The final week of OMG Fashun just aired on E!, bringing us one of our last winners in Carlos Reyes. Carlos appeared in Episode 107, called “Saints & Sinners”, where their whimsical designs wowed Julia Fox, Law Roach, and Richie Shazam. This tracks, as Carlos’ designs are everywhere, including the catwalks of New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.
Carlos’ website states that their brand Renacio seeks to “Embrace childlike wonder while exploring dark and whimsical themes.” Wearing Renacio is akin to wearing “subtle poetry,” due to the intricate details found within each piece. This level of attention just saw Carlos edging out their fellow Disruptors, earning themselves a spot as the seventh winner on E!. Following this, Carlos met up with Reality Tea’s writer Amy DeVore, where the two shared one final interview for this inaugural season of OMG Fashun.
Carlos’ first impressions
Amy DeVore: Your presence gives off such main character energy. Let’s talk about your own first impressions. Starting with Julia.
Carlos Reyes: First impression clearly, she’s just so, so, so stunning. Each look of hers is so beautifully curated and thoughtful, down to the hair and the makeup, and I know these are very superficial things, but working in fashion, it’s really beautiful to see a head-to-toe, fully realized concept delivered so beautifully. So. incredible first impression with Julia.
Amy: Love it. Now, Law.
Carlos: Instantly intimidating, because Law has a history of having no filter. But I’m also in awe, because Law is one of the top stylists in the world. Knowing that I’m going to receive a critique is very exciting. And I know it will be helpful, regardless of whether it’s good or bad.
Amy: And finally, Richie. Spill it.
Carlos: So Richie, socialite from New York, runs within this socialites sphere, which is an important aspect in the fashion world, because the socialites invent the trends. So seeing that one of the guest judges is Richie, it’s exciting in the sense that we’re going to get one of the forefront avant-garde thinkers of fashion here.
Ugh. Not denim.
Amy: In your style challenge, you said that you “never work with denim,” and that this was the worst item. Even still, you won. But I have to ask. Why is denim not your bestie?
Carlos: Ever since I started fashion school in Texas, and then in Paris, and then continuing all of my studies, they have all been focused on evening wear and evening wear fabrics. Denim is so far away from what I do, because it’s hard and durable, and the kind of stitching techniques that you have to do are completely different. It’s just not a world I’m familiar with.
“Heavenly designs”
Amy: Once Julia announced that you had to upcycle your materials into a “heavenly design,” you and your costar Deborah had similar ideas on using the same Saint as your guide. She felt the pressure, but you came off as being unbothered. But, were you?
Carlos: No. I’m very confident with my Catholic knowledge and my ability to turn out a concept from sketch to the final look. So yeah, I couldn’t be bothered.
Confessing and winning
Amy: Each episode has a plot twist. For yours, you had to incorporate a sin into your design. You chose lust. How did this plot twist reshape your design?
Carlos: It threw a massive wrench in my plans, but at the same time, I love a wrench. Once that was announced, it’s like, okay, I have to pivot, and I have to do something that really heightens the sex factor of this. When I was making it, I thought, we have these black laces, I’ll do the cross in the back, and I’ll try to make this lustful in the back. Religious in the front, party in the back.
Amy: Same. As for the result, Julia didn’t hate it, while Law said that “it’s just not enough.” Then, Julia admitted that she could see herself wearing it, but first, she’d need to style the “hell out of it.” You laughed, but also, this was a lot. So what was going through your mind here?
Carlos: To be honest, I blacked out. But from what I can remember, it was shocking, because I am a very competitive person. I love to be put in these situations where I’m praised, usually, and so to not have that confident ‘Yes, this is the best thing we’ve ever seen,’ it was jarring.
Carlos’ final crowned words of wisdom
Amy: You won! What are your next steps?
Carlos: I now have a full, brand new studio that is not in my living room. It is a studio that I share with Lucas Oakley in Bushwick. Next, I’m just now starting to get the ball rolling for my New York Fashion Week show in September. It’ll be September 10, at a cathedral, so I’m very excited for that.
Amy: That’s exciting. As far as upcyling goes, do you think that we’ll be seeing more of this fashion trend moving forward?
Carlos: Oh yeah, especially with shows like OMG fashion, with Fox being so unapologetic about upcycling, and finding different ways to make a greener fashion industry. It’s a trend that I’m definitely going to be hopping on a lot more as well.
Amy: For those just starting out, do you have any words of wisdom to share?
Carlos: Networking is really important. It can make or break you. However, none of that matters if you don’t have a really strong body of work. So I would recommend just keep working and creating, and then don’t think about it. Just learn and keep working.
This interview was edited for conciseness and clarity.
All episodes of OMG Fashun will be available to stream on Peacock after 06/03/2024.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT CARLOS’ DESIGNS?