Duyos
Juan Duyos was born in Madrid, and is a well-established designer in Spain, with a wealth of previous collections and collaborations to his name. I am told that Duyos has stamped his own, recognisable style on everything throughout his career, based on his use of colour, fabrics, volumes and silhouettes, always with one eye on the past, and another on the future.
It is a little hard to find out more about this brand and I missed seeing the collection in the showroom before it was whisked away. My aim in the future is to visit his atelier to meet the man in person, and I am desperate to see his beautiful pieces up close, as on the catwalk they were stunning. This seasons collection was inspired by the landscapes of Costa Rica, in its cities, jungles and coasts. The colours were gorgeous, with a myriad of rainforest greens and hypnotic blues, mixed with swathes of tropical reds and pinks. The luxurious collection was evidence of a high level of craftsmanship and tradition.
There were so many more brands that I could introduce you to, but time and space is limited. Some of the young Spanish designers that were part of Samsung EGO are ones to keep an eye out for in the future, such as Inkrush, Wastaholic and Coconutscankill, Becomely and Dominnico. I must also give a shout out to Mariam Gvasalia, who is a Georgian designer who closed the Samsung EGO 2019 event. As you will know from previous months, I am a huge supporter of Georgian designers and it is always great seeing them break into new markets.
What I found during my trip was that Madrid lives and breathes fashion! Whilst the majority of the shows I attended were based at IFEMA- Feria de Madrid, the team behind MBFWMadrid also helped spread the world of fashion throughout the entire city, holding a diverse range of fashion shows, parades and presentations at several Madrid landmarks, to bring the world of fashion to everyone.
There was also the Madrid es Moda Urban Fashion Festival, organised by the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain in collaboration with Madrid City Council through Madrid Capital de Moda, who had a calendar of events including exhibitions, special shop windows, museum tours, shows, talks on sustainable fashion, gastro-fashion partnerships, fashion film screenings and special shopping activities that took place all over the city.
My four day stay in Madrid was too brief. I stayed at the wonderful Only You Hotel Atocha in the heart of the city, just a few metres from the Retiro park which is one of the many beautiful spaces in Madrid to discover. The hotel was a good place to be based, because Madrid is very easy to explore by foot, as nearly everything being in walking distance of the centre. I had the opportunity to briefly visit the Balenciaga exhibition at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. I also spent a morning with fashion friends exploring the Museo Nacional del Prado, but there was not enough time and too much to do and see. I hope to return in future seasons and discover more of Madrid and their fantastic designers. I have also been told that the nightlife is vibrant, with beer, tapas and late night dancing – so perhaps I will give that a go next time too.
Madrid definitely has heart and soul, and so does its fashion week. The challenge for MBFWMadrid is that they are a small country who need to continue to push for that international appeal in order to grow brands, but with their continued passion they are bound to achieve it. MBFWMadrid in 2020 will take place from 23rd to 28th January and from 23rd to 28th June.