Through her appointment in 2016 as Head of Content at Vogue Mexico and Latin America, Karla Martinez de Salas took on the singular duty of accelerating the region’s global fashion influence while simultaneously running the two distinct books she looks over. The tenacity that has followed Martinez de Salas’ impressive career has been present since she first moved cross-country from the Southwest to New York to start in the fashion industry as a sales intern. She had already sampled a few places before locking in on the editorial world, securing an assistant position at Vogue’s NY offices before swiftly rising through the ranks to become the Associate Fashion Editor, working with esteemed Vogue bigwigs like Grace Coddington, Tonne Goodman, Camilla Nickerson, and Phyllis Posnick.

With tenure at T, Interview, and W Magazine, after a fateful family move to Mexico City, she returned to Vogue in 2016, and through her leadership, the publication has maintained its exclusive editorial perspective while establishing groundbreaking alliances in the market. She has ushered in notable covers featuring luminaries like Yalitza Aparicio, Jennifer Lopez, Kali Uchis, and Zoe Saldana, as well as models Lineisy Montero, Mica Argañaraz, Tindi Mar, Devyn Garcia, Krini Hernandez, Quannah Chasinghorse, and America Gonzalez. As a further testament to her commendable curation, she has brought in top names like Tim Walker, Inez and Vinoodh, Emma Summerton, and Norman Jean Roy while also championing the new guard of creatives like Emmanuel Sanchez Monsalve, Micaiah Carter, Alexander Saladrigas, and Enrique Leyva. Shot by Mauricio Sierra, Models.com spoke to the editor about her career-defining move to Mexico City, the many Latin American designers on her radar, and her unwavering dedication to morphing the creative landscape in her thriving region.