Karla Martínez de Salas held a number of impressive fashion media titles before her move to Mexico nearly a decade ago. Her resume included Vogue US, T Magazine, Interview, and W, but the dream for the El Paso native and daughter of Mexican immigrants was landing at the top of the masthead of Vogue Mexico. As fate would have it, that very role opened up as she and her family relocated to the region. 

Now, for the past eight years, Martínez de Salas has been the Head of Content for Vogue Mexico and Latin America, covering the world of fashion—design, entertainment, and culture, too—for a massive swath of the Hispanic population, in and well beyond Mexico and Latin America. 

Driven by an innate sense of curiosity, her leadership is marked by industry-defining moments that have challenged the status quo and beauty standards, including putting the first Indigenous Mexican actress, Yalitza Aparicio, on a cover in 2018; celebrating the beauty of four Afro-Dominican models on a 2019 cover; and featuring a diverse range of voices who shape fashion and culture including, Jennifer Lopez, Zoe Saldaña, Cardi B, Paloma Elsesser, Quannah Chasinghorse, Estrella Vasquez, among others. The results of this work have shown major boosts to traffic since the start of Martínez de Salas’ tenure—it’s clear that fashion institutions thrive with leaders like her at the helm. 

I started interning in a fashion closet at W. I always had to apply for jobs—someone didn't make a call for me to automatically get the job. There are so many things that I learned starting at the bottom: being a closet intern, then a fashion assistant, then a fashion coordinator, then an associate editor. All of the steps helped prepare me for the different kinds of roles that I took. 

Even though people were telling me “it's a very risky job,” “there’s no budget,” taking those jobs anyway, going beyond what my job entailed, and getting involved in every aspect of the magazine from editorial to commercial, was very helpful and really made a difference in my career. I feel like that curiosity, on a personal and professional level, has always been very helpful to me.

I was an assistant at Vogue and my boss at the time wanted me to interview to be the Accessories Director. I was 27 and I remember going into Anna [Wintour]’s office and being so nervous. She asked me questions and then I didn't get the job. I was very discouraged and upset, and I was told that she didn't feel I was prepared. That no really changed something in me. 

I knew that I could stay at the job and see if perhaps another opportunity came along, but if not, I needed to spread my wings and start looking for something else. That something else turned into [Fashion Director for T Magazine at] the New York Times, which was an amazing experience and really changed my career path. In hindsight, that no really helped me develop both personally and professionally.

It was something that I had always dreamed of as someone who had worked in New York and at some of the best publications in the business. I remember once feeling that I didn’t look like all the other Conde Nast editors. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to have that job in New York. When I moved to Mexico, obviously, it was a dream of mine, but I wasn't sure if it was going to happen. It’s a very highly coveted job, but when I got to Mexico, the girl that had the role before me was planning on moving, so it ended up being closer than I thought.

Fashion has changed so much since I started working 25 years ago. When I first started [the Head of Content role]...I wanted it to be about so much more than putting models on the cover and covering fashion. There is an opportunity to really change people's opinions about Mexico and Latin America, because, a lot of the time, the press our countries are receiving isn't always the best.

When I first arrived, I was very naive in a way. Most people think, “Oh, you work at Vogue and the doors to every fashion show and designer house are going to be open.” It wasn't like that. I had to prove what the magazine was, who I was. I was not invited to fashion shows and heard comments like, “Your region isn't important.” 

Now, I feel like I'm more vocal about the respect that the Hispanic community deserves in the fashion space. I never thought that it would shape me as much as it did. As an American who grew up as a child of immigrants, I didn't understand things were not done a certain way in Mexico. After that [Yalitza Aparicio] cover, when someone told me, “Thank you for putting someone that looks like me on the cover,” I felt like if I quit this job tomorrow, I'd know that I succeeded in something. And that was to make people feel included and represented in one of the most important publications in the world.

I'm very curious and I'm always trying to tell stories of different people. Every time I travel or meet someone, I am always trying to find something that will work for the magazine and a story to tell. And I think not being satisfied with the status quo is always the way that I approach things. 

It's also a challenge because I cover such a big region—you could fill pages and pages of talent. We cover everything from a Cuban American artist outside Santa Fe to a fashion show at Max Mara. We have the amazing opportunity to go on these trips and have the unique privilege to be in rooms with such talented people. Even in Venice, I met a Colombian handbag designer who now has a store there. I always try and take advantage of all these opportunities that we have as editors to experience new places because so much good comes from it.

When I go to New York, the impracticality comes out. I'll want to wear palazzo pants or a heel—something that isn't practical for the subway. But then when I'm [in Mexico], I'm much more “working mom style” in a way. Nothing white, only comfortable things, and nothing that draws too much attention to myself. 

Working in fashion is so open to interpretation. You can really play around and express yourself. I was much more inclined to do that when I was younger,  and I'll still do it now. I love a blazer, but maybe it has something off about it. I love a statement piece in a wardrobe, even in my work wear. Even if I'm wearing a beautiful tailored suit, I might add a see-through or sequin shoe, or something a little bit unexpected.

Every year, I say, “I want to shoot this person who's never said yes to being in Vogue Mexico.” This year, three of those people just happened to say yes. I feel like anytime I have the opportunity to meet or work with someone I really respect—and that is a force in whatever field it may be, whether it's a director or an actor—it’s exciting. It's just in my nature to challenge myself in terms of my goals. Each year it’s, “These are the people that we want to feature. This is what I'm excited about. Let's make it happen.”