February is a very busy month in the fashion world. As editors, buyers, models and other industry figures prepare to live out of suitcases and compete between runway shows, the spotlight is on Madrid this week as it hosts its own fashion week. From February 15th to 19th, the 79th Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will occupy the capital and become a major showcase for Spanish designers, both traditional and emerging.
It’s clear that a destination known for its shopping also serves as a center of fashion history, but Spain is often ignored compared to other haute couture cities. You may recognize the likes of Balenciaga, Loewe, and Rabanne from the labels of your favorite designer pieces, but each of these legendary fashion houses can trace their origins back to Spain.
Beyond its two annual fashion weeks, Spain’s influence on fashion deserves to be recognized during its remaining 50 weeks. That’s why we’ve put together a guide to some of the most important destinations to learn more about Spain’s fashion history.
Spanish fashion history
Throughout the 20th century, Spain was a leader in haute couture, with at one time over 100 fashion houses, each working for the Spanish royal family and bourgeoisie. Cristóbal Balenciaga remains the most influential person in the country (but more on him later). Meanwhile, the brand of the same name, founded by Manuel Pertegas and Hélio Berhaniel, continues that tradition, with both brands operating brick-and-mortar stores across the country.
The women who helped advance this movement may not have received the recognition they deserve historically, but their influence on fashion extends far beyond that of their male contemporaries. Masu. Carmen Mir dresses socialites and Eurovision pop stars and opens stores in Barcelona and Madrid, while seamstress Flora Villarreal dresses the Duchess of Alba, Cayetana Fitz-James. She worked for 50 years in clothing for Spain’s elite, including designing wedding dresses for Stuart.
[See also: A Guide to Madrid’s Greatest Museums and Galleries]
clothing museum (Trahe Museum) / madrid
Works by all of the aforementioned designers, including the Duchess of Alba’s wedding dress, can be seen at Madrid’s Traje Museum. This museum should be the first stop for anyone interested in Spanish fashion, as it boasts a vast collection of approximately 30,000 historical garments and textiles. In addition to some of the best sets of Spanish haute couture dresses, visitors can see an extensive collection of Spanish regional costumes alongside major contemporary fashion brands such as Chanel, Margiela and Alexander McQueen. Masu.
Design Museum (Museu del Disseny) / Barcelona
Barcelona’s Art Museum is located in the DHUB building in Barcelona’s Plaza de Gloria, next to Europe’s oldest open-air flea market. Fashion, the center of the city’s cultural institute, is just one of his four departments promoted by the museum, the others being spatial, product and information design. In addition to the permanent exhibition “Dressing the Body: Silhouettes and Fashion from 1550 to 2015,” textiles, jewelry and leather goods from the 3rd century to his 19th century are featured among the museum’s more than 80,000 pieces of decorative art. A large number of them are on display. collection.
Dalí Theater Museum / Figueres, Catalonia
It may be surprising to some to see Salvador Dali’s name listed here, but the fact is that the Surrealist artist was at the center of mid-20th century fashion, with artists such as Christian Dior, Elsa He interacted and collaborated with Schiaparelli, Cecil Beaton, and others. Located in Dali’s hometown of Figueres in northern Catalonia, the Dali Teatro Museum is home to the world’s greatest collection of the surrealist artist’s drawings and paintings, as well as an exceptional exhibition of Dali’s jewels. Across his two floors of the museum, 39 of his exquisite jewelry pieces are on display alongside 27 of his original paintings and designs, many of which are inspired by religious and mythological symbols and anthropomorphic shapes. Masu.
[See also: An Art Trail Through Spain]
MOP Foundation / A Coruña, Galicia
Much of fashion’s history is woven into its very fabrics, textiles, and historical costumes, but since the 20th century, photography has transformed the way fashion is recorded and preserved. One of the institutions in Spain dedicated to the education and promotion of fashion photography is the MOP Foundation. The MOP Foundation is a non-profit private organization founded and named after Marta Taortega Pérez, chairman of Inditex, the world’s largest fast-selling fashion company. group. The foundation focuses on her three pillars: photography, fashion and Coruña, a port city in the northwest of the country where the foundation is based. Since its founding in 2022, the Foundation has organized world-class exhibitions of the legendary fashion photographer, including the latest exhibition of the work of Helmut Newton, and has also led educational programs in collaboration with local Galician schools .
[See also: A Luxury Guide to Madrid]
Research with retail therapy
There’s only so much you can learn in a museum, and some say the best way to experience Spain’s contemporary fashion scene is to immerse yourself in it.
balenciaga / Basque
It’s almost a fashion faux pas that I made it this far in the guide without seeing Balenciaga. There’s a reason Cristóbal Balenciaga was known as the “master” of haute couture, revolutionizing the industry by introducing new shapes and silhouettes to women’s clothing and influencing trends with his avant-garde style. I did.
Our stores in Barcelona and Madrid, including our marble-clad flagship, are great stops. To understand the brand’s current creative landscape Those wishing to understand the label’s founders under creative director Demna Gvasalia should make a pilgrimage north to Balenciaga’s hometown of Getaria in the Basque Country. The Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum houses his collection of over 1,200 pieces of clothing and accessories owned and designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, and is designed for all ages, from school lessons to founding his own fashion school. Educational classes are also offered.
loewe / madrid
Those who only know Loewe as one of today’s most exciting designers may be surprised to learn that it is actually LVMH’s oldest luxury brand, having been born in 1846 as a small leather workshop in Madrid. yeah. The store moved around the city many times before settling in Gran Via. , his Casa Loewe now stands to honor his rich retail heritage. The three-story, 32,000-square-foot museum is both a museum of Loewe’s history and a showcase for its latest collections. His director of creatives, Jonathan Anderson, spearheaded the renovation, with classic Loewe products interspersed with art, artifacts and design from the brand’s vast and growing collection, creating a space reminiscent of the collector’s homeland. I aimed to change it. The space also hosts events and organizes exhibitions in collaboration with local institutions such as Madrid’s Botanical Garden.
Santa Eulalia / Barcelona
Opened in 1843 in a corner of Barcelona, this designer boutique continues to play an important role in influencing fashion in the city and throughout the Mediterranean. Santa Eulalia has maintained its traditional service and championed Spanish haute couture for 180 years, hosting his first runway show in Barcelona in 1920. While continuing to stock many of the most sought-after designer brands, the store also has a history of luxury, hosts men’s tailoring workshops, and maintains a digital archive of an extensive collection of 20th century haute couture. .
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[See also: The Most Significant Must-See Royal Sites in Spain]