Mexican designer blends Chicano and Harajuku styles

In a leafy park in Mexico City, beside colonial era fountains and food stands, Italia Segovia’s designs are turning heads, as usual.

A pink ruffled dress with white lace and big bow; a high-school vibe tartan dress tied with a pale yellow shawl imprinted with Mexico’s patron saint the Virgin of Guadalupe, all accentuated with loud heavy makeup.

Segovia, known to her friends as “Kumiko,” calls her work Chicanjuku: a fusion of Mexican American Chicano culture and Japanese Harajuku style, named after the Tokyo district renowned for its bright colored accessories, outlandish makeup, and elaborate hairstyles.