CHAR DE VAZQUEZ
“Collage”—from the French coller, meaning to glue—is the art of assembling disparate elements into a new whole. For Char de Vazquez, this practice began in 1967 in Sausalito, California, when she created her first collage using watercolor and wrapping paper. At the time, she was also designing one-of-a-kind clothing, expressing collage through fabric, lace, and texture. Immersed in the vibrant spirit of the 1960s, she was naturally drawn to the era’s ethos of fusion and reinvention.
Char moved to Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1968. There, she painted her first leather handbag—a single piece that ignited an international fashion phenomenon. Her hand-painted bags soon caught the attention of buyers at the New York Boutique Show, leading to six stores in Mexico and widespread acclaim.
Relocating to Santa Fe with her young sons in 1976, Char launched Char and Sher Designs with her sister Sherry Stein, producing iconic Southwestern leatherwear. Their men’s western shirt graced the cover of GQ Magazine, propelling them into the heart of the 1980s western fashion boom. As Char Designs, her clientele grew to include luminaries such as Cher, Barbra Streisand, Sam Shepard, Goldie Hawn, and Waylon Jennings.
In 2002, Char’s work was featured in a retrospective at Barneys New York alongside Zandra Rhodes and Rudi Gernreich. Her garments are part of the permanent collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and are featured in Hippie Chic by Lauren Whitley.
Though best known for her fashion career, Char’s return to collage feels inevitable—another way to tell stories through materials. Photography also serves as a creative spark, especially when the image is curious or suggests transformation.
Char moved to Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1968. There, she painted her first leather handbag—a single piece that ignited an international fashion phenomenon. Her hand-painted bags soon caught the attention of buyers at the New York Boutique Show, leading to six stores in Mexico and widespread acclaim.
Relocating to Santa Fe with her young sons in 1976, Char launched Char and Sher Designs with her sister Sherry Stein, producing iconic Southwestern leatherwear. Their men’s western shirt graced the cover of GQ Magazine, propelling them into the heart of the 1980s western fashion boom. As Char Designs, her clientele grew to include luminaries such as Cher, Barbra Streisand, Sam Shepard, Goldie Hawn, and Waylon Jennings.
In 2002, Char’s work was featured in a retrospective at Barneys New York alongside Zandra Rhodes and Rudi Gernreich. Her garments are part of the permanent collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and are featured in Hippie Chic by Lauren Whitley.
Though best known for her fashion career, Char’s return to collage feels inevitable—another way to tell stories through materials. Photography also serves as a creative spark, especially when the image is curious or suggests transformation.