WELCOME
At Viviana De La Barca we love rooting cultural journalism and social design; from a devoted educator, writer, director, and producer of documentary films, novels, art installations, and lifestyle writing.
Lifestyle and Cultural Journalism
Weekend Dance Snacks
Viviana De la Barca Dance Snacks promotes healthy practices by incorporating fun movement breaks into our hectic daily routines. We achieve this by sharing dance shorts on social media, which help get your heart pumping, your body moving, and your mood lifted!
Lifestyle and Cultural Journalism
Nips, Fashion, and Medical Art Prothesis
Who can forget Bella Hadid’s stunning red carpet moment at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where she liberated her nipples in a breathtaking midi dress with a completely sheer bodice? Or perhaps singer Rihanna’s iconic look at the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards, where she wore a dazzling naked dress? And let’s not forget the 80s Goddess of Pop Cher’s bejewelled fishnet bodysuit, a timeless ‘free the nip’ look that has been around since April 9, 1978.
In Mexico, we call them ‘pezones’ in Spanish; in Dutch, we call them ‘tepels’.
Medical art prosthesis Areol Atelier by Mimosa Beauty in the Netherlands is owned by Lola Palmero. Anyone with an interest in enhancing their nipples can find her practice in the city of Eindhoven. The nipples Lola makes are 100% handmade external prostheses from silicone and aren’t only an aesthetic lifestyle solution for anyone who has lost a nip in an accident or in the fight against breast cancer. Areol Atelier by Mimosa Beauty nips can also be part of anyone’s wardrobe who is looking to enhance their healthy natural ones to wear them in different colors as they please.
In Mexico, we call them ‘pezones’ in Spanish; in Dutch, we call them ‘tepels’.
Medical art prosthesis Areol Atelier by Mimosa Beauty in the Netherlands is owned by Lola Palmero. Anyone with an interest in enhancing their nipples can find her practice in the city of Eindhoven. The nipples Lola makes are 100% handmade external prostheses from silicone and aren’t only an aesthetic lifestyle solution for anyone who has lost a nip in an accident or in the fight against breast cancer. Areol Atelier by Mimosa Beauty nips can also be part of anyone’s wardrobe who is looking to enhance their healthy natural ones to wear them in different colors as they please.
On Critical Tourism
What to gift the man who has everything?
Okay readers, time for more wanderlust.
City Escape: Oslo, Norway.
Creative, cultural, and fashion tourism is one of the hottest trends in the global tourism industry. Here at Viviana De La Barca, we focus on quality rather than quantity when purchasing souvenirs. We value art and design that help as examples of sustainable thinking. We cultivate each time more the idea of local production with made-to-order garments to reduce overproduction —as with our participation at DEMO Eindhoven in Dutch Design Week 2024.
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Creative, cultural, and fashion tourism is gaining popularity because it offers unique local experiences that promote domestic creativity and craftsmanship. This includes shopping in second-hand stores or high-end boutiques that redefine luxury. We seek meaningful souvenirs that support research and production that challenges conventional knowledge for social sustainability. Metamorphosis in art refers to the transformation of one object into another significant shape. As someone born in a valley between two volcanoes in Mexico, the use of volcanic soil to create coasters is deeply ingrained in our culture.
Saulo coasters, crafted from impregnated natural ore in Sulitjelma, Norway, are a testament to the region’s rich history of copper mining. Discovered in 1860 by Lap Mons Petter, continuous mining production began in 1891. Formed 450 million years ago through volcanic eruptions, the ore’s distinctive shimmer is due to copper, zinc, and iron in minerals like chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and pyrite. Trace amounts of gold and silver are also present.
During our brief visit to Oslo, Norway, one of the greenest destinations we’ve ever explored, we were enveloped in a sense of relaxation, consciousness, and wonder. Oslo boasts sustainable credentials in the design industry and an innovative ethos that we eagerly anticipate revisiting.
Culture and Lifestyle
There’s not only one Mexico to visit. There are several.
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While cast iron designs arrived from Europe, England, Germany or the United States, Mexico‘s preference for the French culture since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is seen in the cast-iron work around.
These traditional features of small-town Mexico, such as cast iron stairs, window railings, bandstands, benches, and streetlights, have been around for over a hundred years and are an integral part of our urban landscape. However, few people stop to wonder about their origins and how they came to be an integral part of Mexican identity. |
In the nineteenth century, the modernization of many Mexican cities and towns, particularly Mexico City, was accompanied by a desire of innovation as a symbol of development. Parks, streets, and other public spaces were adorned with cast-iron designs, primarily imported from France.
While cast iron designs arrived from Europe, England, Germany or the United States, Mexico‘s preference for the French culture since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is seen in the cast-iron work around. In some cases, these pieces have been around for over a hundred years. Mexicans are so accustomed to them that we consider them an integral part of our identity and our urban landscape.
While cast iron designs arrived from Europe, England, Germany or the United States, Mexico‘s preference for the French culture since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is seen in the cast-iron work around. In some cases, these pieces have been around for over a hundred years. Mexicans are so accustomed to them that we consider them an integral part of our identity and our urban landscape.
Wellness and Lifestyle
Next: food stories and illustrations from the world.
What’s Blue Corn?
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What’s Blue Corn? In the last image of the delectable cuisine of Mexico, the tortillas are made of blue corn.
This millenarian ingredient in Mexico originates from the corncob's bluish hue due to anthocyanin, a natural pigment that functions as a potent antioxidant and provides the corn with essential nutrients. Among the benefits of anthocyanins are: |
- Protects the capillaries of the retina.
- Strengthen the cardiovascular system.
- Exhibits a powerful antioxidant effect that delays aging and safeguards against free radical damage.
- Acts as an antiviral agent,: aiding the fight against various infections and colds.
- Strengthen the cardiovascular system.
- Exhibits a powerful antioxidant effect that delays aging and safeguards against free radical damage.
- Acts as an antiviral agent,: aiding the fight against various infections and colds.
Travel and Lifestyle
Spring is officially here, and we’re so excited to share some fresh news with you!This breezy spring news is all about celebrating the season’s rebirth and the amazing opportunities it brings.
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It’s a nod to how thoughtful lifestyle choices can transform our lives. Imagine traveling through the breathtaking mountains of Mexico, exploring the historic streets of Cambridge, England, or immersing yourself in the vibrant artistic markets of the Netherlands. There’s an undeniable sense of renewal in the air.
Our Lifestyle Journalist kitchen brings you two beloved Mexican recipes: Rajas con crema made with roasted poblano peppers, white onion, thinly sliced golden roasted garlic, and minced, then sprinkled with fresh corn kernels. Then there’s Horchata de coco with vanilla. This drink originated in Egypt and was once made with barley, known as “hordeata.”
Are you visiting the Netherlands this spring? Join The Lifestyle Journalist in Eindhoven for our first community centre event and art market! We’ll be hosting these events in April, May, and June. For more details check out our social media or visit www.vmcdelabarca.com.
Are you visiting the Netherlands this spring? Join The Lifestyle Journalist in Eindhoven for our first community centre event and art market! We’ll be hosting these events in April, May, and June. For more details check out our social media or visit www.vmcdelabarca.com.
Men's Fashion and Lifestyle
Culture, people, style and places where the traditional meets the modern. Viviana takes a great deal of inspiration from her life abroad and travels – in Mexico, to North Africa or Norway, for instance.
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Viviana is a former educator with a masters degree in screenwriting, but her storytelling doesn’t stop with her audiovisual productions on culture, art and design.
She has developed her own visual language by combining her bilingual writing and a playful drawing style in her pastel and watercolor sketches. This versatility is what clients love about her. Viviana’s style is feminine in tone and content. |
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Based in the Netherlands, Viviana’s new sketches and lifestyle stories can be found in The Artist.
2025 Culture and Fashion Design
Mexican Urban Art & Design |
London’s Marie Antoinette Style
Here are some of our favorite moments at London’s Marie Antoinette Style exhibition. This fall we were back in London to see first hand this exhibition, which celebrates the most fashionable European queen ever-- the one who reused her clothes every year and shared them with her staff!
The Victoria and Albert Museum opened its Marie Antoinette Style exhibition, in a show that honors her fashion sense and looks into some of the myths about one of the most talked-about queen in history. London’s Marie Antoinette Style is all about the unique style that Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, brought to the table. She was known for her extravagant taste and how much she influenced European aesthetics.
These images are from the exhibition at the V&A Museum, which showcases some of Marie Antoinette's personal items, contemporary couture, and the enduring allure of her style that continues to captivate contemporary fashion designers even after 250 years.
The Victoria and Albert Museum opened its Marie Antoinette Style exhibition, in a show that honors her fashion sense and looks into some of the myths about one of the most talked-about queen in history. London’s Marie Antoinette Style is all about the unique style that Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, brought to the table. She was known for her extravagant taste and how much she influenced European aesthetics.
These images are from the exhibition at the V&A Museum, which showcases some of Marie Antoinette's personal items, contemporary couture, and the enduring allure of her style that continues to captivate contemporary fashion designers even after 250 years.
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Getting Dirty With Fashion
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At London’s Barbican Centre, the exhibition titled Dirty Looks explores the intricate relationship between fashion and the earth, delving into the dirt that is an inevitable byproduct of the industry and humankind.
On the autumn of 2025, the Barbican Art Gallery is staging an ingenious exhibition Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion. This exhibition features a bonanza of ripped, torn, stained, and burnt designs from a panoply of greats, including Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.
From romantic gowns that embrace their own ruination to garments that elevate stains into decorative motifs. An exhibition that questions ideals of beauty and glamour. The show showcases a large installation of Hussein Chalayan’s poetic designs, which he famously buried in iron filings to observe decay and continued this practice throughout his career.
Decay has its own poetry, and the Romantic Ruins section explores that sentiment in the shape of torn and tattered gowns from John Galliano's Fallen Angels collection, Alexander McQueen's slashed tartans from Highland Rape.
From romantic gowns that embrace their own ruination to garments that elevate stains into decorative motifs. An exhibition that questions ideals of beauty and glamour. The show showcases a large installation of Hussein Chalayan’s poetic designs, which he famously buried in iron filings to observe decay and continued this practice throughout his career.
Decay has its own poetry, and the Romantic Ruins section explores that sentiment in the shape of torn and tattered gowns from John Galliano's Fallen Angels collection, Alexander McQueen's slashed tartans from Highland Rape.
Our Dutch Design Week 2025 Highlights
We met Babs Groote Schaarsberg from Raalte in the Netherlands this year at Dutch Design Week (DDW) 2025 in the city of Eindhoven, who graduated last academic year from the Utrecht School of the Arts, majoring in Fashion Design. Babs exhibited her graduation work She was inspired by the market Bottermarkt.
My work involves creating a collection of wearable paper sculptures. These sculptures explore the possibilities of fashion, blending sculptural and wearable elements, sometimes functioning as installations.
The collection Een Ode Aan (An Ode To) is inspired by the market Bottermarkt in Raalte, where traditional Salland costumes are still worn. These garments, worn with pride and care, are a visible symbol of local heritage.
“My work involves creating a collection of wearable paper sculptures. These sculptures explore the possibilities of fashion, blending sculptural and wearable elements, sometimes functioning as installations. Material is a central focus, and I frequently use textiles alongside unexpected materials like paper.” points Babs Groote Schaarsberg.
The sculptures in this collection are not replicas, but a tribute in form and material, created out of wonder at the details, rituals and craftsmanship behind the clothing and the market. The title stimulates the imagination and invites personal interpretation by both the maker and the viewer.
“My work involves creating a collection of wearable paper sculptures. These sculptures explore the possibilities of fashion, blending sculptural and wearable elements, sometimes functioning as installations. Material is a central focus, and I frequently use textiles alongside unexpected materials like paper.” points Babs Groote Schaarsberg.
The sculptures in this collection are not replicas, but a tribute in form and material, created out of wonder at the details, rituals and craftsmanship behind the clothing and the market. The title stimulates the imagination and invites personal interpretation by both the maker and the viewer.
TAMAR ALON | ‘Modular Hospitality’ reflects the ethos of hosting. It begins as a single bench, but when fully open becomes nine chairs. The bench is composed of three modular units. Each unit can transform to three chairs, using a simple sliding mechanism. |
LÉONIE SANCHEZ | In/Mano, a collection of everyday garments that explore the dress glove and its historical disappearance, providing contemporary reinterpretations of this formal piece of clothing. |
MAK STUDIO | Multifunctional furniture pieces. |
Our highlights of Dutch Design Week so far in Eindhoven, the Netherlands where we hear about the future of sustainable design and visit Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show.
In audio visuals: Christophe Boulmer ‘You Rest, You Rust’ reframing the Norwegian cabin fireplace as a site for exploring ritual, decay, and cultural identity. An enlarged model of the fireplace from the designer’s family cabin is fitted with a MIDI controller that, in response to touch, triggers and distorts the sound of crackling wood. It is clad in veneers made from sandpaper, laminated after high-speed erosion.
With our wool Sennes purse crafted with 100% wool from Portugal and RERERE the world's first design label of renewed office furniture in the Netherlands.
In audio visuals: Christophe Boulmer ‘You Rest, You Rust’ reframing the Norwegian cabin fireplace as a site for exploring ritual, decay, and cultural identity. An enlarged model of the fireplace from the designer’s family cabin is fitted with a MIDI controller that, in response to touch, triggers and distorts the sound of crackling wood. It is clad in veneers made from sandpaper, laminated after high-speed erosion.
With our wool Sennes purse crafted with 100% wool from Portugal and RERERE the world's first design label of renewed office furniture in the Netherlands.
Christophe Boulmer |
Sennes |
RERERE |
Amsterdam Fashion Week 2025
Today at Amsterdam Fashion Week, with our critic’s shoes as part of the audience for the talk with THORA VALDIMAR and JEANETTE MADSEN, founders and creative directors of ROTATE Birger Christensen.
What did we like the most?
This event is taking place at The HUB on Sept. 3 and 4, where several AFW Talks led by well-known designers, editors, and industry leaders meet and where visitors find inspiration and join workshops led by creative professionals. The HUB offers a cool space to learn, exchange ideas, and network with others in the fashion world. Our score: 9.
Do we think this event achieved its goals?
Sure! We would’ve liked to know further about ROTATE’s main manufacturer location and how they are tackling overproduction or what they do with the items people return and previous years’ collections.
Why did we decide to attend this event?
Because their style is bold and speaks to our feminist identity without undermining femininity.
What did we like the most?
This event is taking place at The HUB on Sept. 3 and 4, where several AFW Talks led by well-known designers, editors, and industry leaders meet and where visitors find inspiration and join workshops led by creative professionals. The HUB offers a cool space to learn, exchange ideas, and network with others in the fashion world. Our score: 9.
Do we think this event achieved its goals?
Sure! We would’ve liked to know further about ROTATE’s main manufacturer location and how they are tackling overproduction or what they do with the items people return and previous years’ collections.
Why did we decide to attend this event?
Because their style is bold and speaks to our feminist identity without undermining femininity.
Curating Craft
Viviana’s mother embroidery. An art form using needles, ribbons and threads to enhance a hand towel. Handmade in 2005 in Mexico.
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Documentation as storytelling.
Viviana’s great-niece's elementary school graduation dress. Handmade by Luisa in 2025 in Mexico.
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CPK Bankitos
Special design born in the spring of 2025
WE AT MODEFABRIEK
WE AT MODEFABRIEK 2025
In 2025, Viviana De La Barca celebrates five years of dedicated efforts in the movement and collective advocacy of textile reuse and recycling.
To celebrate this milestone and continue raising awareness, on 6 & 7 July we visit ModeFabriek — Amsterdam’s fashion trade event happening every year in the Netherlands. For this year’s edition, fashion labels mash up in an impressive dynamic new location spreading out across multiple buildings in the town of Zaandam.
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Our Besties
We absolutely adore discovering more conscious and pre-loved vintage resellers who offer a stunning collection of garments from mid-priced brands to high-end designers, vintage treasures, and collector's items. We were particularly thrilled with the MODEFABRIEK X RESHARE space: a unique platform that gives surplus stock a second life and provides a spot for textile reuse. |
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Another highlight is the RESPONSIBLE ROUTE, a guide that showcases brands that take responsibility and are committed to reducing their negative impact. Our clip features young talent in the SPOTLIGHT featuring Alegra Collective, Where’Els and Freja Studio.
Imagery Homage to
Mexican Urban Art & Design
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