PAPER Español's first-ever New York Fashion Week event was something truly special — an intimate dinner that brought Latin talent, fashion insiders and pop culture together under one roof. POP MART celebrated with us, gifting each guest SKULLPANDA bag charms, including the new My Little Pony collaboration, each the perfect party favor for a night that mixed high fashion with pure fun.
The dinner took place at DEJAVU, the intimate secret supper club founded by Barış Köroğlu. Known for its layered, speakeasy-style interior that evolves throughout the evening, DEJAVU blends refined dining with nightlife energy, and the Desire Room, the venue's most intimate setting, set the perfect stage for the curated group of Latin talent convening to celebrate PAPER Español and Fashion Week. Among them were reggaeton icon Arcangel, Majo Aguilar, Angie Portillo and GIULIA, and creators Jordan Frazes, Josie Melano, Camila Ramon, Frost Hernandez, and Tefi Pessoa.
The sparkling guestlist were seated amongst the adorable creatures that surrounded their plates, bounded by stunning florals. As the night progressed, guests enjoyed tuna tartare, DEJAVU's signature pastrami croquettes, and homemade tagliatelle with the venue's special tangy tomato sauce, complemented by craft-driven Rosaluna Mezcal cocktails. Between bites, SKULLPANDA x My Little Pony collectibles were traded and adored, sparking frenzied conversations and photo ops.
Models and designers Joaquin Castillo, Patricio Campillo, and Valentina Ferrer mixed with photographer Diego Villagra Mota, artist Peter Demas, Joyce Esquenazi Mitrani, stylist Jeauni Cassanova, and POP MART's Marco Henry Negrete and Rylee Takahashi.
Elsewhere at the table, PAPER Executive Creative Producer Angelina Cantu contributed to the dinner with a heartfelt speech in Spanish, setting the tone for a night that celebrated Latin culture in all its forms. Our very own icon Mickey Boardman followed with his signature charm, delivering his toast in English with a playful sprinkle of Spanish that had the room laughing and clapping. Their combined bilingual energy carried throughout the dinner, including a spirited debate over what to call beets — Brazil's "beterraba," Colombia's "remolacha," Mexico's “betabel” — a moment that perfectly captured the beauty of the Latin diaspora. Together, they blended together while honoring each other’s distinct differences.
Coming off the wings of the Super Bowl, conversations naturally drifted to everyone learning Spanish, regardless of background. The room buzzed with stories about language apps, family efforts to stay connected to roots, and the cultural shift happening in real time. POP MART recently opened up stores in Mexico with plans for additional store openings across Central and South America, making PAPER Español the perfect partner for this new expansion.
Guests posed with their SKULLPANDA collectibles, matching the playful, colorful energy of the collaboration to their own fashion week fits. All around the room, they were perched on the table for a photo op or clipped onto a bag as the ultimate conversation starter.
Through collaborations like with My Little Pony, POP MART's SKULLPANDA has been steadily building its cult following, as the second most popular character from POP MART globally. The blend of a fashion edge cool with childhood nostalgia hits differently, especially in a room full of creatives who both live and play at the intersection of both.
The energy was intimate and with Fashion Week chaos as an undercurrent, there was no more perfect calm before the coming storm. By the end of the night, every guest left with their SKULLPANDA in hand, already planning where to display it — or which outfit to style it with next.
Photography: Andres Di Rienzo
