Contemporary Archives for the Memory and Legacy of Brands Shaping “Colombian Luxury”: A Review of MH’s Digital Archive

Abstract

This article is the result of a research on fashion archives as tools for building legacies and identity in Colombian fashion brands. For this study, the digital archive of Mario Hernández was analyzed as it is one of the most relevant brands in the country whose tradition and construction of luxury is rooted in national manufacturing and artisanal textile techniques. To effectively analyze the archive, a semiotic interpretive methodology was applied with the aim of examining and interpreting images and short videos from an advertising analysis perspective, specifically that of Jacques Fontanille. In the case of this research the mentioned approach led to findings related to categories such as woman, luxury, body and identity, which are connected to the elite and politically charged environment of the country.