Latin culture is hitting the American mainstream from popular music to fashion. In the upcoming, Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week Spring 2004 season, a good number of Hispanic designers are showing their collections.

It only takes the average fashionista a split second to rattle off a list of prominent Hispanic fashion designers -- Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Hererra, Manolo Blahnik -- all who have long been influential in the style world.

And now three promising young Hispanic designers are poised to be among the next generation of household names, with inventive designs that capture the flavor of their unique experiences.

Spanish-born Custo Dalmau, creator of the Custo Barcelona line, burst onto the New York fashion scene in the mid-90s.

The brightly colored cotton knits and t-shirts that made his brand famous were inspired by the imagery and customs he experienced during world travels, filtered and re-invented by his creative Spanish eye.

(Photo at left - from Custo Barcelona Fall 2003 collection)

Though he now has a full apparel line sold in his boutiques and upscale department stores, Custo Barcelona's signature product remains the flamboyant tops with vivid imagery and graphics.

"As I rely on color and form, cotton is the perfect canvas for my designs. Cotton moves and breathes with the body bringing Custo Barcelona's vision to life," Dalmau says.

New York City-based Mark Montano is a true renaissance man.

This one-time Oscar de la Renta intern continually wows the crowds at New York's Fashion Week with his talents.

Although Montano, also an established interior designer and contributing editor to Cosmo Girl!, works in many different fabrics, cotton is his favorite because of its versatility.

(Photo at right - From Mark Montano's Fall 2003 "Laura Ingalls Wilder" collection.)

"I chose cotton brocade for my Fall 2003 Collection because of its glamour. The magic of working with cotton is that it brings a simple luxury to clothing. I love it because not only is it comfortable but it's beautiful and timeless," Montano says.

Latina super-star Thalia Sodi, the pop singer and actress well known as a stylish trendsetter in her native Mexico, is adding the title designer to her resume with a foray into fashion.

Thalia has recently debuted a complete line of ready-to-wear clothing for women and girls sold exclusively at Kmart.

Eagle tank and fashion denim from Thalia Sodi.

"My collection is a dream come true," says Sodi. "I am so excited to have created a line that has been inspired by my culture -- showing its color, its passion and its greatness -- and one that captures my personal style."

Embellished cotton tops and stylized denim jeans are her signature pieces although her line also includes accessories and home items.

"What makes fashion designers so exciting is how they channel from their own cultural experiences. The end results are uniquely distinctive and embody the personalities of each designer," says Linda DeFranco, creative trend forecaster, Cotton Incorporated. "The use of vibrant color, rich textures and a passion for body-conscious silhouettes are a predominant theme in the looks we're seeing on the runways from Hispanic designers today."

(Photos courtesy of Cotton, Inc. via PRNewsFoto)