If I had to pick one comfort show to watch over and over (and over) again, it would be the 2014 Antena3 Spanish production, Velvet. It ran for four seasons (each with 10+ episodes that were over an hour long each – I miss those days) and featured the right amount of romance, telenovela-like drama, mid-century luxury, and fashion for me to be hooked from episode one. So when I heard Telemundo is premiering their own version, Velvet: El Nuevo Imperio, I knew I had to find a way to tune in.
Set in the 1950s inside the fictional department store, Galerías Velvet, the original show offers a peek into a world that remains a mystery for many (and is one of my great loves): the glitzy, not always glamorous world of fashion during its golden age. Velvet follows heir to the Velvet empire Alberto Márquez (originally played by Miguel Ángel Silvestre), a seamstress who has lived in and worked at Velvet since she was a child Ana Ribera (Paula Echavarría. Telemundo’s Ana will have a different last name) — and Cristina Otégui (Manuela Velásco), a wealthy, selfish socialite who has been in love with Alberto for years and who’s family money buys her a spot at Velvet (and in the Márquez family). Their love triangle serves as the main plotline throughout the show’s four-season run.
The new Telemundo version – which the channel has dubbed their “super production of 2025” – introduces a bold new look for this timeless story centered on passion, romance, power, and endless glamour. Velvet: El Nuevo Imperio brings the story to present-day New York City, one of the fashion capitals of the world. It also features Latinx actors in the titular roles, with Samantha Siqueiros and Carolina Miranda playing Ana and Cristina, respectively (although Telemundo’s Alberto Márquez will be played by Spanish actor Yon González). Siqueiros, Miranda, and González are joined by big names like Itatí Cantoral (famous for her “¿qué haces besando a la maldita lisiada?” line from María la del Barrio), Chantal Andere, Humberto Zurita, Arturo Peniche, Luciano D’Alessandro, and Jeimy Osorio.
The story remains somewhat true to the original – a talented, but poor, fashion designer who grew up in and now works at Velvet falls in love with her (wealthy, privileged) boss. He loves her back but is forced to marry another woman to save his family’s legacy (let’s hope Telemundo’s Alberto gets a moral makeover and decides not to glorify cheating like the one from 2014 did). It’s a Cinderella story and a fashion lover’s dream all wrapped up in the finest silk.
The source material’s first two seasons constantly mentioned, heavily referenced, and replicated the work of famous Spanish (and European) couturiers like Cristóbal Balenciaga, Coco Chanel, and Christian Dior, as well as Manuel Pertegaz, a Spanish designer who is less well-known around the world than his colleagues but widely regarded as one of Spain’s masters.
I hope that Telemundo takes this opportunity to do the same with today’s Latinx designers like Helen Balarezo, Kashii, Jacqueline Moncayo, Isla & White, Leal Daccarett, Casilda Mut, Alersundi, or Ana Khouri. Just like the European designers and fashion houses that we now know, the Latin American and Latinx fashion industries have a lot of talent that could rise to the same level of prominence with the right attention – like small mentions on a Telemundo show, especially one with a built-in fan base like Velvet.
While fashion is sometimes regarded as vain or lacking meaning, the clothes we wear (and the costumes in our beloved shows and movies) are much more connected than we realize to who we are as individuals and as a community. That’s why we should be pushing for Latinx designers to get the recognition they deserve – it’s another important aspect of representation.
A show like the Velvet reboot could very easily open up doors to spaces that have historically been denied to Latinx and POC designers. It is still fairly common for Latinx folks in positions of power (like the Márquez and Otegui families in Velvet) to adopt symbols typically associated with predominantly white wealthy communities — European luxury designers fill their closets from one day to the next, they suddenly have homes in the largest, wealthiest American cities — to signal success and wealth.
When a Latinx person chooses Latinx design, it’s a different kind of signal. It’s intentional and it elevates those who share similar stories, heritage, and culture to our own. A fictional figure like Telemundo’s Cristina Otegui (or a real one, like Mexican influencer Priscila Escoto, who is known for her large collection of designer items, for example) publicly wearing an outfit made by Latinx designers helps open doors that the designer or fashion house would not have access to otherwise. In a Latinx show that places so much emphasis on clothes, it’s their duty to use their platform to open doors for our designers and our culture.
Velvet: El Nuevo Imperio is airing on Telemundo starting Monday, May 19 at 9pm/8c and it is available for streaming the next day on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
