Spanish designers who are changing the fashion world
Specially for Eve from Valencia
When we talk about fashion, we still often focus on Italy and France, as if out of habit. But
most people wear fast fashion clothes every day. The same country where fast fashion was born and which now has serious problems due to excessive textile consumption, once gave Europe one of the most important fashion designers - C. Balenciaga. Spain's importance to the fashion world is undeniable: from high fashion to fast fashion that changed the world in the 90s - Spain has always had a unique role. Which designers must you know in order to understand made in Spain fashion?
Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972)
The designer, born in the Basque Country and learning to sew at the age of 11, achieved his greatest recognition
In France, where he moved to live in 1936 after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. His work and impeccable silhouettes were admired by Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, and Coco Chanel. The latter even declared that "he was the only couturier, all the others were just fashion designers," including herself.
New silhouettes in the history of women's clothing are the merit of C. Balenciaga. Broad shoulders, angular, square-like coats became the designer's distinctive features, and clients were even willing to come from another country just to buy his clothes. Over time, the curved shapes in C. Balenciaga's work were replaced by round ones - this is how the baby doll dress was created.
A designer whose list of admirers and clients included Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner,
Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor and many other famous women were distinguished by their modesty - they never went out to appear in public after the presentations of their collections, let alone to chat with them. Despite their popularity, the designer voluntarily ended his career in 1968, when haute couture was replaced by prêt-à-porter.
Meaning of Cristóbal Balenciaga: Sculptural clothing shapes, eye-catching shoulder lines,
The avant-garde spirit, which is also visible in the current collections of Balenciaga and some other fashion houses, has a history of almost a century. And the idea that a woman needs comfort and freedom of movement changed the concept of elegance and finally even the most original silhouettes stopped constraining the movements of customers.
Paco Rabanne (1934-2023)
Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo understood perfectly well that such a long Spanish name would not look attractive on the international market, so he became known to the world not by his real name, but by its abbreviation − Paco Rabanne. Like C. Balenciaga, P. Rabanne came from the Basque Country, and had more similarities with the legendary Balenciaga − the Basque origins of both were often confused, but neither was in a hurry to correct potential customers. P. Rabanne has openly said in more than one interview that the association of his surname with Italy helped him become famous and sell better.
P. Rabanne's path to the art world began with architecture studies in Paris, which required money - so the future designer began to create accessories. The latter attracted the attention of the most famous fashion houses: Dior, Givenchy, Saint Laurent. Having started his career as a clothing designer, Paco Rabanne became famous for his avant-garde dresses made of metal and plastic, weighing about 30 kilograms. In the 1950s, P. Rabanne created the most expensive dress in history - it was a dress made of gold and diamonds. The mini, straight-cut, long-sleeved dress weighed nine kilograms and was made of a thousand gold plates.
There were many more records in Paco Rabanne's career. His eponymous perfumes, which were launched in the 1960s, sold extremely well, and eventually his men's fragrance 1 Million became one of the most popular and sought-after fragrances in the world. In Spain, Paco Rabanne perfumes were declared one of the best-selling in the country a decade ago.
Paco Rabanne meaning: Metal details in clothes and even on perfume bottles became part of Paco Rabanne's identity and an expression of the designer's individuality. In late 2023, after the designer's death earlier that year, when a Paco Rabanne and H&M collection inspired by the designer's most famous clothes and accessories was released, the limited edition clothes and details sold out in Spain within a day.
Lorenzo Caprile (born 1967)
The designer, born in Spain and of Italian nationality, began his career in Italy, but
Realizing that he did not like prêt-à-porter, he opened his own workshop in Madrid in 1993. The designer is famous for clothes made to measure for aristocrats - his dresses are often worn by representatives of the most important Spanish families at their weddings. L. Caprile has created several dresses for representatives of the Spanish royal family: both the current Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Emeritus Sofia, and the sister of the current King Felipe, Cristina, also got married in a dress he designed, which, even after almost three decades, is famous for being one of the most frequently reproduced silhouettes in the country.
In 2018, the designer became even more famous as a judge on the popular reality show Maestros de la costura. The judge chosen for the young designers is their complete opposite: L. Caprile is famous for his meticulousness and pickiness with materials, his work at his own pace (the designer has not held any collection presentations) and his conservatism − L. Caprile still uses his first mobile phone from 2004.
Lorenzo Caprile meaning: In 2024, the Spanish Ministry of Culture purchased more than 500 publications and 5,000 documentary recordings from the designer for 275,000 euros. The collection, which began in the 1980s in Italy and later accumulated in Spain, is extremely significant today. And the designer's own work is the benchmark for wedding dresses in Spain.
Felipe Varela (born 1968)
He began his career by creating impeccable costumes: Felipe Varela studied with the best French designers, worked for the fashion houses of Kenzo, Dior, Mugler. In 1994, F. Varela opened his first store in Madrid, began participating in Madrid Fashion Week events, then it was the turn of ten Felipe Varela stores, which belong to the El Corte Inglés chain. Eventually, F. Varela became one of the most appreciated designers of Queen Letizia.
When the engagement of the current Spanish kings was announced in 2003, the future queen wore a white Armani suit, but immediately afterwards Letizia needed to find a reliable and loyal designer. Thus began a long-standing friendship between the designer and the queen. It was his suit that Letizia wore during her husband's coronation ceremony in 2014. One Spanish journalist, considered one of the best experts on the Spanish royal family, describes Letizia's sympathy for F. Varela's work in his book as follows: "There are two Felipes in Letizia's life (her husband and the designer).
Since 2019, the queen's combinations have almost completely disappeared from F. Varela's work. This change was due to
The Queen shows her support for the countries she visits by wearing designer clothes and many different brands made in Spain, often little-known, family-owned businesses, in order to support them.
The designer, who never liked publicity and did not give interviews, voluntarily became even more invisible, moving to Miami. Currently, F. Varela's clothes can be purchased online or ordered a haute couture garment made to measure in Madrid and Valencia.
Meaning of Felipe Varela: The designer, whose work until 2014 accounted for about 90 percent of the current queen's outfits, went down in fashion history as an extremely restrained creator whose clothes are always distinguished by their perfect quality, are classic, but at the same time memorable.
Alejandro Gómez Palomo (b. 1992)
Alejandro Palomo, who founded his own brand Palomo Spain in 2016, is already considered one of the most important current Spanish designers, changing the public's attitude towards fashion. The designer creates unisex clothes, and usually only women's clothes or accessories are also offered for men (e.g. handbags). Crotch-length boots or trousers, with bold cuts, make the young designer's clothes not quite everyday, which is why they are so popular with the most famous singers - Rosalía or even Beyonce.
Palomo Spain offers a unique refuge for the young Spanish generation, according to the designer, because men also want more freedom in their clothing. Typical clothes that are stereotypically associated only with Spanish women, such as flamenco ruffles, puffed sleeves, polka dots or lace, are adapted for men by A. Palomo, who won the National Fashion Design Award in 2024. Interestingly, before the current recognition, the designer named his first permanent job as a judge on the reality show Sewing Masters together with L. Caprile.
Meaning of Alejandro Gómez Palomo: Palomo Spain became known to the whole of Europe in 2022, when Chanel Terreno, who represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest, appeared in the final wearing a shiny jumpsuit and a matador-style short jacket. The combination was decorated with 50 thousand hand-embroidered Swarovski crystals.
Spain, a country famous for having the most important person in the current fashion world - Marta Ortega (CEO of Inditex - the world's largest clothing manufacturing group), is becoming increasingly important for the future of fashion. When you combine the globally recognized Spanish designers with the current Spanish production scale, there is no doubt that Spain should be included in the top three countries for fashion.