Over 10 weekends and 30 sold-out shows, Bad Bunny’s “No me quiero ir de aquí” residency in San Juan this summer has done more than just draw crowds outside El Choli—it’s given Puerto Rico’s economy a major boost. Conservative estimates suggest the concerts have brought around $200 million to the island. Beyond tickets, flights, and hotels, fans have also spent money on local designers and fashion brands, dressing up for the shows and beyond.
“Everyone is busy and involved in this indirectly,” says Michelle Otero, co-founder and designer of Ecliptica. “We’re just riding the wave, and it’s been beautiful.”
Otero and her sister Norein have run the San Juan-based eveningwear and bridal brand since 2000. Known for intricate made-to-order Atelier pieces—popular for quinceañeras, proms, and weddings—the brand expanded after Hurricane María with a ready-to-wear line called Ecliptica Isla. This line celebrates Puerto Rican culture with a nostalgic touch. Its latest collection, “Centro,” launched in March, features colorful prints of chickens, tropical fruit, mundillo lace, dominoes, and moka pots. The theme aligns perfectly with Bad Bunny’s January release, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which honors the island’s history and resilience.
Since the album came out, fans have been inspired to embrace Puerto Rican cultural symbols—like the straw pava hat, flor de maga, and mundillo lace—and weave them into their style, especially for concerts. Otero has seen demand for Isla surge, even surpassing orders for the Atelier line. “It’s interesting to see everyone discovering what we already had, all because of the music,” she says. “We haven’t seen this many orders since 2018.”
A big moment came when singer RaiNao, who appears on the track “Perfumito Nuevo,” wore Ecliptica Isla’s Taino Reversible Skirt on stage at La Residencia. (She paired it with a custom Atelier top.) Ecliptica already had a connection with RaiNao, having dressed her for a Bad Bunny performance on “Saturday Night Live” in May. RaiNao bought the skirt herself and later reached out about having a top made for the concert. “Everything has happened pretty organically,” Otero notes.
Sales jumped again in July when both RaiNao and Gabriela Berlingeri wore Isla pieces. Berlingeri, a longtime client and collaborator, often drives traffic to the brand when she posts and tags them. Many new customers have placed orders, and some concertgoers even visited Ecliptica’s Miramar showroom asking specifically for Isla. While still made-to-order, Isla is more affordable than the custom Atelier line—a dress from Isla costs around $180, while Atelier pieces start at $680.
For brands like Ecliptica, which focus on slow fashion and operate where manufacturing capacity is limited, managing customer expectations can be challenging. Fans want to support local designers but also want their items quickly.
Yazmín “Yayi” Perez found herself in a similar situation after Bad Bunny wore not one, but two of her guayaberas—traditional lightweight linen shirts—on stage during his residency.
A graduate of Polimoda Firenze, Politecnico di Milano, and the Fashion Institute of Technology, Perez launched her namesake label in 20At 18, Yayi Perez set out to sustainably produce her ready-to-wear clothing in Puerto Rico. She gained recognition for her guayaberas after Bad Bunny wore one during a press event earlier this year. The shirt, embroidered with the silhouette of El Morro and the Old San Juan skyline, was a gift from his photographer Eric Rojas, who had bought it for himself at her store in Miramar. “I saw it on Instagram and thought, ‘Yes! He liked it!'” she recalls.
Soon after, Bad Bunny’s styling team reached out about collaborating for his residency shows. Perez and her team spent months researching—not only Puerto Rican history but also the evolution of the guayabera. She created eight tops and four bottoms based on her brand’s best-sellers, tailored to the artist’s measurements and featuring elements tied to the album’s themes and Puerto Rican culture. On opening night—which happened to be the eve of Perez’s wedding—he wore two designs: the Cordillera, with an outline of Puerto Rico’s central mountain range, and the Isola, featuring triangular pockets and striped pleats inspired by the flag.
Perez works with seamstresses in her studio to fulfill orders, making her one of the few designers still producing guayaberas in Puerto Rico, where the apparel industry mainly focuses on uniforms. The usual production time is three weeks, but due to increased demand from the residency spotlight—her e-commerce sales rose 68% from June to July—it has stretched to ten weeks.
“We’re using this opportunity to educate our clients,” Perez says. It’s not just tourists attending the concerts and shopping for the weekend; locals are also discovering the brand thanks to the Bad Bunny exposure. “We were interviewed on local news, and now people come into the store saying, ‘I saw you on WAPA—I had no idea guayaberas were made here.’ Social media is great, but being on TV makes a bigger impact,” she notes.
Even before the shows began, a grassroots movement encouraged by Bad Bunny himself promoted shopping local for the residency, boosting visibility for Puerto Rican designers. Artists like Chuwi have also made a point to feature designers from the island and its diaspora when invited onstage to perform “Weltita.”
So far, Hermán Nadal has dressed Chuwi twice, with more collaborations planned. Over his ten years in business, he has drawn inspiration from Puerto Rico’s landscapes, history, and culture. Having previously worked with Chuwi’s stylist, Kathia Sánchez Ruiz, he pitched ideas for all four band members. Anticipating the residency’s impact, he prepared a commercial capsule collection inspired by Puerto Rico and Chuwi’s style, which launched shortly after their first performance in his designs. The response led to a surge in orders, many from the diaspora eager to support local talent and connect with home.
Earlier this spring, Mónica Santos Gil collaborated with Sánchez Ruiz on a photoshoot for her New York-based brand Santos, featuring Chuwi’s lead singer Lorén Aldarondo Torres. During the shoot, the stylist mentioned the opportunity to dress the group for the residency. Though new to menswear, Santos Gil embraced the challenge.The challenge was to dress the entire band in domino-inspired outfits, including adapting a women’s pants design from a past collection to match Lorén’s Lola Circle Cut-Out dress. After her brand appeared on stage in late July, Santos Gil posted a behind-the-scenes video showing how the looks were made. This gained a lot of attention on social media and brought in over 1,500 new followers across Instagram and TikTok. People have even been visiting her store on Manhattan’s Lower East Side—some traveling all the way from Isabela, Chuwi’s hometown—asking for Lorén’s dress (which is currently sold out, though a restock is in the works) and the men’s pants.
Santos Gil says, “I’m actually making them now and plan to launch them sometime in September.” She had already been thinking about expanding her domino-themed collection and is now even more motivated to do so.
Perez is also planning to produce a line inspired by the shirts she designed for Bad Bunny. “It aligns perfectly with what I was already working on,” she explains. “I had been researching and developing the idea even before they reached out.” Right now, she’s busy with orders—Benito has the samples—but once the residency ends, she intends to move forward with production.
Bronx-based designer Edwin Reyes had been exploring ways to expand on the hand-sewn, ruffled Puerto Rican flag skirt he created as a passion project for New York’s Puerto Rican Pride Parade in June when Sánchez Ruiz contacted him. “The skirt was going a little viral—my first viral post—and her team saw it,” he says.
In recent years, Reyes has shifted his design approach from traditional seasonal collections to what he calls “vignettes of cultural moments”—collections rich in storytelling, inspired by his travels and personal experiences. “The core values of my brand are culture, heritage, and sustainability,” he notes. “I aim to incorporate these, whether individually or together, in everything I do.”
Just weeks after Reyes first shared the skirt, Aldarondo Torres wore it on stage at El Choli. Reyes has received about a dozen orders for the custom piece, which sells for $400, and he’s now more committed to releasing additional versions, including the original light blue design and the black-and-white resistance flag. This experience has also helped him work toward his larger goal of building community.
Nadal has been fostering connections too by inviting new clients to pick up their orders in person at his Bayamón studio when they’re in town for the residency. “They get to see the space and meet me,” he says. “I prefer appointments to offer a more personalized experience, but sometimes the doorbell rings unexpectedly.”
Thanks to new clients from the residency, existing customers who commissioned custom pieces for the concerts, and a growing movement to support local talent, Nadal has expanded his team, hiring three full-time staff for his studio. “If orders increase, the team can grow—it’s what I’ve always wanted,” he shares. This growth has also revealed new potential for the brand, envisioning a creative space with cutters, patternmakers, and sewers—a fairly compensated team united by his vision, creating products and an aesthetic people want to be part of.
For these designers, this moment is as emotionally meaningful as it is professionally significant. Like Perez, Santos Gil has seen her customer base in Puerto Rico grow because of the residency. “It’s created something deeper than just the music—a connection to our roots and where we come from,” she says.“People are really excited to support and even discover up-and-coming brands from Puerto Rico… I’m grateful to live in New York, where I feel at home, but there’s nothing like being back on the island. When I saw Chuwi release my design, I cried. I’ve always wanted to produce my work there. I hope one day I get to create and see people wearing it in Puerto Rico.” (Although she didn’t spot any Santos bags at El Choliseo, she did see some people carrying her signature accessory out in public during her latest trip.)
“I’m so glad people are recognizing the beauty in our culture and our island, even though we face daily struggles and life here is hard,” Otero says. “All this nostalgia and awakening that the album has sparked is amazing. People crave that. They want it. They seek it out. I hope people don’t forget.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful FAQs about how Bad Bunnys Las Vegas residency is boosting Puerto Ricos fashion scene
General Beginner Questions
Q How is a concert in Las Vegas connected to fashion in Puerto Rico
A Bad Bunny a global superstar from Puerto Rico uses his platform to exclusively wear and promote clothing from Puerto Rican designers and brands during his highprofile shows
Q Why is this such a big deal for these designers
A His residency gets massive media coverage When he wears a local designers outfit its seen by millions of fans and fashion critics worldwide giving them incredible free exposure they couldnt get otherwise
Q Can you name some Puerto Rican designers he has worn
A Absolutely Some prominent names include CÚRE Studios LDezen and Juan Carlos Obando He has worn their custommade pieces on stage in music videos and on red carpets
Q What kind of impact does this have beyond just the designers
A It creates a halo effect It boosts pride in local talent inspires new designers attracts international buyers and strengthens the entire islands creative economy from seamstresses to fabric suppliers
Advanced Detailed Questions
Q Beyond exposure what are the tangible economic benefits for these brands
A They experience a direct Bad Bunny Bumpa huge surge in website traffic social media followers and sales immediately after he wears one of their pieces This often leads to wholesale orders from major retailers
Q Is he just wearing their clothes or is he more involved
A He is deeply collaborative He often works directly with the designers to create custom conceptdriven pieces that reflect his music and Puerto Rican culture making him a creative partner not just a client
Q Whats a specific example of a design that made a major impact
A The pink cowboystyle look from his Un Verano Sin Ti album cover designed by CÚRE Studios became an iconic fashion moment It was widely discussed and cemented the brands international reputation
Q Are there any challenges or downsides to this kind of sudden spotlight
A Yes Smaller designers might struggle to scale up production quickly to meet sudden global demand Theres also pressure to consistently deliver highquality unique pieces under tight deadlines