Juan Vidal: An E-tailers Dream

For more than 100 years, Juan Vidal’s family have been tailors; he’s broken a bit from the mold by being the first to take on womenswear. This designer’s process starts with the fabrics; he designs his own and continues with silhouette and embellishments. Beading and embroidery are done by hand. There was a couture flair to skirts puffed out with tulle and a languid ease to a mouthwatering kimono embroidered with ribbon. Inspired by his travels in Italy, the prints and beading referenced Raphael (maybe by way of Fiorucci!), Donatello, and Botticelli, whose Venus was Vidal’s muse for Spring.





1 / 7 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Juan Vidal Spring 2020

Ernesto Naranjo: Colorist

Not yet 30, this recent graduate of Central Saint Martins has already worked at the right hand of John Galliano at Maison Margiela. Huge sheets of plastic hung like breezy banners in the white photo studio where he presented his collection. The aptly named designer—naranjo means orange tree—is, above all, a colorist, and his neons and brights, some festooned with fringe, absolutely popped with joy and promise.





1 / 5 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Ernesto Naranjo Spring 2020

Maria ke Fisherman: Out of This World

Sita Abellan made her modeling debut for the designing duo of María Lemus and Víctor Alonso, and is hooked on what she called their “cyberpunk” sensibility. The blue-haired It girl returned for their mind-blowing show-as-experience presentation on what turned into a dark and stormy night. The threatening weather only heightened the drama of a show in which models stood on metal daisies on a Gothic bridge as sci-fi music played. Most out-of-this-world is the idea that these rather extreme body-con knits, some of which might be described as sort of thongs are hand-knit by Carmelite nuns.





1 / 6 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Maria ke Fisherman Spring 2020

Moises Nieto: Home, but Not Alone

You might say that Moises Nieto is a busy fellow. In addition to his namesake line, he and his partner Valerio Canals run the menswear line Dos Studio. Nieto has made time, however, to devote much of his energy to responsible fashion. The best pieces he showed were constructed using upcycled home textiles. Who knew a tablecloth could be such a good-looking beach cover-up? Though these pieces can’t go into production, Nieto is inviting his customers to bring their own textiles for working up into his Spring silhouettes.





1 / 5 Chevron Chevron Photo: L'Estrop/Pablo Latorre Moises Nieto Spring 2020

Teresa Helbig: Bespoke from Barcelona

One way to work responsibly in fashion is to focus on made-to-measure, that’s the business model Barcelona-based Teresa Helbig has taken. Her atelier’s skill and respect for Spanish tradition were on display in pieces like a torero-style tuxedo and raffia embroidery on everything from a pretty wear-with-anything blouse and a dreamily romantic wedding dress.





1 / 5 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Teresa Helbig Spring 2020

Roberto Torretta: Audience Pleaser

Brazilian-born Roberto Torretta has been living and working in Madrid for decades, and for some years now with his daughter Maria. Also “on his side” is Queen Leticia, in the sense that she’s worn his designs. His Spring lineup is a mix of tailoring and flou; the romance of bare backs and sleeve treatments was balanced by the pleasant surprise of suiting in Prince of Wales check woven in linen.





1 / 5 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Roberto Torretta Spring 2020

Ángel Schlesser: Making Connections

Inspired by his rock climbing, Daniel Rabaneda’s earth-toned Ángel Schlesser collection had a desert vibe. New to the house, which was established in the 1980s, Rabaneda has a flair for tailoring and collaboration. He worked with Dsnú on this season’s 3-D-printed jewelry, which was produced with the help of Comme Des Machines, a tech company that has also worked with Alejandro Gómez Palomo. The bags were created by El Cardenal, some using fabric by Trapella Design, a company that supports indigenous crafts.





1 / 5 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Ángel Schlesser Spring 2020

Wallapop x María Escoté: A Step in the Right Direction

Wallapop is a sort of Craigslist-type app; for Spring, the company tapped designer María Escoté to create and style a collection using only items found through its platform. Among the notable pieces were upcycled sundresses with smocking details, ruffled T-shirt dress and cardi sets, and an eye-catching leather suit embellished with a traditional Spanish shawl. The project, whose aim was to show how new life can be given to old clothes, triggered an urge to buy from many in the audience, but they came to sort of a dead end. As Wallapop is not a retail platform, everything was for display only. Still, it showed how desirable design can come from existing resources.





1 / 5 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Wallapop x María Escoté

Brain & Beast: Out of the Wild

The best sight-gag of the week was delivered by Brain & Beast’s Ángel Vilda: a dress labeled Betements. It would be easy to dismiss this Barcelona-based label as merely Spain’s Moschino, but if one has the patience to overlook the makeup and bypass the set and literal statement pieces, there are things of interest, like deconstructed and upcycled jeans made in collaboration with Levi’s. Vilda struck the right balance between satire and style with his Spring shoes, a mashup of classic spectators and horse bits.





1 / 4 Chevron Chevron Photo: Pablo Latorre / L'Estrop Brain & Beast Spring 2020

Cristóbal Balenciaga: Eterno

After seeing the “Balenciaga and Spanish Painting” show, it was impossible to look at the “pasarelas” without recognizing colors and cuts from the master’s oeuvre, and that of Spain’s most famous painters.