Meet the Indigenous women behind Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s ‘most stylish’ looks

In the Mexican mountain town of San Isidro Buen Suceso, Virginia Verónica Arce Arce begins her days as she has for decades: seated at her vintage Singer sewing machine, guiding bright threads into intricate patterns passed down through generations.

Arce is part of a group of talented female Indigenous artisans who collaborate to create the colorful embroidered dresses and huipiles — traditional blouses worn by Indigenous women — that have become a closet staple for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and earned her a spot on the New York Times “Most Stylish” list.

Since launching her campaign for president, Sheinbaum has worn garments that honor the textile traditions of different Mexican Indigenous communities.

“In each embroidery there is not only a lot of work, there is tradition, there is history, there is legacy … each embroidery represents something that a woman designed and thought of,” Sheinbaum said Wednesday.

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