Caleido Fashion Lab is a new initiative that arose with the purpose of giving visibility to all Spanish emerging fashion talent. After a dedicated period of time of due diligence, the afternoon of Thursday February 29th, saw the launch of this ambitious project with a Hot Talk regarding the challenges that young designers face in the fashion industry, as well as the opening of a pop up store in Caleido.
Hosted by influencer and stylist Mayte de la Iglesia, the Caleido Gardens Event Room brought together Tristán Ramírez, director of Caleido Fashion Lab and CEO of Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada; Ana Rodríguez, director of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid; Pepa Bueno, executive director of the Asociación de Creadores de Moda de España (ACME); Baruc Corazón, creator and director of the Fashion Program at IE University; designer Daniel Chong, and Concepción Díaz de Villegas, general director of Commerce, Hospitality and Consumer Affairs of Madrid City Council.
The speakers conversed about fashion, creativity and business. In this regard, Tristán Ramírez explained that "many times it is not the best creative who is successful, but the best businessman", while Baruc Corazón stated that both are "hemispheres that in reality are always linked, the creative and the business", and he pointed to a “third element: the ability to research and innovate. “Curiosity fuels creativity.”
At the same time, and regarding the economic aspect of emerging fashion creators, Concepción Díaz de Villegas recalled that Madrid City Council has free visibility tools (such as “Everything is in Madrid”) and different lines of subsidies to participate in Madrid Fashion Week.
The speakers also had advice, ideas and proposals for the people who want to get started in the world of fashion. Pepa Bueno indicated that ACME supports emerging talent with Madrid es Moda, “which aims to provide a space of freedom that adapts to the brand's need to present its collections in an artistic or performance format.”
The table also debated the challenges of internationalization in the sector. Pepa Bueno stressed that this is one of the main demands of emerging talent and recalled that at ACME, “for years, we have presented Spanish creators at the Spanish embassy in Paris during Fashion Week, with great success,” an action interrupted by the pandemic, however, the entity continues to collaborate in international trades shows.
