Silvia Tcherassi, the Colombian designer who grew up in Barranquilla and went on to become one of the first Latin American names to gain real traction in global fashion, picked up the Hispanic Heritage Award in Madrid on 7 October 2026. The ceremony, held at the Teatros del Canal as part of the third Hispanic Influence Awards, sits within Madrid's month-long Hispanidad programme celebrating ties between Spain and Latin America.
The award in the Fashion category was presented by Juan Gonzalo Ospina, Colombia's designated ambassador to the European Union. Judges highlighted Tcherassi's decades-long career and her role in carrying Colombian identity onto international runways. Accepting the honour, she spoke about the years of effort behind it and said she was proud to receive it in Madrid as a Colombian creator, given the deep historical links between the two sides of the Atlantic.
The fun part for travellers: Barranquilla showed up too. A folkloric performance tied to the city's famous Carnival featured at the gala, and Salwa Maloof Habib, Queen of the 2027 Barranquilla Carnival, attended wearing an olive-toned Tcherassi creation. There's a neat full-circle detail here — Tcherassi herself was Carnival queen back in 1986, long before her fashion career took off.
Madrid's Hispanidad 2026 runs throughout October, with music, dance, theatre, cinema, gastronomy and folklore from artists of 23 nationalities and more than 200 activities across the Community of Madrid. If you're in the Spanish capital this month, it's a free way to sample Latin American culture without leaving Europe.
For holidaymakers, the real hook is the connection to Colombia's Caribbean coast. Barranquilla hosts the world's second-largest Carnival each February or March — a riotous, UNESCO-recognised few days of cumbia, masks and parades that rivals Rio for energy but with fewer crowds. Tcherassi's award is a reminder of how much creative output — fashion, music, festival culture — comes out of that steamy port city. Pair it with nearby Cartagena's walled old town and you have one of South America's most rewarding culture-focused itineraries.
