How Bad Bunny’s Residency Is Boosting Puerto Rico’s Local Fashion Economy

Even before the shows started, there was a grassroots movement led by local brands like Muns—and endorsed by Benito himself—to shop Puerto Rican for the residency, which has also helped increase visibility for local talent. Like Bad Bunny and RaiNao, Chuwi has made it a point to incorporate designers from Puerto Rico and its diaspora into the group’s on-stage wardrobes whenever they’ve been invited onstage to perform “Weltita.”

So far, Hermán Nadal has dressed them twice, with more to come. In the ten years he’s been running his namesake brand, he’s considered Puerto Rico his muse, rooting his collections in the landscapes, history, and culture of the island. He’d already worked with Chuwi’s stylist, Kathia Sánchez Ruiz, on dressing percussionist Adrián López, so he pitched himself to create looks for all four members. And he was prepared to meet this moment.

“I knew beforehand how big the residency would be,” Nadal says. Understanding there would be a bigger spotlight on homegrown brands during this time, he planned a commercial capsule inspired by Puerto Rico and by Chuwi’s looks, which dropped a few days after the group first appeared onstage at El Choli in his designs. It led to an influx of orders (he’s working to launch an e-commerce site, so most came through DMs on social media); many came from the diaspora, from people wanting to own a piece of home and to support local talent.

Earlier this spring, Mónica Santos Gil collaborated with Sánchez Ruiz on a photo shoot for her New York-based brand Santos starring Lorén Aldarondo Torres, Chuwi’s lead vocalist. While on set, the stylist whispered about the opportunity to dress the group for the residency.

Though she’d never done menswear, Santos Gil embraced the challenge of outfitting the whole band in domino motifs, adapting a women’s pant design from a past release to go with Lorén’s Lola Circle Cut-Out dress. After her brand had its moment on stage in late July, Santos Gil posted a video showing the behind-the-scenes of the making of the looks, which led to a lot of visibility on social media and over 1,500 new followers across Instagram and TikTok. She’s also had people coming into the Santos store on Manhattan’s Lower East Side—even all the way from Isabela, the municipality Chuwi is from—asking for Lorén’s dress (it’s sold out, but she’s working on a restock), as well as the men’s pants.