Madé Lapuerta is the founder of the viral fashion account and publication Data, But Make It Fashion. She combines her computer science and coding skills with her passion for fashion to share data-driven insights on fashion trends and brands with DBMIF's combined 800,000 followers. She's been recognized by Vogue, Elle, and Business of Fashion as a trailblazer in the fashion-tech space. Her roots are in Spain and Cuba.
Among a sea of viral Coachella concert videos and outfit posts, there is one moment from this year's festival that is perhaps more monumental, impactful, and noteworthy than the rest. This year, Karol G became the first Latina to headline Coachella in the festival’s 27-year history. That's a pretty big deal. A Spanish-language reggaeton music artist from Medellín Colombia, Karol G sings the majority of her songs entirely in Spanish. Some of her biggest hits include "TQG" featuring fellow Colombian singer Shakira, "Qlona" featuring Mexican artist Peso Pluma, and "Provenza."
Her headlining Coachella was monumental not only because of the representation she'd bring, but also because her presence is set against the backdrop of how Latin Americans and immigrants in the United States have been continuously targeted in the past year.
Not to mention that Latin Americans are a monumental part of the U.S. and its culture with over 60 million speakers in the United States, making it the second-largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world after Mexico. Or, that Latin Americans contribute multiple trillions of dollars to the U.S. GDP annually and, from 2019 to 2023, drove around 30% of the country's GDP growth. Overall, spending power among Hispanic and Latin American consumers is growing faster than the rest of the U.S. economy. But alas.
However, even if you don't speak Spanish and hadn't even heard of Karol G until Coachella, her global influence—especially, for the purpose of this article, when it comes to fashion—is undeniable.
Take, for example, how orange was turning out to be the color of the year in 2025. Based on my analysis back in May, orange was around 55% more popular versus the same time the previous year. Despite it being a summer color that would naturally see a seasonal resurgence, people were really into orange.
Why? Well, there were many cultural moments simultaneously happening outside of fashion altogether that were driving this craze. McLaren was picking up top Formula One wins in its orange car; celebrities were going viral sitting courtside at NY Knicks games wearing orange and blue; and of course, Karol G had just announced her latest album, Tropicoqueta, its first single, and her new era—all in a signature shade of orange. Suddenly, orange was everywhere.
If you think this correlation and Karol G's influence on the color are random, they're actually not. First, Spanish-language reggaeton music has been dominating music charts worldwide for some time now. According to Spotify, in the past five years, streams of reggaeton music have increased 110% in the U.S., and streams of Latin music in general have grown around 165% globally. Whoa.
Plus, the proof of reggaeton's impact on fashion is all around us too. Bad Bunny has a long-standing partnership with Adidas and teased his new sneakers for the brand during his Super Bowl performance back in February. Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko is the star of Gap's latest campaign. Two of the world's biggest luxury beauty brands recently named reggaeton artists as fragrance ambassadors: YSL Beauty with Colombian rapper Feid and Prada Beauty with Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro. Karol G—alongside Madison Beer, K-Pop group TWICE, and Missy Elliott—performed at last fall's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
With the announcement that Karol G would be headlining Coachella, I knew her style and fashion moments would carry a lot of influence. I showed up several hours early to her Coachella weekend one headlining set so I could claim a spot near the front of the crowd just to witness her fashion and this historic performance in person. And it was worth it. Wearing several looks styled by Brett Alan Nelson, Karol G used her Coachella fashion to not just amplify her own performance, but also to drive home the importance of this monumental cultural moment.
For example, while singing the title track of her latest album, Tropicoqueta, Karol stepped onstage in a colorful custom Etro set and custom headpiece from Dominican-American brand Luar. (You might remember Luar for designing Lady Gaga's baby-blue Super Bowl dress, styled by Chloe and Chenelle Delgadillo. Luar, founded by Raul Lopez, has objectively been on a roll lately, and it's great to witness.) The colors were bold, the sequins were strong and shining, the skirt was full of movement, and the headpiece was extravagant. The look was a beautiful nod to the Latin showgirls of the 1930s to 1950s. It was also a literal demonstration of the power, strength, boldness, and joy of Latin American culture, which Karol platformed on a global stage.
Later on in her set, Karol changed into a custom miniskirt from the brand Nahmias and a bra top with colorful, ruffled sleeves made by Adan Terriquez. Notably, the sleeves boasted the colors of her Colombian flag. It was a pointed homage to her home country, and certainly felt at home among a sea of festivalgoers who had arrived at Karol's set waving their flags too. Just by looking at her and the crowd, you could quite literally see the diversity of the Latin American diaspora as well as a visual demonstration of how much incredible Latin culture is present across the U.S. today.
Finally, as Karol G's set explored a woman moving between nature's elements (from fire to water to earth to air), one of her last looks was a bra-and-bottom set adorned with large green leaves, as if she were Eve in the Garden of Eden. Upon first glance, it reminded me of Shakira's cover art for her 2005 album Oral Fixation, which features the singer posing as Eve eating the apple.
Of course, I remember this iconic album cover. My mom bought me the Oral Fixation CD when I was 9 years old, and we'd play it on repeat in her car. It's the album that features perhaps Shakira's greatest hit ever, "Hips Don't Lie," which cemented her as a global star, topping charts in over 50 countries.
Whether this fashion parallel was intentional or not, it was a beautiful reminder of the Latin American singers who came before Karol G and how—as Karol herself mentioned during her performance—waiting 27 years for the first Latina to headline Coachella is a bit too long. Though, it's a hopeful signal that there will be many, many more to come.
Overall, Karol's Coachella style wasn't just a prop or a means to an end. It was a powerful tool of expression used to amplify a moment and a performance and give representation to a population that deserves it. And her influence isn't going anywhere anytime soon. According to data from Spotify, following Karol G's first Coachella performance, her U.S. listeners spiked by around 36%—nearly twice the rate at which her global listeners grew. Don't be surprised if you keep seeing Karol-inspired fashion fads all around us. And now, you'll know where they came from!