NJF TeamDuring the 080 Barcelona Fashion we discovered the emerging talent of the Institut Català de Moda.
Among great spanish fashion designers we met three emerging talents from the Institut Català de Moda selected to show their designs on the 080 Barcelona Fashion runway for the contest organized by ModaFad with the objective of driving the international projection of the emerging talent from the city and create synergies between design schools, creative young people, specialized media and the industry.
Gina López Mateos, Máximo Pronio and Samuel Alarcón received the news to participate and since then there were months of inspiration, design, confection and creation of a collection composed by eight designs from which three of them were exposed to the eyes of an international jury that had to give the Award to the Best Designer, to the Best Collection and a Special Mention to Creativity (award given to Samuel Alarcón).
With lots of tension and emotion, Not Just Fashion Magazine interviewed these three emerging designers of the Institut Català de Moda to talk about their reactions, their experience during the event, their inspiration and their expectations for the future.
Is this your first runway?
GL: No, we have done other runways at school.
SA: It’s my first serious runway meaning that it is at a professional level. Previously, I participated in the final thesis projects and other years at school but this is where we have seen how it all really works. It´s been really interesting because of that.
What do you like the most or what do you like the least at backstage?
MP: What we like the least is the running from onw side to the other and the amount of people gathered in a same space. And what I like the most is to see the clothing worn ready to go out to the start catwalk.
GL: And also, in the case of the 080, which is well organized, is that we have not had to make it all by ourselves like other times. I mean that we have been able to arrive and relax a little bit. The fact that there are many assistants, people who help you put the cloth on.
How did you feel about your first show?
GL: Uff, very nervous!
MP: We sweat a lot! But it was worth it to see the results later.
SA: Buah! It’s like when you’re in your town and say: “This is great!”, you go out to party with your friends, you have a great time andI suddenly you move to the city and go party and say: “God! This a whole world!” Something like that. I have opened from a microcosm to a macrocosm.
What were your reactions for being chosen to participate on the 080 Barcelona Fashion?
MP: I jumped and started to clap (laughs).
GL: I wept and wept
MP: It was nice because we know that we are participating with many universities of Barcelona and it is a privilege to be chosen. Just by being here make us super happy.
SA: I entered into a catarsis mode, I did not believe it and I was not able to react until a couple of days when I said: “I have to start preparing things”. I did not believed it much and now I see everything and it’s amazing to be here with the level I have and my colleagues. Is incredible.
How many designs we see today in your 080 Barcelona Fashion?
GL: Three designs each.
How long did it take you to make these designs?
GL: Wow!.
MP: Uff! A lot.
GL: We have made 8 designs for the collection working since October.
MP: Yes, and the making about 3-4 months.
What has been the inspiration for these designs?
GL: I was inspired by the relationship of women with their bodies from the film Nymphomaniac by Lars Von Trier.
MP: I in the culture and folklore of different ethnic groups in the world.
SA: My inspiration is the period of adolescence. This process in which we go from the child we were to the adult we will become. That period which is like a chrysalis. A transformation of body and mind at the same time, the most magical time and sometimes the most dramatic of our existence.
The design I wanted to make it with tricot because I’m very interested about it. I bought some domestic machines from the early ` 80s, restored it and made the collection with them.
What characteristics define your designs?
GL: I would say volume, eruptions.
MP: I would say straight lines, cleanliness, purity, folds.
SA: Minimalist and technical. Besides working with tricot, I have worked with special fabric techniques that glow in the dark. In this case we cannot do it due to the ambience. It is a much bigger show but when you turn out the lights the collection glows in the dark. And with that the adult comes out of the chrysalis.
Fashion referrals
MP: We have many. They may be little known and not be in webpages but also great ones like Prada, Givenchy, Yves Saint- Laurent.
GL: Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons.
SA: Uff! I like many Japanese like Comme des Garcons , Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela.
What has been your favorite catwalk of the 080 Barcelona Fashion?
MP: To be honest I have not seen any (laughs). We have not had the chance to.
GL: Me either (laughs). I’ve seen a little. I´ve seen Brain & Beast and I liked it but I could not know which one is my favorite.
MP: I saw a picture of Manuel Bolaño, also from Isometric who is a study partner of us study and some others.
SA: Let’s see, it is difficult. For me I really liked Escorpión because it’s tricot but I also quite liked Molaño because Molaño is Molaño. He is like the jewel of Barcelona.
Did you expect to see any of the designers?
MP: I am a fan of Pablo Erroz. I really like the clothing he does and I also had the opportunity to do an internship with him. I made the tricot pieces for him. It was a labor exchange.
Future projects
MP: Internships, continue to create concepts, draw, sew and not stopping. It is not the end, it is the beginning.
SA: I have agreed an internship with a company from Bangladesh and I would like to work in a tricot company and do stuff on my own too.
Has it been a challenge for you working with a Bangladeshi company?
SA: What is going to be tricky is to make designs to which you usually do not have a limited budget. Trying to do very cool things but not out of budget. It will be a little complicated.
Your approaches: national or international?
GL: So far nationally is good. In the future we’ll see.
MP: Barcelona itself is a city that is making its way to be uinversal.
SA: I like a lot International fashion. I love the Asian markets and Northen Europe. I think my style fits more with that style and think it would be quite interesting to try to exploit it. But I think it’s pretty difficult to move in those industries.
We are sure you are going to have a great succes and thank you very much and good luck. Not Just Fashion Magazine is here to spread the trends from emerging talents.
After this interview, Samuel Alarcón received the Special Mention to Creativity from Modafad Fashion Awards 2015 that took place during the 080 Barcelona Fashion that day.
Discover his reaction with us.
