Agatha Ruiz de la Prada Continues on her Colorful Trip
The Agatha Ruiz de la Prada label has been a fixture of the Spanish fashion scene pretty much since the designer launched her signature brand back in 1981, at the tender age of 21. Her colorful up beat collections are all systematically designed to bring a smile to the face. Today, the family owned company is making room for Ruiz de la Prada’s children to take on more leadership roles. Tristán Ramírez, her 29-year-old son, is now the CEO of the business and her 26-year-old daughter Cósima, who began working in the family company in 2014, is director of international relations.
Agatha Ruiz de la Prada
In an exclusive interview before the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada show at MBFW Madrid, it was daughter Cósima who took the lead. Her mother stepped away from the fittings of her happy go lucky looks just to say a quick hello, introducing herself as “the mother of Cósima”. She then dashed off and got straight back to work on the collection, which was inspired by the silhouettes of Cristóbal Balenciaga.
“Balenciaga has always been one of my mother’s greatest inspirations,” began Ramírez. “When she first went into fashion, Balenciaga was kind of the reason. She grew up in an art back ground, she wanted to be an artist, then she discovered that it might be easier to be a fashion designer and Balenciaga was kind of linked to the idea that a fashion designer was a lot more than just a clothes maker. So in a sense, the show is very much like paying homage to that: each piece of clothes is more like an art piece, an abstract installation rather than just a normal show,” she added.
On the catwalk this blended vision of Balenciaga and Ruiz de la Prada resulted in very structural and sculptural garments in the vein of the maestro. But crafted in high octane hued fabric and featuring three-dimensional heart shaped embellishments. “My mother often says that her clothing acts like an anti-depressor. When you surround yourself with colors, it is very difficult to be depressed.” explained Ramírez.
Agatha Ruiz De La Prada at Runway Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, Spring/Summer 2018 Collection
It is interesting to note that almost the entire collection that Ruiz de la Prada presented in Madrid was crafted out of materials from past shows. A designer up cycling if you will, with of past creations being re-purposed into new pieces. This meant there was quite a wide variety of fabrics on display as the designer mixed together linen, cotton, silks, plastics and neoprene to create voluminous garments that often engulfed the models bodies.
But looking at the current state of global affairs is this the right time for such cheerful clothing?
Ramírez certainly thinks it is. In fact, she thinks now more than ever the work that her mother does is very important. “You kind of have to keep on fighting against the bleakness and depression of our current state of affairs. A simple way to do it, which is not entirely superficial, is through clothes. Dressing up and wear something that will make an impact and hopefully make other people happy”.
If the smiles on the faces of the guest of the show are any indication, then this house know exactly what it takes to turn a frown upside down.
Jessica Michault is the Senior Vice President of industry relations at GPS Radar by Launchmetrics. She is also the editor-at-large for ODDA magazine and contributes to publications like the New York Times, the Business of Fashion, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Mixte magazine.
Jessica Michault
Jessica Michault is the Senior Vice President of industry relations at GPS Radar by Launchmetrics. She is also the editor-at-large for ODDA magazine and contributes to publications like the New York Times, the Business of Fashion, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Mixte magazine.
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