“I don’t follow industry calendars or imposed rhythms."

Raquel Santos in interview with SIERRA MADRE Magazine

Tell us about yourself: your studies, your interests, your path into fashion, and your artistic vision.

I studied at CECVAC until the end of middle school. In ’92 I moved to Switzerland for high school; afterward I lived in Paris, in Boston (Fashion School of Design), spent a semester at Arte AC, and finally moved to New York in the late ’90s to study Fashion Design at Parsons.
The truth is, I will always be a student. I’m endlessly curious. Since childhood, I’ve asked myself existential questions… Why am I here? Who am I? What is truth? That is why, from the age of 15, I’ve studied metaphysics, meditation, Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and anything that helps me live life as authentically as possible.

My professional path in fashion is young. Kā was born in 2022, but my love for art and beauty has always been present. My mother, Sonia, was an interior designer and landscape architect; I grew up breathing symmetry, elegance, and her refined sensibility. I loved accompanying her to nurseries, construction sites, textile shops, and furniture studios. That is where my love for interior design was born. And yes, I still take on projects because they bring me joy — it feels natural to me.

Entering the world of fashion has been a complex and very real challenge that keeps me humble and grounded. In parallel, I facilitate vital energy activations and non-dual transmissions around the world, and it was precisely that expansion in a coherent field that sparked my creativity and gave life to Kā.

I feel passion for everything that brings me into alignment, growth, and truth. I decide through the body, the heart, and intuition. If something doesn’t resonate, there simply isn’t energy for it.
My artistic vision is simple: be honest, be yourself… and the rest unfolds in unimaginable ways.


How did your passion for fashion begin?

When I was 7, on a trip to New York, my parents took me to a couture atelier. I was this little girl from the 80s spinning around, dancing with joy… and my whole being lit up. That feeling imprinted itself on me and never left.

Tell us about your collection. What is it called and how many pieces are there?
Let me tell you a bit about Kā and about Nostalgia.

Kā was born naturally as another way of expressing who I am.
It is the meeting point between what is unseen and what can take form; the feminine and the masculine, the soft and the firm, the subtle and the earthly.

For me, creating Kā means inhabiting paradox with transparency and authenticity.
These pieces are not meant to transform you, but to accompany you in inhabiting yourself exactly as you are, with truth and presence.

Nostalgia is a deeply emotional collection.
It speaks to everything that has been gestating within me since the 90s and had never found form until now.

It speaks of the love for what we have lived, of how our experiences intertwine with the present and, when honored, reveal who we are today.
It carries the energy of air, water, and fire; it is a sensorial and honest collection.

It consists of approximately 44 limited-edition pieces.

What inspired the pieces?

The inspiration comes from memories, textures, sensations, and a pure desire to express from my own frequency. It is a constant dialogue between the body, memory, and the present — from an inner state into tangible form.

How long did it take to create them?

Approximately a year and a half.
But the real time was spent building the team, understanding how the industry works today, and above all, finding a way to operate and create from my authenticity without losing myself in external noise.
We are also an international team, which means Kā is deeply nourished by diverse perspectives and a global sensitivity that is present in every creative process.

Which materials did you use?

Silk, cotton, wool, bamboo, recycled mesh, and organza.
Working with natural materials is essential to me. Not only for their aesthetic or tactile qualities, but out of respect and love for our Earth, and because they support the energetic and holistic well-being of the person wearing them. There is still a long way to go, but it is a fundamental pillar for Kā.

What was the biggest challenge?

The Production. Understanding timelines, processes, suppliers, development, and coordinating everything.
It has been a process of growing together as a team and grounding the vision into something practical. Our logistics are complex: prototypes are made in Paris, fabrics come from Europe and Japan, and production is divided between Europe, India, and our atelier in Monterrey.
Refining and simplifying this flow is an ongoing and living process.

What defines you as a designer, and what makes this collection unique?

Nostalgia speaks of my inner world, of how I perceive and experience reality.
Every being is unique, but we all share a common nature.
When someone resonates with one of my pieces, a very real and beautiful meeting point occurs. That is where affinity, connection, and appreciation are born.
It is precisely that encounter that gives the piece life.
I deeply value the quality of haute couture, but I do not follow industry calendars or rhythms; I live at a more natural tempo. What is essential to me is preserving quality and attention to detail.

I created the jewelry myself in Berlin at Metal Atelier, a beautiful process of playing with my hands and following a creative intuition. Every piece was made with great love and honesty.

Recommendations for wearing the pieces in different seasons.
Kā is timeless.
The pieces converse with one another, mix, accompany, and transform without following rigid seasons. They are made for those who live from their internal cycles, not external impositions.

What inspires you most as a creative?

The living, the pure, the real.
Nature, textures, patterns, textiles, the authenticity of those who live their truth.
Flowers, scents, the elements, clay, the pre-Hispanic, the cosmic, stones, the ocean.
My parents, my children, my cats, my plants.
I am simple and deep at the same time.
I live between paradoxes; that is where my soul lights up.

Why is it important to support local and emerging designers?

Because there is immense creativity and sensitivity in Mexico and in the world, but current systems, and our consent in how they operate, dim authenticity.
I deeply value and admire those who create from their bones and their soul. That always deserves support.

What advice would you give them?

Do not give your energy away to empty concepts.
Listen to yourselves, honor what moves within you.
Create from innocence, love, and honesty.
That is where true strength lies.

When and where are you presenting the collection?

Nostalgia was inaugurated in April in our showroom with a contemporary dance piece called Resonancia, which opened the field in a deeply symbolic way.

On December 3rd we will host a pop-up in Mexico City at Uma House, where we will present and sell the final pieces of the collection.

In Monterrey there will be a holiday sale on December 15th and 16th (by appointment in the showroom).

We also sell online or through Instagram:
@ka.vetements
kavetements.com
And in February 2026 we will present Violeta, a collection very dear and intimate to me, which honors my love for Mexico and Japan.

Discover the interview in digital and print Sierra Madre - Sofía Madero, Monterrey, México, 20.11.2025