(CNN Spanish) –– Nancy González is one of the world’s most recognized bag and purse designers. She was born in Cali, in southwestern Colombia, and although her factory and her headquarters were located in that city, her name has, for more than two decades, been linked to glamor and high-end fashion. world seam.
However, it took her at least 10 years to achieve this recognition making belts on her home sewing machine, where she set up her first workshop. His next step was to open a store in a shopping center in Cali. She was no longer limited to belts and she decided to add other accessories, such as bags, which would finally bring her international recognition. The next step for her was New York. And although this city brought her closer to the world elite, she never stopped moving or operating from her country of origin. In fact, one of the characteristics of the brand is that “Nancy González: Colombia – New York” is written on the label.
For many years, his great ally was his son Santiago Barberi, who studied business administration in Boston and fashion merchandising and art history in Savannah, Georgia, and later founded the company with his mother in 1998. He was president and creative director of the Nancy González brand until she passed away in March 2017.
Hollywood, fashion catwalks and magazine covers
The first Nancy González collection to be sold in the United States was 8 pieces and was presented at the luxurious Bergdorf-Goodman department store, owned by the Neiman Marcus Group. From that moment on, her handbags appeared on covers and articles in specialized fashion magazines such as Bazaar, Marie Claire, elle, InStyle, among many others. Catwalks such as those in New York saw her products parade, and personalities such as Sofia Richie, Bella Hadid, Sarah Jessica Parker and Oprah Winfrey have acquired designer handbags.
Hollywood and its movies also succumbed to the mark. Samantha, Kim Cattrall’s character in “Sex and the City”, carried it in her hand as she walked through the streets of New York in the first installment of the film. And Nigel, the art director for Runway in “The Devil Wears Prada”, in one scene showed Andrea (Anne Hathaway) a handbag from the designer, and said “Nancy González. Love this one”.
The reason for your arrest
In her biography, Nancy González assures “nature is my best accomplice and my source of inspiration is life. I always try to push the limits of what can be done with precious fur.”
Some of the portals that sell her handbags, such as 1stdibs.com, explain in the designer’s description that her bags “are usually made of eclectic and naturally dyed leathers, such as iridescent python and cobalt blue ostrich, or materials of vegetable origin such as the banana leaf”. They also claim that the brand’s signature material is crocodile skin, often dyed in bright colors, and that most of her skins come from her farms in Colombia.
However, on July 8, 2022, Nancy González was captured by the Colombian authorities, who claim that the designer was illegally sending items to the United States made from the skins of exotic and endangered animals such as stifles, alligators, snakes, and other wild species.
The Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia approved the extradition request from a court in the southern district of Florida and the signature of President Gustavo Petro is currently awaiting to carry out said procedure.
González’s lawyer says that his client is willing to accept the charges and that they abide by the Supreme Court’s extradition guarantee because they trust to have procedural guarantees in the United States and better prison conditions for their client who is physically, psychologically and morally.
