For Karla Martinez, fashion has always been about more than just clothes. It is a form of expression, transformation and ultimately, representation.

The El Paso native spent over a decade at the helm of content for Vogue Mexico and Latin America, helping transform the publication into a globally recognized platform celebrated for its original storytelling, photography and productions. Along the way, she helped redefine how beauty and identity are represented in Latin American media — most notably when the magazine became the first Vogue edition in the world to feature an Indigenous woman on its cover.

Today, Martinez is embarking on her next chapter as Chief Content Officer at Avance Global, where she plans to create a platform celebrating the extraordinary talent and creativity emerging from Latin America across entertainment, art, music and culture. Yet for all the places her career has taken her, El Paso remains home.

Martinez’s connection to El Paso began in the late 1980s, when her family relocated to the city after her father became a partner in a local medical practice. She arrived without any previous connection to the Borderland, but it didn’t take long for El Paso to become part of her identity.

She attended Polk Elementary School before graduating Loretto Academy in 1995. Although her career would eventually take her around the world, her family ties to El Paso have remained strong. Her mother and siblings continue to call our city home, while Martinez continues to regard El Paso as home.

Martinez’s journey from El Paso to the international fashion world, however, was anything but conventional. Her fascination with fashion began with something deeply personal: the way that clothing can make a person feel. “I’ve always loved fashion as a form of self-expression,” she says. “I’ve always been fascinated by the way clothes can change how you feel and how transformative they can be.”

That fascination eventually became a career, but breaking into the fashion industry was no easy feat. Fashion is notoriously difficult to enter without established connections, and Martinez had none. The daughter of an El Paso heart surgeon, she had to create her own opportunities and prove that she belonged in an industry where relationships and reputation can open doors.

Her experience at Vogue was no different. The brand may carry enormous global recognition, but Martinez quickly learned that the name alone could not guarantee access to the industry’s top creative talent. “We had to earn our place by proving we were producing a quality magazine, one that photographers and creatives would want to be part of,” she says.

Over more than 10 years as Head of Content for Vogue Mexico and Latin America, Martinez led editorial and content strategy throughout the region. She oversaw cover productions from initial concept through execution, developed experiential programming, and advised luxury brands on content and positioning for Latin American audiences.

But perhaps her most significant contribution was helping establish the region’s own creative voice on the international stage. It took time to convince photographers, model agents, and leading creatives to work with the publication. Yet Martinez and her team continued pushing forward, determined to demonstrate that Mexico and Latin America deserved a greater place in the global fashion conversation.

“That fight isn’t over,” she says. “We still have to keep pushing for Mexico and Latin America to get the respect we deserve.”

Among Martinez’s proudest accomplishments was a Vogue cover that became a cultural milestone. Under her leadership, Vogue Mexico and Latin America became the first Vogue edition in the world to feature an Indigenous woman on its cover. The moment challenged conventional ideas of beauty and opened a broader conversation about representation in national media.

For Martinez, the significance was deeply personal. “The greatest reward has been hearing people say thank you for putting someone who looks like them on the cover,” she says. 

The impact extended beyond a single cover. Martinez worked to create a magazine that reflected greater diversity in skin tone, body shape and identity — helping audiences see themselves represented in a publication that had historically presented a narrower definition of beauty.

“That moment changed the conversation about beauty in Mexico,” she says.

For those hoping to follow a similar path, Martinez’s advice is refreshingly straightforward: Work hard. Maintain a good attitude. And never forget where you come from. Her own story is proof that an international career does not require leaving one’s roots behind.

From the classrooms of Polk Elementary and Loretto Academy to the pages of one of the world’s most influential fashion publications, Martinez has carried her perspective as an El Pasoan with her — building a career that has allowed her to champion Latin American creativity on a global stage.

Now, she is ready to do even more. At Avance Global, Martinez will work under the leadership of Gary Acosta and Pedro Guerrero in a role that brings together many of the passions that have defined her career. She envisions creating a platform that highlights the best of Latin America and collaborates with exceptional artists across the board.

“I am excited to create a platform that highlights the best of Latin America and really works with amazingly talented artists across entertainment, arts, music and culture,” she says. It is a natural next step for someone whose career has consistently been about giving talent a platform, expanding the definition of beauty, and bringing Latin American voices into the global conversation.

And while her work may now span international cities and cultural capitals, one city remains especially close to her heart. El Paso is where her story began — and in many ways, it remains part of the story.

For Martinez, the journey from El Paso to the global fashion industry is a reminder that extraordinary careers can begin anywhere — even in a city tucked along the U.S.-Mexico border. Her story is ultimately one of ambition, perseverance and representation. More importantly, it is a story about understanding where you come from and using your platform to make space for others. For Martinez, her next chapter promises to continue doing exactly that.

QUICK HITS

Favorite cities: Aside from El Paso, New York and Paris.

Favorite dish: Chips with chile con queso.

Favorite El Paso haunt: Lucy’s.

Biggest role model: Her aunt Tati.

Favorite magazines: W and T, along with ¡Hola!, which she credits with introducing her to fashion.

Favorite movie: Sabrina — the film that inspired her to move to Paris.

Bucket-list items: An Issy Wood painting and an Hermès Box Leather Bolide.