Aria Vega Brought Her Colombian “Chévere” To Paris Fashion Week

Attending Paris Fashion Week is already a daunting experience, with celebrity sightings, intense front rows, and demanding schedules, so imagine adding an intimate live performance to your debut fashion-week calendar. Colombian singer Aria Vega wasn’t sweating it, though. She was totally at peace at the Johanna Ortiz runway show, and singing while the runway was walking was just another gold star to add to her epic 2026.

Dressing up for a show is one thing, but when all eyes will be on you for the main event, it takes a bit more consideration and care. To choose her look, which Ortiz custom-made for her, Vega wanted something “that felt like me within Johanna’s universe,” she explains. “I’m drawn to movement, texture, and a little drama, but I also need to feel comfortable enough to perform. The look had to come alive when I moved.” No wonder, then, that when I ask her what her favorite look from the show was, the answer was her own: “ I loved the cream and burgundy print, the flowing sleeves, and the way the ruffles moved. With the layered necklaces and strappy sandals, it felt very me.”

Feeling at home in your body as a performer is all you can ask for, but Vega has been everywhere but her native Colombia this summer. With her viral hit track “Chévere” (“cool” in Spanish slang), Vega has taken her bodacious, irresistible dance music and energy to Puerto Rico, Barcelona, and Madrid, the latter of which was for Shakira’s Macondo Festival: She performed during the weekendlong festivities and even walked alongside the superstar “She Wolf” singer during her headlining set. Vega is proving her music has legs and that she’s here to stay. She’s nominated for Best New Artist at the Latin Grammys, and “Chévere” topped Colombia’s Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Performing on stage with the bestselling Colombian artist of all time is certainly an overwhelming experience, but taking on a Parisian fashion show also requires the same amount of preparation. “I wanted the performance to feel like stepping into my world,” she says. “My music carries so much of the Colombian Caribbean, so I thought about how that energy could live alongside Johanna’s collection. The clothes, the music, the movement… I wanted it all to feel connected.” The morning of, she entered prep mode by listening to Colombian salsa legend Joe Arroyo — “music really sets the mood for me, so getting ready its almost its own little preshow” — and enjoying a must-have meal. “I don’t have a specific pre-event meal, but I’m a foodie, so skipping meals is never really an option. I get hangry. Lol. I simply can’t function on an empty stomach. Today I had toast with hummus, eggs, cheese, and smoked salmon.”

After the show, Vega was in a reflective and creative mindset. Ortiz’s clothing is maximalist, unafraid of patterns and embroideries, and embraces the casual salsa-inflected energy of the designer’s home country, and Vega’s music also leans into the chill, easygoing vibrations Colombia is known for. “It felt really special to bring our worlds together in Paris. Johanna and I are both maximalists to the core,” she says. “We express ourselves through different mediums, but we share a connection to where we come from. Colombia has so many creative voices, and I love being able to share my own little corner of it: the Caribbean, its attitude, its sensuality, its joy.”

Even though her schedule had her mimicking the infamous Lady Gaga quote “No sleep, bus, club, another club, another club, plane, and then the next place,” she made time to actually see the French capital. “Anyone who knows me knows I’m a tourist through and through. I love walking around, visiting galleries and museums, trying restaurants, sightseeing, all of it. I feel incredibly privileged to travel through my music, so whenever I get the chance, I like to take it all in.” We can’t wait to see where her music takes her next.

Creative Direction: Johanna Ortiz

Styling: Valentina Collado

Hair and Makeup: Daniel Londoño