Santino Bandido: “the man with the briefcase” who dresses the urban genre in Chile

Some know him as San Martín for his musical side. Others simply like “the man with the briefcase ”. There are also those who have seen the logo with an illustration of his face in one of the stickers he stuck around Santiago.

But what is certain is that those who know of the existence of your clothing brand, bandit santino they know immediately when they are in front of one of their garments.

And it is that Martín Laso (23), from San Felipe, he made a name for himself both in music and in fashion urban music in Chile.

Albums like the namesake of his design company, bandit santino (2021), caught the attention of the circuit because it brings together a wide variety of styles, and because it includes collaborations with artists such as Mariana Montenegro (co-founder of the group Dënver), as well as others such as Junior Mafia and Stevens Benjamin.

Also, he played the role of one of the main characters in the movie History and Geographystarring Amparo Noguera and directed by San Felipe filmmaker Bernardo Quesney.

As for clothing that intervenes or manufactures from scratch essential singers of the urban genre, such as Pablo Chill-E, Harry Nach, Aqua VS, Tommy Boysen and Fuka, among many others, opted for his signature . Whether for music videos, concerts or everyday wear.

in conversation with The third Martín says that this particular nickname among those who don’t know him directly is due to his two briefcases: a hand-held blue (for carrying proper and necessary clothing) and a large red (for carrying an entire arsenal of clothes).

“Both are leather, old-fashioned. That’s why they always attract attention.” ensures.

With them he constantly travels between San Felipe, Santiago and Viña del Mar, in order to offer his creations and have them available when an artist needs costumes for a music video or a concert.

“Sometimes when I go to events, people ask me what I have in my briefcase. It’s crazy ’cause they suddenly think I’m carrying a gun , when in fact I’m wearing the clothes for the show. So when they open it, they have a half-surprise,” he laughs.

Despite the fact that today he mainly dedicates himself to fashion and his musical project, Martín’s beginnings in the field of the arts date back to his adolescence with the freestylewhen at the age of 15 he was looking for spaces to participate in rap duels with other young people from San Felipe.

“I was doing really well, but over time the battles bored me and I started to like writing songs more, lyrics with context and story. I took the music from that side and little by little, I was watching more and more videos and studying how everything behind them works”.

SO, begins to make his first clothes a neighborhood influenced by the fact that his family owns a clothing store in Llay-Llay, which offers everything from products for children to more urban and even sports products.

“As a boy, I was always attached to clothes and the right attire,” he says.

But the biggest trigger was when join the cast of the film History and Geography by Bernardo Quesney which will be released this year.

During the filming, which took place in the midst of a pandemic with the support of permits, what the wardrobe team was doing particularly caught his attention, so he wanted to devote himself fully to creating his own creations and include this element very present in the videos of San Martín, his pseudonym in the musical field.

He even came to offer them in the showroom of Free Fair a store considered a nerve center of the capital to find clothes for the urban scene.

“Almost only artists or people who are still involved in this world went to this place . There, I tried to sell all day and sometimes my friends would say to me, “Brother, today I don’t know who is playing in this place. Let’s go then, little by little I started sneaking into events, I wore a lot of clothes and sold them . Hide that business was good”.

Martín assures that, little by little, he developed a wider network of contacts, both in the field of music and in that of urban fashion, since in addition to traveling from San Felipe to Santiago, he also traveled other cities as large as Viña del Mar. .

He says that his first time there was with his friend Ignacio Videla, founder of the specialized media Trap2Day and creator of the clothing brand Kidz sees dripping ghosts .

“We started to mark a presence, to take out clothes, to try to sell. The following times I left with a giant coat rack.

When he was around 18, Martín got his first personal logo: an animated illustration of his own face .

From what he told La Tercera, he liked this idea because “it’s easy, I can use it for everything and it works”, since it is recognizable with the naked eye and it likes that “this mystery on whose face it is” remains.

And precisely, he drove the point home.

He says that one day, during the recordings of the video clip “Gata Retoba” by Fuka, Harry Nach, Marcianeke and Pablo Chill-E, the latter approached him to see the clothes he had in one of his suitcases.

—If you want, you can use them for video.

—Oh brother. Is this face yours? Chill-E replied. .

-Yeah.

“Cool, because I’ve seen it before and it looks like a friend who died.

The designer says the singer “loved the caleta,” so he bought her two jackets.

Unlike other proposals with a more contemporary style that are also acclaimed on the national scene, Santino Bandido he stands out because he uses influences closer to what he describes as “chic, old, more vintage aesthetics”. ”.

In fact, movie costumes like scarface (1983), men (1990) and Casino (1995), in addition to series such as the sopranos (1999), had a strong influence on his work. Although he points out that it’s not because of the crime itself, but rather because of how the characters look.

“This thing of going out perfumed, neat, with a good suit”, he explains, “not as an office subject, but as a normal person who has his business”.

“That’s why I stand out, that’s always been my proposition.”

For Martín, fashion design is a field that is still largely unknown outside of certain niches, which is why he considers it necessary to open up so that more and more young people can devote themselves to clothing and thus earn an income from it. Whether through clothing, design or marketing.

“Before, children wanted to become footballers to support their families. Later, many realized that it was not so feasible, that one in ten could do it. So they started with music. Now the same thing happens with this one, because it’s hard for everyone to stick together if there are thousands trying. Added to this is the fact that billing is still complicated, because you download a subject and then it takes months to pay you.

Under that line, he says, “Imagine all kids wanting to be designers. If everyone could make clothes, if they were taught. They could make nice clothes and go out and sell them to their same friends on the street. . I think it’s a good opportunity for a lot of people.”