Yolanda Lam, from hairstylist to designer
by Earl Patrick Watson
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Yolanda Lam, a Panamanian international designer, has joined
with the Kuna Indians in developing the latest fashions, using her creativity
and inspiration to expand one of Panama's major cultural expressions, the mola,
way beyond the frontiers of Panama.
Yolanda made and sold handbags as a pastime. A former hairstylist,
her skill with the scissors prompted her to cut scrap denim to prepare her wares
for sale. Upon the request of a client Yolanda began using varied colors to
enhance her handcraft. With the help of a Kuna neighbor, Yolanda began expanding
her curiosity with the mola, the applique and reverse applique needlepoint tradition
of the Kunas. She did the cutting and designs and the Kuna woman did the sewing,
a skill taught among the Kunas from an early age. As a variation Yolanda used
earth colors (gold, silver, bronze) and pastel colors in her designs. This
feature was the start of a new wave of mola design.
Yolanda Lam has represented Panama in the US, Peru, Puerto
Rico and Mexico. She is ever present at the local fairs where her finished product
displays her creativity and focuses on the Kuna art form she has taken up.
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