Pulowi – DominicanaModa 2010
Primordial and beautiful woman…
…Your mysterious strength takes hold and fearlessly multiplies… you are an inaccessible, profound, dangerous woman, you are everyone, you are everywhere…
…you inhabit the collective subconscious…
…you attract and make the most virile men disappear; your presence is synonymous with perdition, you make them yours…
…you emanate from the depths of the Caribbean and carry the fishermen out to sea, making us part of your world… you give birth to us, you nourish us and you devour us, you drag us into your subterranean universe, imposing upon us your wisdom that comes from experience… I manage to understand you, and with my hands, corals and nets, I dress you as you are…
…Pulowi, you are the solitude of the sea, the serene woman, the one who captivates, the one who inspires.
About this project
In 2010, I traveled to the Colombian Guajira, where Iris and her family opened the doors of their home and their hearts to me. They introduced me to the Wayúu culture—their stories, their dances, their profound way of seeing life. Everything I learned during those sacred days, I captured in this collection as faithfully as my hands could manage.
Pulowi marked the moment when my roots began to fill me with pride and belonging. For the first time, I was telling a story that resonated deeply within me, a story in which I saw myself reflected.
- Cultural Immersion as Design Methodology: Pulowi emerged from lived experience rather than aesthetic inspiration—Carlos spent days with Iris and her Wayúu family in the Colombian Guajira, absorbing their mythology, dances, and worldview. This immersive approach to Caribbean cultural storytelling became a cornerstone of the CDM design philosophy, proving that authentic fashion narratives require genuine human connection and cultural respect.
- Commercial & International Breakthrough: This collection surpassed all previous sales records, secured placement in Punta Cana's most prestigious boutique, and opened international distribution channels in designer boutiques across multiple countries. Pulowi demonstrated that deeply rooted, culturally authentic Caribbean fashion could achieve both critical acclaim and commercial viability in global markets—a validation that would shape CDM's future trajectory.
- The Moment of Artistic Awakening: "I believe that with Pulowi my roots began to fill me with pride and a sense of belonging; for the first time I was telling a story that resonated with me and in which I saw myself reflected." This collection represents the pivotal moment when Carlos discovered his true voice—not as a designer chasing European aesthetics, but as a storyteller celebrating Caribbean heritage. The shift from creating fashion to honoring culture marked the birth of the CDM mission: "Internationalizing the Grand Caribbean one closet at a time."
In Wayúu mythology, Pulowi is the manifestation of Mother Nature in all her forms. The Pulowi of the sea appears as a woman—the only feminine incarnation of this divine force. She claims fishermen as her own; when men didn’t return from the sea, Pulowi had taken them to her underwater realm. I imagined myself as one of those fishermen, contemplating how I would dress this goddess with the materials at hand if she were to take me to the ocean’s depths with her.
The result was 23 looks of complete hand-embroidered artistry: fishing nets transformed into couture, coral plucked from imagination, fabrics that flowed like water itself. Gauze, voile, silk, raffia, georgette, fringes, crystals, and coral merged in shades of blue, coral green, and earth tones—a vision born from my conversations with Iris and my dreams of the sea.
As with all my collections, the music was created by Vadir González—because a custom-made collection deserves original music created just for it.
Pulowi became my most commercially successful collection to date. It landed us in the most fashionable boutique in Punta Cana, opened doors to international sales in designer boutiques across multiple countries, and proved that authentic cultural storytelling could resonate far beyond our Caribbean shores.
But more than sales, Pulowi gave me something priceless: it taught me that my greatest strength as a designer lies in honoring the cultures of the Grand Caribbean, in listening to the stories that our lands and peoples carry in their bones, and in translating that wisdom into garments that move between the ancient and the contemporary, the mythical and the wearable.
This is where my artistic DNA crystallized. This is where Carlos De Moya truly began.
Cultural Recognition:
Carlos De Moya’s interpretation of Pulowi has been referenced in academic discussions of Wayúu mythology and contemporary Caribbean cultural expression, acknowledging how fashion can serve as a bridge between ancient spiritual traditions and modern artistic interpretation.
Reference: Alba Zero, “MitologÃa Wayúu (6): Pulowi, la muerte, la sequÃa y la oscuridad,” April 13, 2015
More about the meaning of PULOWI here CLICK HEREÂ
