Claudia Vásquez Aquino, a Zapotec artisan from Oaxaca, created the floral embroideries on the ivory dress worn by Claudia Sheinbaum during her inauguration as president on October 1, 2024. She collaborated with designer Olivia Trujillo to craft unique details with flowers in various colors and sizes. The project highlights the empowerment of indigenous artisans in Mexico.
On October 1, 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum took office as Mexico's president wearing an elegant ivory princess-cut dress to the knee, adorned with colorful embroideries symbolizing artisan collaboration. Claudia Vásquez Aquino, from Santa María Xadani in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, handled these embroideries, partnering with designer Olivia Trujillo. Vásquez chose to embroider her favorite section, hand-drawing varied flowers forming a vine, using crochet with cotton threads. This meticulous process took several days to achieve depth and texture in the designs.
Vásquez Aquino, immersed in embroidery since childhood through her family, runs the Lari Guie’ workshop, specializing in chain stitch on cotton or linen fabrics. Her pieces are unique, featuring custom-designed patterns. She is registered with Mexico's Original program, which organizes events like the Mexican Textile Art Encounter.
Prior to this dress, Vásquez had created two jackets with pink and violet flowers for Sheinbaum during her time as Mexico City mayor. The president penned a personal note: “For my namesake Claudia, an extraordinary artisan. Her hands shone throughout the world. And they shine and will continue to shine. Thank you, thank you, thank you”.
This recognition has shifted views of Zapotec women. Vásquez noted: “You have no idea how significant this is for every artisan”. As a child, they hid traditional garments like the huipil to avoid mockery in the city, but now everything has changed: “We went to the extreme of taking off the huipil, putting on a casual blouse or pants… we didn't want to arrive in the capital looking like an indigenous woman. Today everything has changed”. Her work helped Sheinbaum earn style accolades in international lists like The New York Times' for 2025.
