Naturally Spain

I have never been to Spain - never met anyone who comes from there (until earlier this afternoon). So it would be an understatement to say that I was a little surprised when I was kissed on both cheeks by a Spanish journalist today.

But it got me thinking... I've never heard of a Spanish fashion designer. Following this concern, I researched Spanish fashion and actually came across some very interesting designers.

The first is Amaya Arzuaga, one of the leading Spanish fashion designers. She was born in Lerma (Burgos), in 1970 and finished studying Fashion Design in 1992. In 1994 she opened her own firm after working at her parents' enterprise, Elipse, for two years. She now has more than 200 boutiques in Spain.

Left, right and above are some of her designs which I found the most interesting. As you can see, most of the colours are neutral, white, black or red which I like about the designs.

Another Spanish designer is (thank you to Wikipedia for this) 'Doña Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada y Sentmenat, 12th Marquise of Castelldosrius, Grandee of Spain and baroness of Santa Pau (born 22 June 1960), a Spanish fashion designer who is one of her country's best-known personalities in the clothing industry.'


Her designs feature a fun, flirty array of motifs of moons, stars, suns and hearts, which are also transferred to her designs for furniture, carpets, crockery, lamps, pens, pencils, lip balms, scents, sleeves, towels or bed linen as well as clothes for women, children and men.

      Find her official website at                            www.agatharuizdelaprada.com

And finally Cristóbal Balenciaga - a Spanish Basque fashion designer and the founder of the Balenciaga fashion house. 'In 1951, he totally transformed the silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1957.

Photo © wikifashion.com

1956 Black Cocktail Dress

Eventually, in 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. His often spare, sculptural creations were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s.'

And... it turns out, there was one Spanish designer I did know about. Those of you that have watched 'The Devil Wears Prada' will know what I'm talking about!

I never really knew about these designers, but they have really inspired me and I think their designs are amazing. Let's share our knowledge with the rest of the world...