-thing from yarn to textiles and printed fabrics.
Grupo Industrial Miro exports more t-shirts than any other company in the sector and is the country’s leading manufacturer of LYCRA® clothing.
The group employs 1,850 people and posted 20% growth this year. Textile production cur-rently stands at 1,500 tons a month but is ex-pected to reach 2,000 tons in the short term.
“We feel this is a difficult market but it has remained stable,” says Angélica Castro, the group’s marketing manager. It is this stability,
GRUPO INdUSTRIAl MIRO:textiles that are top oF their ClassWith more than 50 years oF experienCe in the textile industry, the mexiCan grupo industrial miro manuFaCtures FabriCs For some oF the World’s most prestigious Clothing brands. exCellent Customer serviCe, Fast delivery, innovative marketing strategies, the ability to adapt to market Conditions and stringent Quality Control, are some oF miro’s strengths.
by maría eugenia sevilla
combined with the trust of its Mexican clients –stores like El Palacio de Hierro, Walmart, Liv-erpool, Soriana and Coppel– that has enabled the company to achieve these growth rates.
The firm specializes in chiffon but has a cata-logue of over 2,500 textiles, including interlock, rib and knitted fabrics, terry cloth, French Terry and Jacquard. It also manufactures products in 100% organic and natural cotton and synthetic blends like polyester, spandex, rayon, viscose and nylon in a variety of compositions and spe-cial finishes.
Known for its open fabric finishes, Miro uses hi-tech machinery to control the weight, width and shrinkage of its tubular textiles and imple-ments best industry practices to produce high quality but competitively priced printed fabrics.
And if they can’t find a fabric to fit, clients can order one tailor-made to meet their needs.
46 Negocios Photo courtesy of grupo industrial miro
requirements and consistency in the final product.
Another lab, the most modern of its kind in Mexico, tests dyes and finishes and controls col-or combinations to meet client specifications.
The final products are then shipped all over Mexico through the company’s five distributors.
sPinning More than a yarn
Named after its founder, Miro Zaga, the com-pany began life in 1955 as a combed cotton yarn manufacturer.
The clothes manufacturing side of the busi-ness took off in 1983, when the company signed a master license agreement with Ocean Pacific, one of the major international t-shirt brands at the time. Such was its acceptance that it be-came the benchmark brand in Mexico. Miro subsequently incorporated the experience it had gained in the design and manufacturing of fashion apparel into its textile processes, consoli-dating its position as the leading manufacturer of knit cotton and blend fabrics on the domestic market.
With the coming into effect of NAFTA in 1994, the group looked abroad, investing in state-of-the-art technology and training its employees in a new commercial approach that was to es-tablish it as the country’s top t-shirt exporter.
Miro currently exports 40% of its output. “Jersey and cotton-spandex are our most pop-ular export products,” says Castro, adding that the group’s foreign clients include prestigious brands like JC Penney, Adidas, Express, Levis and Nordstrom.
Excellent customer service, fast delivery, innovative marketing strategies, the ability to adapt to market conditions and stringent quali-
ty control: it is the sum of these factors, says Cas-tro, that sets the company apart from others in the sector and keeps it at the top of its game.
Of these factors, she believes quick-term de-livery is one of the company’s stronger points. As a totally vertical company, Miro has the capacity and means to deliver merchandise within a very short timeframe, while proximity to the coun-tries it exports to further facilitates matters.
Being so close to some of the world’s largest markets makes it easy to deliver directly and quickly with very low logistical costs, making Miro a highly competitive company.
In addition to the assurance that comes with ISO 9001 certification, which guarantees the standard of its manufacturing processes, Miro’s clients can rest easy in the knowledge that the company has the installed capacity to handle orders of any size, no matter how large.
Not only that, but also the group is spin-ning heads at major international fashion fairs. “We participate in fairs in countries like the US, France, Spain, Colombia and Brazil because that helps position us on the international mar-ket as a leading knitwear brand,” says Castro.
That is where Miro gets inspiration for its high-fashion garments. “We have a marketing de-partment that advises clients on market trends in fabrics, composition, construction, silhouette and color, among other aspects,” she says.
The package comes complete with fully personalized customer and follow-up services, from delivery of the initial sample and advice on choosing the right product for its intended market to confirmation of purchase orders and delivery right to the client’s door. n
www.grupomiro.com
knoWn For its open FabriC
Finishes, miro uses hi-teCh
maChinery to Control the
Weight, Width and shrinkage
oF its tubular textiles and
implements best industry
praCtiCes to produCe high
Quality but Competitively
priCed printed FabriCs.
The process takes just one week, conferring on Miro the industry record for new product de-velopments, which accounted for 40% of sales in 2009. Another plus is the option to secure product exclusivity by meeting a set of mini-mum requirements.
hi-teCh textiles
Grupo Industrial Miro uses hi-tech machin-ery to manufacture products for some of the world’s most prestigious brands.
It boasts one of the most complete physical testing labs for yarns in the country and has three factories that produce mainly 100% cot-ton open-end, carded and combed yarn and slub yarn in 100% combed cotton in weights ranging from 20/1 to 30/1.
All knitwear is designed using software that ensures compliance with the client’s
MexiCo’s Partner grupo industrial miro
48 Negocios
TOURISM: A Strategic Sector
Tourism RevenueMillions of USD (2011 data from January to March)
Source: Banco de Información Económica, INEGI.
Mexico: a Frequently Visited CountryMillions of people (2011 data from January to March)
Foreign tourists Border travelers Cruise visitors
Foreign tourists Border travelers Cruise visitors
2010 2011
19.29
82.10
1990
6.39
74.82
0.891995
85.45
7.78
75.972
1.702000
105.67
10.59
91.62
3.472005
103.15
12.53
83.91
6.71
79.90
12.77
60.84
6.29
3.5114.01 1.77
2,066.06
3,400.88
59.39
1990
2,020.35
4,051.04
107.40
1995
2,276.95
5,816.17
201.09
2000
2,848.40
8,502.40
452.61
2005
1,970.18
9,357.03
544.64
2010
453.68
2,710.75
161.74
2011
5,526.33 6,178.79 8,294.21 11,803.41 11,871.85 3,326.18
Negocios figures
48 Negocios inFograPhic oldemar
The lifestyleT h e C o m p l et e G u i d e of t h e M ex i c a n Way of L i fe . p. 68
MexicoWorld’s
Heritagep. 54
The Guelaguetza: Expression of
Mexican Essence
Ph
oto
Je
ff
stva
n
Photos archive50 Negocios i The Lifestyle
Everyone dreams of a second home, from young couples and families who wish to have a permanent holiday retreat to baby boomers looking for a retirement haven.
Choosing the location of the dream involves multiple factors, such as the value of the in-vestment to be made, accessibility, safety and, ultimately, whether it will be a place where you can spend your time comfortably, with all the necessary services, surrounded by like-minded people.
The answer for many US citizens, Canadians and Europeans, for several decades, has been Mexico. Today, the possibilities offered by the country are better and more varied than ever.
Some of the reasons are obvious. The weather is a major pull factor for both US citizens and Canadians who look for warmer latitudes during winter. These “snowbirds”, as they are affectionately known, spend four to six months of the year in Mexico, where
they never have to put up with a blizzard or de-ice a car.
By spending the rest of the year in their home countries, they can stay in touch with their families, handle business affairs and maintain their resident status. Often at times, they rent out their Mexican homes while they are away, which is a great way to cover main-tenance-related expenses and perhaps even make a profit.
Proximity is also important. US citizens from border states like California, Arizona and Texas can easily drive into Mexico on any of the major super highways that have been built as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). There are hundreds of weekly, direct flights from all major US and Ca-nadian cities into Mexico’s many international airports. Also as a result of NAFTA, US citizens and Canadians will find that familiar food, bev-erages and beauty products are widely avail-able in Mexico. Services like satellite and cable
TV, high speed Internet access and English-language newspapers and magazines are also very easy to find.
Real estate investment opportunities in Mex-ico are more available than in its northern neigh-bors, with beautiful areas that have only recently begun to develop into residential communities. Of course, there are high-end developments that ooze luxury in many areas of the country but there are also intact, simple towns where land is still very affordable. Another incentive to look at Mexico is the much lower property taxes com-pared to those in the US and Canada.
Finally, when citizens from other countries come to Mexico they will find friendly people who welcome foreigners seeking a peaceful lifestyle. Large communities of expats around the country will not only provide newcomers with useful tips and companionship, but also with a network of English speaking associa-tions and schools that will make new arrivals feel at home.
Mexico as a second Home
For deCades, mexiCo has been the ansWer For many us Citizens, Canadians and europeans When they’ve needed to Choose a seCond home. today, the possibilities oFFered by the Country are better and more varied than ever.
by móniCa lópez
destination mexiCo as a seCond home
The Southern Pacific Coast: Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima.
san blas
A small fishing town of about 12,000 people, this is the ideal setting for those desiring a natural, trouble free lifestyle. There are plenty of homes on sale in the 100,000-200,000 usd range, making this a low-priced option. No major resorts operate in the area, so peace and quiet are guaranteed.
Puerto vallarta and buCerías
Just 10 miles north of Puerto Vallarta is a small beachside town with a large American and Ca-nadian community, Bucerías. Single homes and villas are available in the 150,000-700,000 usd range. For those who prefer to be at the center of activity, Puerto Vallarta itself offers several new developments. Because land is harder to come by in this city, most of them are condominiums. The most talked about is ICON Vallarta, currently under construction and designed by Philippe Starck. It will have 343 units with prices ranging from 200,000 to one million usd. Also worth a mention is the recently completed Grand Venetian Bay View Grand, on 20 acres of ocean front property in the heart of Puerto Vallarta. It has 478 condos in three towers, as well as 12 villas and 56 lake-front residences, available from 197,500 to 1.8 million usd.
la Manzanilla
and Manzanillo
La Manzanilla is a small fishing village in the Bay of Tenacatita, with a population of about 1,000, which nearly doubles in the winter with American and Canadian snowbirds. Surfing, fishing and mountain biking are just some of the many activities available here. Real estate is inexpensive there, with a trend toward single homes. In contrast, the port city of Manzanillo has a large array of both private residences and condos. Homes in gated communities like Club Santiago can be found for 250,000-600,000 usd, while many condos are available for around 150,000 usd.
Punta Mita
The market turns upward as we head south toward Punta Mita. Adjacent to a Four Sea-sons Resort are the Four Seasons Private Resi-dences, full-ownership villas with access to the first class resort and spa, which includes a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. Prices start at 3.6 million usd. Also in Punta Mita is El Banco,
over 120 acres of beach front property being developed by former Yahoo! CEO Tim Koogle. The master plan includes a boutique hotel. Beach villas are already available, and villas by the lake and park will be rolled out in the next three years. All are single, full-ownership homes and prices are in the multimillion dol-lar range.
52 Negocios i The Lifestyle
The Baja California Peninsula and Sonora
loreto
This quaint town of 14,000 people has every-thing that could be desired. It is on the beau-tiful Sea of Cortés, at driving distance from California and still relatively unknown to tour-ists. The Mexican tourism development office FONATUR recently invested more than 200 million usd in Loreto, which went to infrastruc-
ture improvements and the construction of a marina and a golf course. Homes are avail-able from 130,000 to 865,000 usd and many buildings are still accessible. The trend here is towards sustainable development, as exempli-fied by Loreto Bay, an 8,000 acre residential development that will be completed over the next 15 years. It is projected to have 6,000 homes, ranging in prices from 350,000 to just under one million usd. Five thousand acres will be protected as a natural reserve and the developers are taking every step possible to minimize impact on the environment. Efficient building materials, solar powered water heat-ers and ecologically sound waste management are among their many priorities.
la Paz
A short two hour flight from Los Angeles will get you to this lovely city with a colonial history, sitting on the edge of the Sea of Cortés. Bayside or mountain top homes are available for very reasonable prices, starting at around 150,000 usd. For those looking for a more private com-munity, Paraíso del Mar offers resort neigh-borhoods. These are communities with luxury
villas with prices starting in the mid 200,000 usd. Among the services are an 18 hole Arthur Hills golf course, a country club, a beach club, a marina and several plazas.
los Cabos
Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo and the area that connects them, known as the Tour-ist Corridor, comprise the best known high end beach destination in Mexico. Crystal clear beaches, access to both the Sea of Cortés and the Pacific Ocean and breathtaking desert scenery make this as appealing a location as can be.
The most prestigious neighborhood in Los Cabos is the gated 360-acre community known as Pedregal and Capella Pedregal is the most talked about development in this com-munity. Its 31 residences and 20 “casonas” are among the area’s most demanded real estate.
Cabo Real Master Plan Community has a lush golf course and resort, as well as 173 luxury condos that have sold out. In a second phase, they will make 83 new condos available from 184,000 to 300,000 usd as well as large lots from 100,000 to 300,000 usd.
Puerto PeñasCo
This perfect paradise in the state of Sonora provides an excellent opportunity to make an early investment in a rapidly growing market. With 70 miles of virgin beaches and only a five hour drive from Phoenix, it is easy to see why this is considered the hottest location for a second home. Laguna Shores is a commu-nity and golf resort offering 1,500 luxury vaca-tion homes and condos, with prices for single homes in the 200s to 300s. Laguna del Mar is a new development set on 896 acres that will sell over 360 lots and built houses are expected to go to market between 125,000 and 300,000 usd. Sandy Beach Resorts is a grand develop-ment that includes Casa Blanca Golf Villas and Esmeralda Resorts. Prices for condos start at 500,000 usd.
Photos archive
destination mexiCo as a seCond home
why MexiCo?
• Beautiful, warm weather.• Proximity to the US and Canada.• Availability of familiar services and
products.• Excellent investment opportunities.• Lower property taxes.• Hospitality.
Inland Havens
san Miguel de allende
A Colonial era mining city on the hills of Guanajuato transformed into a burgeoning community, in no small part by the estimated 15,000 ex pats who currently live there. Muse-ums, art schools and galleries line its meander-ing cobblestone streets. Around 50% of the historic downtown homes are already owned by foreigners but new homes are also on the market. Artesana Rosewood is the latest ven-ture by Bald Mountain de México. The com-plex will include a boutique luxury hotel and spa as well as private residences built by local artisans to fit the town’s style. Pricing is set at one million to three million usd.
ajijiC
This community of 15,000 people on the shore of Lake Chapala in Jalisco, a 45 minute drive from Guadalajara, has become a sort of com-mune for American and Canadian retirees. It has a rich cultural life as well as plenty of din-ing and entertaining options. Ex pats are very active in community affairs. Real estate op-tions can be found in the 120,000 to 250,000 usd range, but up-market homes can cost up to 500,000 usd. n
54 Negocios i The Lifestyle
mexiCoworld’s heritage
Mexico ranks first in the Americas and eighth worldwide for custody of 31 sites that have been recognized by UNESCO for their historical, cultural and natural relevance to the world; 27 of them are cultural-historical sites and the other four are natural sites.
the lifestyle feature mexiCo, World’s heritage
This property lies on the northern slopes of the Tlacolula valley in subtropi-cal central Oaxaca and consists of two pre-Hispanic archaeological complex-es and a series of prehistoric caves and rock shelters. Some of these shelters provide archaeological and rock art evidence for the progress of nomadic hunter gatherers to incipient farmers. Ten thousand year old Cucurbitaceae seeds in one cave, Guilá Naquitz, are considered to be the earliest known evidence of domesticated plants on the continent, while corn cob fragments from the same cave are said to be the earliest documented evidence for the domestication of maize. The cultural landscape of the Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla demonstrates the link between man and nature that gave origin to the domestication of plants in North America, thus allowing the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations.
PrehistoriC Caves of yagul and Mitla in the
Central valley of oaxaCa.
year oF inscriPtion: 2010.
location: oaxaca.
1.
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was the Royal Inland Road, also known as the Silver Route. The inscribed property consists of 55 sites and five existing World Heritage sites lying along a 1,400 km section of this 2,600 km route that extends north from Mexico City to Texas and New Mexico, in the US. The route was actively used as a trade route for 300 years, from the mid 16th to the 19th centuries, mainly for transporting silver extracted from the mines of Zacatecas, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí and mercury imported from Europe. Although it is a route that was motivated and consolidated by the mining industry, it also fostered the creation of social, cultural and religious links between Spanish and Amerindian cultures.
CaMino real de tierra adentro.
year oF inscriPtion: 2010.
location: FroM Mexico city to texas and
new Mexico, united states.
2.
The fortified town, first established in the 16th century to protect the Royal Route inland, reached its apogee in the 18th century when many of its outstanding religious and civic buildings were built in the style of the Mexican Baroque. Some of these buildings are masterpieces of the style that evolved in the transition from Baroque to neoclassical. Situ-ated 14 km from the town, the Jesuit sanctuary, also dating from the 18th century, is one of the finest examples of Baroque art and architecture in what was once called New Spain. It consists of a large church and several smaller chapels, all decorated with oil paintings by Rodríguez Juárez and mural paintings by Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre. Because of its location, San Miguel de Allende acted as a melting pot where Span-iards, Creoles and Amerindians exchanged cultural influences while the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco constitutes an exceptional ex-ample of the exchange between European and Latin American cultures. Its architecture and interior decoration testify to the influence of Saint Ignacio de Loyola’s doctrine.
ProteCtive town of san Miguel and the
sanCtuary of jesús nazareno de atotonilCo.
year oF inscriPtion: 2008.
location: guanajuato.
3.
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56 Negocios i The Lifestyle
The ensemble of buildings, sports facilities and open spaces of the Central University City Cam-pus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was built from 1949 to 1952 by more than 60 architects, engineers and art-ists who were involved in the project. As a re-sult, the campus constitutes a unique example of 20th century modernism integrating urban-ism, architecture, engineering, landscape de-sign and fine arts with references to local tradi-tions, especially to Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past. The ensemble embodies social and cultural values of universal significance and is one of the most significant icons of modernity in Latin America.
Central university City
CaMPus of the national
autonoMous university
of MexiCo (unaM).
year oF inscriPtion: 2007.
location: Mexico city.
4.
The 34,658 hectares site, between the foothills of the Tequila Volcano and the deep valley of the Rio Grande River, is part of an expansive land-scape of blue agave, shaped by the culture of the plant used since the 16th century to produce tequila spirit and for at least 2,000 years to make fer-mented drinks and cloth. Within the landscape are working distilleries reflecting the growth in the international consumption of tequila in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, the agave culture is seen as part of the na-tional identity. The area encloses a living, working landscape of blue agave fields and the urban settlements of Tequila, Arenal, and Amatitán with large distilleries where the agave “pineapple” is fermented and distilled. The property is also a testimony to the Teuchitlán cultures that shaped the Tequila area from 200-900 A.D., notably through the creation of terraces for agriculture, housing, temples, ceremonial mounds and ball courts.
agave landsCaPe and anCient industrial
faCilities of tequila.
year oF inscriPtion: 2006.
location: jalisco.
5.
Built in 1948, the House and Studio of architect Luis Barragán in the sub-urbs of Mexico City represents an outstanding example of the architect’s creative work in the post Second World War period. The concrete building, totaling 1,161 m2, consists of a ground floor and two upper storeys, as well as a small private garden. Barragán’s work integrated modern and traditional artistic and vernacular currents and elements into a new synthesis, which has been greatly influential.
luis barragán house and studio.
year oF inscriPtion: 2004.
location: Mexico city.
6.
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The five Franciscan missions of Sierra Gorda were built during the last phase of the conversion to Christianity of the interior of Mexico in the mid 18th century and became an important reference for the continuation of the evangelization of California, Arizona and Texas. The richly decorated church façades are of special interest as they represent an example of the joint creative efforts of the missionaries and the indigenous people. The ru-ral settlements that grew around have retained their vernacular character.
franCisCan Missions in the
sierra gorda of querétaro.
year oF inscriPtion: 2003.
location: Querétaro.
7.
Calakmul, an important Maya site set deep in the tropical forest of the Tierras Bajas of south-ern Mexico, played a key role in the history of this region for more than 12 centuries. Its im-posing structures and its characteristic overall layout are remarkably well preserved and give a vivid picture of life in an ancient Maya capital.
anCient Maya City
of CalakMul.
year oF inscriPtion: 2002.
location: caMPeche.
8.
Xochicalco is an exceptionally well preserved example of a fortified political, religious and commercial center from the troubled period of 650–900 A.D. that followed the break up of the great Mesoamerican states such as Teoti-huacan, Monte Albán, Palenque and Tikal.
arChaeologiCal
MonuMents zone
of xoChiCalCo.
year oF inscriPtion: 1999.
location: Morelos.
9.
the lifestyle feature mexiCo, World’s heritageP
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58 Negocios i The Lifestyle
Campeche is a typical example of a harbor town from the Spanish colonial period in the New World. The historic center has kept its outer walls and system of fortifications, designed to defend this Caribbean port against attacks from the sea.
historiC fortified town of CaMPeChe.
year oF inscriPtion: 1999.
location: caMPeche.
10.
Paquimé, Casas Grandes, which reached its apogee in the 14th and 15th centuries, played a key role in trade and cultural contacts between the Pueblo culture of the southwestern US and northern Mexico and the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica. The extensive remains, only part of which have been excavated, are clear evidence of the vital-ity of a culture that was perfectly adapted to its physical and economic environment, but which suddenly vanished at the time of the Spanish Conquest.
arChaeologiCal zone of PaquiMé, Casas
grandes (Chihuahua).
year oF inscriPtion: 1998.
location: chihuahua.
11.
Tlacotalpan, a Spanish colonial river port on the Gulf coast of Mexico, was founded in the mid 16th century. It has preserved its original urban fabric to a remarkable degree, with wide streets, colonnaded houses in a profusion of styles and colors, and many mature trees in the public open spaces and private gardens.
historiC MonuMents
zone of tlaCotalPan.
year oF inscriPtion: 1998.
location: Veracruz.
12.
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The Hospicio Cabañas was built at the beginning of the 19th century to provide care and shelter for the disadvantaged – orphans, old people, the handicapped and chronic invalids. This remarkable complex, which incorporates several unusual features designed specifically to meet the needs of its occupants, was unique for its time. It is also notable for its harmonious relationship between the open and built spaces, the sim-plicity of its design and its size. In the early 20th century, the chapel was decorated with a superb series of murals, now considered to be some of the masterpieces of Mexican art. They are the work of José Clemente Orozco, one of the greatest Mexican muralists of the period.
hosPiCio Cabañas, guadalajara.
year oF inscriPtion: 1997.
location: jalisco.
13.
The Mayan town of Uxmal, in Yucatán, was founded c. 700 A.D. and had some 25,000 in-habitants. The layout of the buildings, which date from between 700 and 1,000, reveals knowledge of astronomy. The Pyramid of the Soothsayer, as the Spaniards called it, domi-nates the ceremonial center, which has well designed buildings decorated with a profusion of symbolic motifs and sculptures depicting Chaac, the god of rain. The ceremonial sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Labna and Sayil are consid-ered to be the high points of Mayan art and architecture.
Pre-hisPaniC town
of uxMal.
year oF inscriPtion: 1996.
location: yucatán.
14.
The old colonial town of Querétaro is unusual in having retained the geometric street plan of the Spanish conquerors side by side with the twisting alleys of the Indian quarters. The Otomí, the Tarasco, the Chi-chimeca and the Spanish lived together peacefully in the town, which is notable for the many ornate civil and religious Baroque monuments from its golden age in the 17th and 18th centuries.
historiC MonuMents zone of querétaro.
year oF inscriPtion: 1996.
location: Querétaro.
15.
the lifestyle feature mexiCo, World’s heritageP
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60 Negocios i The Lifestyle
These 14 monasteries stand on the slopes of Popocatépetl, to the southeast of Mexico City. They are extremely well preserved and are good examples of the architectural style adopted by the first missionaries –Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians– in the early 16th century. They also repre-sent an example of a new architectural concept –where open spaces are of renewed importance–, which influence is felt throughout the country and even beyond its borders.
earliest 16th Century Monasteries on
the sloPes of PoPoCatéPetl .
year oF inscriPtion: 1994 .
location: Morelos and Puebla.
Founded in 1546 after the discovery of a rich silver lode, Zacatecas reached the height of its prosperity in the 16th and 17th centuries. Built on the steep slopes of a narrow valley, the town has breathtaking views and there are many old buildings, both religious and civil. The cathedral, built between 1730 and 1760, dominates the center of the town. It is notable for its harmonious design and the Baroque profusion of its façades, where European and indigenous decorative elements are found side by side.
historiC Center
of zaCateCas.
year oF inscriPtion: 1993.
location: zacatecas.
17.
From c. 100 B.C. to A.D. 1300, the Sierra de San Francisco (in the El Vizcaíno reserve in Baja California Sur) was home to a people who have now disap-peared but who left one of the most outstanding collections of rock paintings in the world, remarkably well preserved because of the dry climate and in-accessibility of the site. Depicting human and animal figures and illustrating the relationship between humans and their environment, the paintings re-veal a highly sophisticated culture. Their composition and size, as well as the precision of the outlines and the variety of colors, make this an impressive testimony to a unique artistic tradition.
roCk Paintings of the
sierra de san franCisCo.
year oF inscriPtion: 1993.
location: baja caliFornia sur.
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Located in the state of Veracruz, El Tajín was at its height from the early 9th to the early 13th century. It became the most important Center in northeast Mesoamerica after the fall of the Teotihuacan Empire. Its cultural influence ex-tended all along the Gulf and penetrated into the Maya region and the high plateaus of cen-tral Mexico. Its architecture, which is unique in Mesoamerica, is characterized by elabo-rated carved reliefs on the columns and frieze. The “Pyramid of the Niches”, a masterpiece of ancient Mexican and American architecture, reveals the astronomical and symbolic signifi-cance of the buildings. El Tajín has survived as an outstanding example of the grandeur and importance of the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico.
el tajín, Pre-hisPaniC City.
year oF inscriPtion: 1992.
location: Veracruz.
Built in the 16th century, Morelia is an outstanding example of urban plan-ning which combines the ideas of the Spanish Renaissance with the Meso-american experience. Well adapted to the slopes of the hill site, its streets still follow the original layout. More than 200 historic buildings, all in the region’s characteristic pink stone, reflect the town’s architectural history, revealing a masterly and eclectic blend of the medieval spirit with Renaissance, Ba-roque and Neoclassical elements. Morelia was the birthplace of several im-portant personalities of independent Mexico and has played a major role in the country’s history.
historiC Center of Morelia.
year oF inscriPtion: 1991.
location: Michoacán.
20.
Founded by the Spanish in the early 16th century, Guanajuato became the world’s leading silverv extraction center in the 18th century. This past can be seen in its “subterranean streets” and the “Boca del Inferno” (Hell’s Mouth), a mineshaft that plunges a breathtaking 600 meters. The town’s fine Ba-roque and Neoclassical buildings, resulting from the prosperity of the mines, have influenced buildings throughout central Mexico. The churches of La Compañía and La Valenciana are considered to be among the most beautiful examples of Baroque architecture in Central and South America.
historiC town of guanajuato
and adjaCent Mines.
year oF inscriPtion: 1988.
location: guanajuato.
21.
19.
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62 Negocios i The Lifestyle
This sacred site was one of the greatest Mayan centers of the Yucatán peninsula. Throughout its nearly 1,000 year history, different peoples have left their mark on the city. The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their stone monuments and artistic works. The fusion of Mayan construc-tion techniques with new elements from central Mexico make Chichén-Itzá one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatán. Several buildings have survived, such as the Warriors’ Temple, El Castillo and the circular observatory known as El Caracol.
Pre-hisPaniC City
of ChiChén-itzá.
year oF inscriPtion: 1988.
location: yucatán.
Built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital, Mexico City is now one of the world’s largest and most densely populated cities. It has five Aztec temples, the ruins of which have been identified, a cathedral (the largest on the continent) and some fine 19th and 20th century public buildings such as the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Xochimilco lies 28 km south of Mexico City. With its network of canals and artificial islands, it testifies to the efforts of the Aztec people to build a habitat in the midst of an unfavorable environment. Its charac-teristic urban and rural structures, built since the 16th century and dur-ing the colonial period, have been preserved in an exceptional manner.
historiC Center of MexiCo City
and xoChiMilCo.
year oF inscriPtion: 1987.
location: Mexico city.
23.
Inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples –Ol-mecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs– the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the moun-tain and are the symbols of a sacred topography. The nearby city of Oax-aca, which is built on a grid pattern, is a good example of Spanish colonial town planning. The solidity and volume of the city’s buildings show that they were adapted to the earthquake-prone region in which these archi-tectural gems were constructed.
historiC Center of oaxaCa and
arChaeologiCal site of Monte albán.
year oF inscriPtion: 1987.
location: oaxaca.
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Puebla, which was founded ex nihilo in 1531, is situated about 100 km east of Mexico City, at the foot of the Popocatépetl volcano. It has pre-served its great religious structures such as the 16th–17th century cathe-dral and fine buildings like the old archbishop’s palace, as well as a host of houses with walls covered in tiles (azulejos). The new aesthetic con-cepts resulting from the fusion of European and American styles were adopted locally and are peculiar to the Baroque district of Puebla.
historiC Center of Puebla.
year oF inscriPtion: 1987.
location: Puebla.
A prime example of a Mayan sanctuary of the classical period, Palenque was at its height between 500 and 700 A.D., when its influence extended throughout the basin of the Usumacinta River. The elegance and crafts-manship of the buildings, as well as the lightness of the sculpted reliefs with their Mayan mythological themes, attest to the creative genius of this civilization.
Pre-hisPaniC City and
national Park of Palenque.
year oF inscriPtion: 1987.
location: chiaPas.
26.
The holy city of Teotihuacan (“the place where the gods were created”) is situated some 50 km northeast of Mexico City. Built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D., it is characterized by the vast size of its monuments – in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcóatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. As one of the most powerful cultural centers in Mesoamerica, Teotihuacan extended its cultural and artistic influence throughout the region and even beyond.
Pre-hisPaniC City of teotihuaCan.
year oF inscriPtion: 1987.
location: estado de México.
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64 Negocios i The Lifestyle
NATURAL SITES
The 56,259 hectares biosphere lies within rugged forested mountains about 100 km northwest of Mexico City. Every autumn, millions –perhaps a billion– butterflies from wide areas of North America return to the site and cluster on small areas of the forest reserve, coloring its trees or-ange and literally bending branches under their collective weight. In the spring, these butterflies begin an eight month migration that takes them all the way to Eastern Canada and back, during which time four successive generations are born and die. How they find their way back to their overwintering site remains a mystery.
MonarCh butterfly
biosPhere reserve
year oF inscriPtion: 2008.
location: Michoacán.
The site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in north western Mexico. The Sea of Cortés and its islands have been called a natural laboratory for the investigation of speciation. Moreover, al-most all major oceanographic processes occur-ring in the planet’s oceans are present in the property, giving it extraordinary importance for study. The site is one of striking natural beauty in a dramatic setting formed by rugged islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches that contrast with the brilliant reflection from the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters. It is home to 695 vascular plant species, more than in any other marine and insular property on the World Heritage List. Equally exceptional is the number of endemic fish species. The site, moreover, con-tains 39% of the world’s total number of species of marine mammals and a third of the world’s marine cetacean species.
islands of the gulf
of California.
year oF inscriPtion: 2005.
location: baja caliFornia,
baja caliFornia sur,
nayarit, sinaloa
and sonora.
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Located in the central part of the peninsula of Baja California, the sanctuary contains some ex-ceptionally interesting ecosystems. The coastal lagoons of Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio are im-portant reproduction and wintering sites for the grey whale, harbor seal, California sea lion, north-ern elephant seal and blue whale. The lagoons are also home to four species of the endangered marine turtle.
whale sanCtuary
of el vizCaíno
year oF inscriPtion: 1993.
location: baja caliFornia
sur
3.
In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka’an means “Origin of the Sky”. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere re-serve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section in-tersected by a barrier reef. It provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna com-prising more than 300 species of birds, as well as a large number of the region’s characteristic terrestrial vertebrates that cohabit in the di-verse environment formed by its complex hy-drological system.
sian ka’an.
year oF inscriPtion: 1987.
location: Quintana roo.
4.
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66 Negocios i The Lifestyle
Carla fernándezMexican Fab goes creatiVeInspired by the indigenous Mexican textile tradition, Carla Fernández succeeds in intertwining the past, present and future of Mexican fashion. Be it London, Paris or New York, her designs captivate runways and fashion schools.
Rarely do we take the time to consider the ethnic or cultural character represented in our attire. However, in their line of work, fashion designers are not only driven to innovate but also to reflect on issues such as identity, often based on the his-
tory and the evolution of a technique represented by a garment. Carla Fernández, a Mexican fashion designer, has directed
her work towards the blending of Mexican fashion designs past and present, employing meticulous study of the techniques, pat-terns and colors of indigenous attire in her country.
As a young woman, Carla Fernández made several family trips around Mexico. It was during these trips that she had the opportunity to be exposed to indigenous attire and textile tech-niques. Soon, she began integrating elements of the clothing of these indigenous groups into her own daily dress. Years later, she had the opportunity to complete her university tour of so-cial service in the (now closed) Museo Serfín de la Indumentaria Indígena in Mexico City. There, she sketched patterns of the gar-ments stored in the museum’s archive in order to analyze the techniques of their production. She was surprised to find that almost all the articles were made using square and rectangular forms.
Fernández knew that techniques of textile design and pro-duction were passed down in indigenous communities through a strong intergenerational tradition but over the course of her study of the museum’s archive, she wondered about the source from which this strong element of parallel-lined shapes had emerged. She gradually formulated a theory suggesting that contemporary indigenous attire had come to develop its own distinct tailoring system, producing as a result a lovely sort of textile origami.
A few years ago, the young designer became a dressmak-ing teacher at the Escuelas Itinerantes de Diseño Artesanal, a subsidiary of the Mexican government’s Dirección General de Culturas Populares e Indígenas. At the same time, she opened up her own fashion studio, Taller Flora, in Mexico City. In this workspace, she collaborates with a team of designers to mani-fest the results of their research in indigenous communities from around the country, such as Tzotziles, Tzetzales, Mixtecas, Purépechas, Amusgos, Huaves, Nahuas, Mazahuas, Triques and Huicholes, among others.
In 2008, Carla Fernández received the Young Fashion Entre-preneur Award, a distinction conferred by the British Council on promising up-and-coming designers. The designer has also appeared in fashion editorials in magazines such as Mexican Celeste and British Wallpaper. Her work was part of Manifesta 2008 Fashion Fest, an event which took place in Tretino, Italy.
Taller Flora produces artisanal garments, requiring a great deal of craft work, thus allowing its team to produce only 30 pieces per design. One can buy one of these masterpieces at exclusive stores like August, in North Oakland (USA), and Q, in Oaxaca City, Mexico. In 2009, this Mexican designer’s works were also available at the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris and the London Fashion Fest. n
Photos courtesy of carla fernández
fashion Carla FernÁndez
“my Work Consists in ConneCting rural Communities With the World oF Fashion. i Work With diFFerent artisans From diFFerent ethniC groups around mexiCo and together We Create neW designs based on indigenous teChniQues and praCtiCes. i like Fashion, Folk, and the Future.”
68 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photo archive
The GuelaGueTzaexpression of mexiCan essenCe Held in July, in Oaxaca, Guelaguetza, which comes from the Zapotec word meaning “present” or “mutual offering”, is one of the most colorful celebrations in the Americas.
PoPular Culture the guelaguetza
More than 3,000 years ago the indigenous peoples of Oaxaca began to culti-vate plants to supplement their hunting, fishing and
gathering. The most important of these plants was corn, which formed the basis of their diet. With the addition of tomatoes, beans, chiles and squash, their simple diet evolved into a richly varied and delicious regional gastrono-my –which is today celebrated during the Food of the Gods Festival in early October. Thus the gods and goddesses involved with water and corn were vital among the celestial hierarchy and the tribute to them was a lively and color-ful celebration with music, dance and artifacts of the people.
This offering of life’s gifts took place mid-way through the rainy season, when it was es-sential that the rains continue moderately and without excess to bring forth the best crops. The feast of Xilonen, goddess of tender corn, falls on July 16 (in the modern calendar) and is the signal to launch the two weeks of celebra-tion.
When the Spanish arrived in Oaxaca in 1521, they attempted to impose upon and con-vert the indigenous people to Catholicism. Part of their strategy was to reinterpret the deeply rooted customs honoring pagan beliefs. For ex-ample, razing temples and building churches on the ruins and conserving the holiness of the place but identifying it with the new religion. In the case of the Guelaguetza, it was incorporat-ed into a celebration of the feast of the Virgin of
Carmen on July 16, which is why the celebra-tion begins with calendas and other festivities at the church of Carmen Alto.
The Spanish introduced new products and techniques which resulted in changes to lifestyles and traditional dress. Prior to their arrival, textiles were made from cotton. Nowa-days, one sees silk, wool and glass beads in the clothing of the delegations of the Guelaguetza.
Overlooking the present city of Oaxaca is the hill known as Cerro del Fortín, from the location of Aztec garrisons there in the 15th century. This ridge was a popular place for outings and came to be the traditional place for celebrating the Lunes del Cerro (Mondays on the Hill) when the Guelaguetza began to focus on the celebrations held on the two Mondays following the feast of the Virgin of Carmen on July 16.
In 1932, the city of Oaxaca celebrated the 400th anniversary of its designation as a royal city by Charles the fifth of Spain. As a part of that year’s festivities it was organized into the forerunner of what we might call the “modern” Guelaguetza, with representation of the ethnic groups from all the seven regions of the valley. Over the past 69 years it has become a highly publicized major cultural event. Approximate-ly 30 years ago, an amphitheater seating close to 11,000 people was built to accommodate this exuberant expression of Oaxacan folklore.
Other events have grown up around the two Mondays –some original indigenous traditions, especially in the villages, and some more mod-ern innovations such as the contest to select
the goddess Centéotl who presides over the festivities. The goddess Centéotl is chosen from among the candidates sent by each delegation, not only for physical beauty, but also for her knowledge of the area’s history, customs and traditions. There is also the Bani Stui Gulal, a dramatic presentation of how the Guelaguetza has been celebrated in different epochs, plus the presentation of the Legend of Donají on each of the Monday nights in the Guelaguetza auditorium. The Legend of Donají is the story of the last Zapotec princess, full of light, sound, fireworks and drama.
The “official” Guelaguetza is now organized and promoted by the government of the state. It is held on the two Mondays following July 16 (unless July 18, the anniversary of the death of Benito Juárez, falls on a Monday, in which case it is carried out on the following two Mondays). The Instituto Oaxaqueño de las Culturas and the city also organize various collateral events.
On the Monday on the Hill at dawn, people are already walking to the auditorium, with music, fireworks and pageantry. Around 9:00 am, the delegations and spectators begin to arrive, the seats fill up and the excitement in-creases. The morning is generally perfect with bright warm sunshine and mostly clear skies. At around 10:00 am, the goddess Centéotl and all the delegations are presented and parade around the stage. Centéotl then takes her seat with the Governor of the state and invited dig-nitaries, high officials and personalities from around the world and as the first delegation is introduced the celebration begins. n
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70 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photo gary denness
Downtown areas of some of Mexico’s most populated cities are known for their cultural richness, architectural and historical value as well as their
dynamic lifestyles. These qualities make them the best places to visit and to live in. It is here where people, traditions, commerce, the arts, business and entertainment come together to give a particular city its own character. Three major cities: Mexico, Monterrey and Queré-taro, are in the process of revitalizing their downtown areas –known as centros históricos and some neighborhoods –known as barrios.
That renewal process, also called gentrifi-cation, intends to repopulate areas that have been mostly abandoned by residents. The
ReviTalizinG Mexican ciTiesMexico City, Monterrey and Querétaro are rebuilding their historic centers, looking to bring residents back in order to have them bustling with activity as they once were.
trend of inhabitants leaving such historic cen-ters is actually common to many cities around the world. The revitalization project therefore seeks to generate certain policies and pro-cesses for these areas, which have been a city’s cultural focus through their museums, historic monuments and the like, to regain their value. These spaces, the heart of a city, are normally full of activity and people during the day, partly because of tourists. But at night, their popula-tions diminish significantly.
It was feared that these historic centers would deteriorate if left alone. That is why lo-cal governments together with the public and private sectors are now developing solutions to keep such areas alive. That has generated many ideas, including using business towers
as residential spaces, rehabilitating deterio-rated buildings, improving municipal services and creating new jobs in these districts. Other proposals include promoting events to attract people, promoting activities in museums and inviting schools to take advantage of the archi-tecture and beauty of public spaces. The goal is to regain the city for its current inhabitants and coming generations that will surely benefit from a more attractive city life.
One of the world biggest cities, Mexico City certainly has its charms. A lot of work, creativity and thinking have been implemented to make this incredible metropolis a better place to live. In 1990 a trust named Fideicomiso del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México was created. Its objective is to promote, manage and coordi-
70 Negocios i The Lifestyle
arChiteCture revitalizing mexiCan Cities
nate with the private and public sectors actions and services that help the revitalization, protec-tion and conservation of the historic center.
Since the creation of the Fideicomiso, a lot of work has been done. In 2002, the city’s gov-ernment allocated 40 million usd to renovate 34 blocks and almost 500 properties near the main square –around the streets of Donceles, Venustiano Carranza, Eje Central and 5 de Febrero. In the square, the block of República de Guatemala and Argentina, an old colonial house dating from the 18th century, was re-habilitated as part of an agreement between the Mexican and Spanish governments. Spain invested 50,000 usd for the creation of Centro Cultural de España, (Spanish Cultural Center), which was inaugurated in November 2002 af-
ter much hard work. Today, it is an active, mul-titask cultural center, which holds exhibitions, concerts and also has a beautiful restaurant in its terrace overlooking the cathedral.
Something green and something great is also happening in Mexico City. The need of creating more eco-friendly areas has gener-ated some interesting ideas. One example is a vertical garden located in the dead end street of 5 de Mayo. It was inaugurated last summer. Its design is of a serpent moving on a wall and it covers a surface area of 350 square meters. It is the first vertical garden in Latin America. Another project is creating gardens on the flat roofs of some big buildings. The first flat roof garden, at 65 Delicias Street, was also inau-gurated last June. The goal is to have 6,000
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72 Negocios i The Lifestyle Photo pedro ángeles
square meters of vertical gardens and flat roof gardens by 2012, instead of reforesting Mexico City.
Some artists are moving back to the his-toric center, to live and create in this new at-mosphere. The ambiance is a mixture of new inhabitants together with those who have lived for a long time in and around downtown. Renovation plans continue. A new budget was recently assigned to continue with the rehabili-tation of streets, now directed at the Corredor Cultural Alhóndiga. Other projects soon to be worked on include creating a modern public transportation system for the main square, cleaning the water from the fountains and lift-ing up the Santísima Trinidad cathedral at the Zócalo.
Monterrey, the capital city of Nuevo León, is one of Mexico’s strongest metropolises be-cause of its industrial development. Monterrey is considered to be more a place for business than for culture or tourism. But it still has an active cultural life and a beautiful historic cen-ter. It has old colonial places like the Obispado and impressive modern ones like the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo or MARCO (Monter-rey’s Contemporary Art Museum).
The city is also facing the challenge of losing downtown inhabitants. According to the May-or, the population in the interior of the city in the last 30 years has dropped from 300,000 to only 30,000 residents. To counteract this trend, officials have encouraged dividing old houses, based on their size, into two or four living areas or apartments. This would increase the popu-lation density in the area. Another proposal, by the company Urbina, is looking to renovate a business tower –Seguros Monterrey– into luxury apartments or lofts.
Querétaro, along with Mexico City, hosts several World Heritage sites. Its historic monu-ments zone was added to the list in 1996. Since then, the main goal of the local government has been the conservation and renovation of the district. But the area also experienced a re-duction of its population. The rescue of down-town’s historic monuments has been done hand in hand with the National Institute of An-thropology and History (INAH, for its acronym in Spanish), to preserve their historic heritage. These efforts have so far renovated multiple buildings and monuments like Palacio Munici-pal, Casa Ecala, Plaza de Armas and Fuente de Neptuno. n
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VII - 2011
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VII - 20
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