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- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Spanish fashion on the high street
Beyond the couture designers, Spain has become
expert at producing well-designed, fashionable yet
practical clothes that cater to all ages, sizes and, most
importantly, budgets. At the top of the tree sits the
Inditex Group, counting the retailers Zara, Pull & Bear,
Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Stradivarius within its
stable.The Inditex textile empire duly boasts more than
3,000 stores in 67 different countries. Its Galician
owner, Amancio Ortega, is the richest man in Spain,
worth about ten billion euros at the last count. Not bad
considering he started out as a delivery boy. Punta Fa is
the other Spanish fashion giant, and Mango its biggest
name on the high street with nearly 1,000 shops in 89
countries. Celebs like Penélope Cruz and Milla Jovovich
have designed mini-collections for Mango in recent
years, helping to push the brand.
Sizing up change
On September 9th2006, just as Spanish Fashion Week
was getting underway in Madrid, the organisers
began turning away models who, according to the
Body Mass Index system, were deemed ‘dangerously
underweight’.The move raised global debate on the
fashion industry’s use of worryingly skinny models.
Some cynics suggested that it also alerted the world to
the fact that Madrid actually had a fashion week.The
Spanish Health Ministry has since elicited a pledge from
the country’s major textile manufacturers to standardise
women’s clothing sizes. Retailers have also agreed to
use mannequins of a size 38 or above, hoping to reduce
the number of young women suffering from eating
disorders. In 2007 the government initiated a 16-month
nationwide study to determine the measurements of
the average Spanish female. Clothiers will then, in
theory, make the clothes to fit them...so that women
aren’t forced to fit the clothes.
Antonio Miró
Simple, unpretentious
style on everything from
clothes to bathroom
taps.
David Delfin
Avant-garde designer
incorporating dog collars,
veils and wood into his
clothes.
Agatha Ruiz
de la Prada
Known for her use of
bright colours and
natural motifs.
The Spanish have more
nips and tucks than any
other nation in Europe.
Three
contemporary
designers
