The Colombian native transgender who imposes his fashion abroad

Roxana Panchi, a 24-year-old transgender Aboriginal woman, has gone from working in coffee plantations to bringing her jewelry creations to countries such as London, Paris and New York. This after meeting Colombian designer Laura Laurens, who is committed to promoting inclusion by fashion.

Roxana lives in the Karmata Rua reserve of the Embera Chamí ethnicity and her name appears on the piece of identity is John Faber, male, although she confessed to it at the time. An interview with the agency. AFP who always felt like a woman "I did not want to be a boy, I wanted to be a trans girl!", he says.

She has worked in coffee plantations like many other Embera, and in her spare time she has devoted herself to weaving traditional accessories of her community with pearls and pearls, representing the cosmology of her people through the images she created. Until two years ago, he met Laurens, a famous designer from Bogota; details the agency.

At that time, Roxana exhibited and marketed her creations at the most important craft fairs in the country. And it is precisely at one of them, in Bogotá, that they met each other. While Laurens presented her clothes cut in a military fabric or dyed in large international podiums. I just looked for the perfect accessories to match your style.

A Laurens garment can cost between $ 100 and $ 400, but more than enough to put on clothes, she told AFP, her clients take away "a fabric of stories that they have behind". That's why he's taking a closer interest in working with Roxana, and now other people who transport her are leaving her shelters. Thus, they created together necklaces, tunic collars, pearly beaded buttons, dress straps, earrings, bracelets.

Last February, Laurens, Roxana and a cousin from embera, Yina Panchi, traveled together to London to participate in the International Fashion Showcase (IFS) at the Somerset House Art Center, after have selected the designer at a call from the British Council. 15 other creators from different countries of the world.

"As a project that we have woven together, we will continue to weave together there (…) They could be as they are (in London), nobody has looked at them strangely (…) Here, people are more voyeurs, more tired (boring), with more prejudices, "said Laurens. AFP. And its goal is to generate inclusion by fashion.

A common goal for Roxana, as both are aware of the plight of the LGBT community in the country, especially transgender people. According to the data of the Ombudsman's office quoted by the magazine WeekLast year, there were 71 cases of violence against people in this population.

"In some types of jobs, they do not take us into account (…) you have to be a man or a woman." (…) It's the lack of equality, "Roxana said. AFP.