Luján Riquelme, a Paraguayan stylist and costume designer, is part of the team for “Alegría,” a Cirque du Soleil production touring South America. The Canadian acrobatic and theatrical entertainment company is known for not using animals and for transforming elements of traditional circus into stage works.
Between cities, stages and eight suitcases, Riquelme balances her career with motherhood and family life. She travels with Oli and Yan, collecting memories while continually adapting to new surroundings and routines.
A sewing machine is among the items that travel with her. During the tour, she continues creating and altering clothing, recycling garments, developing projects and occasionally teaching sewing techniques in content published online. In her free time, she also makes clothes for herself.
Much of Riquelme’s wardrobe consists of pieces found in secondhand stores during her travels. At each destination, she looks for thrift stores, vintage shops, flea markets and other local spaces, incorporating her finds into her personal style.
“I love expressing myself through clothing and fashion,” she says. In her content, the stylist shows how to create different looks with fewer pieces and encourages reflection on the need to keep buying clothes.
The tour has also changed the way she gets to know cities. In addition to stages and tourist attractions, Riquelme visits museums, markets and shops connected to local history and culture. She then turns those experiences into videos to share “a little of this journey through my eyes.”
“This is my path,” she says when describing her current phase. Her itinerant routine brings together work with Cirque du Soleil, crafts and the responsibility of caring for her family amid frequent changes.
“I am learning to deal with the unknown. As a mother, I am rediscovering myself,” she says. The experience takes her practice of creating and repurposing clothing to different South American cities, while the sewing machine becomes part of adapting to life on the move.