Yana Manta

Kinoo Arcentales, great-grandson of Mama Rosa Cotacachi Lema, works under the name Yana Manta as an Indigenous Kichwa designer whose practice is informed by formal training and moves between fashion, memory, and territorial relationships. Rooted in the Andean worldview and marked by histories of migration and exchange, his work explores how Indigenous knowledge systems have existed beyond imposed borders, sustaining networks of exchange, governance, and connection. 

Kinoo was awarded with The Rowenta Best in Show Award at Redefining Design 2016, which was acknowledged by numerous Toronto magazines. 

Yana Manta conceives of clothing as architecture for the body: silhouettes that reflect community diversity, lines that trace ancestral trade routes, and the chakana as a symbol of balance between worlds. Presented on runways in Santa Fe, Milan, New York, Quito, Vancouver, and Toronto, his work articulates the global runway with community practice, positioning fashion as a living archive, sovereignty, and Indigenous futurism.