Skip to main content

Bolivares: Brand of the Americas

bolivares brand americas
Ah, sweats. Few things could be more perfect for lounging in year-round or even sporting to work. It’s true that over the past year designers have been slimming down the traditional sweatshirt and sweatpant down so you can now wear them outside the home or gym and even pair with a blazer. Yet who hasn’t run into that situation when all you really want is one timeless but stylish piece that flies with everything, feels so comfortable that you never want to take it off, and yet isn’t so precious you don’t want to get it dirty?

Introducing Bolivares, the knitted basics brand out of New York City. Sold exclusively online, the company makes sweaters, tees, tank tops, pants and shorts, but creates them out of luxurious cottons predominantly from Peru in brilliant color for a zesty Latin twist. “Fashion’s not just about style but personality,” insists Lucho Bolivares, who founded the company in 2010 after stints in club promoting. Deciding to pursue his passion for the fashion trade, he packed his bags for South America and lived in Peru and Colombia for six months to lay the groundwork for his business and get schooled in the craft of textiles. Today, Bolivares blends South American handcrafted techniques and fabrics with his native New Yorker’s street sensibility to create something casual yet luxurious and modern in feel, with color as one of its signatures.

Related Videos

“I admire Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, Yohji Yamamoto and even Marc Jacobs. These are all designers that are introducing good quality, whether it’s high-tech. But I’m just trying to do leisurewear that’s functional for the guy that’s on the move. Those are the people I’m focusing on,” the designer explains, calling sweaters his go-to niche. “You can have the same fiber and yarn for three styles, but if you have a different stitch, it can behave differently. And you’re not feeling overdressed or underdressed when you wear a sweater.” New for this season are exquisite knitted tank tops and shorts (above), printed tees in pastels, and lighter gauge knits with graphic elements inspired by New York; but as the designer hints, Bolivares will pick up more steam when it releases accessories including scarves and hats for the fall and opens its first store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in September. Says Lucho, “I feel like we’ve all seen the same things from people. I just thought a Latin American fusion would be fresh.”

Editors' Recommendations

Your Complete Guide To Black Tie Attire with Tuxedo Tips

It’s finally happened. For the first time, or the first time in a very long time, you’ve received an invitation with the words “Black Tie,” or “Formal Attire,” engraved into that creamy white paper. Whether it’s a wedding, a charity gala, or a political reception, this is the one time when what has become an almost universal casual dress code is thrown out the window, and all those Society (with a capital S) rules from the 19th-century kick in.
The host or hostess of a formal event has chosen to go this route because they want a very controlled, perfect event, so this is not the time to place yourself in the sartorial spotlight. We men actually get off pretty easy for formal events: Although we’re expected to be well-groomed, dressed appropriately, and on our best behavior, we don’t have to go to nearly the trouble that women do.
We’ve gathered all the tips you’ll need to pull off your formal wardrobe for the day: we’ll leave you to learn all the rest of the proper comportment and etiquette that a truly formal event requires. 

The Tuxedo

Read more
Stitch Fix Launching Sustainably Made Knits
Stitch Fix Knits.

Stitch Fix Knits. Stitch Fix

How do you know that you can trust a clothing dealer’s quality? One positive indication is its staying power. And partnering with a mill with 115 years of making shirts is a pretty good place to begin. 

Read more
How to Buy a Quality Sweater: Material, Types, and Tips
Latin american guy trying out a sweater on top at a men's clothing store.

Having the right sweater to wear with any outfit is kind of like a wine pairing. Can you serve a tasty steak with a wine that’s not a luscious Cabernet Sauvignon? Sure, but it’s just not as perfect. Building a sweater wardrobe is what separates the sartorially proficient from the stylistically sad. We suggest choosing a few key pieces that work with your life, career, and wardrobe, buying the best you can afford, and then taking good care of them. 
Like so many things in life, in sweaters, you usually do get what you pay for. That is not to say that sometimes expensive designer merchandise isn’t made from cheap materials, and what you’re really paying for is a few square inches of logo-embroidered label. Conversely, a store will sometimes sell a well-made sweater of quality yarns as a “loss-leader,” hoping to tempt you into the department to splurge on other things. Without diving too deeply into technical specifications, just keep in mind the following: Natural fibers like wool or cotton, are more expensive than man-made fibers like acrylic, and they also usually hold up better. Before you buy a sweater, turn it inside out: are the seams straight and bound properly, so they won’t come apart easily after a few wears? Does the zipper feel like it could catch easily on the sweater itself? Are the buttons sewn on securely? Beyond that, buy the best you can afford, and hold onto your receipts.  

Exactly What is A Sweater?

Read more