Fashion label Pilar Dalbat presented at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid her “Zambra” collection, a tribute to the cultural heritage of Sacromonte and the figure of María la Canastera. Inspired by Granada’s Gypsy roots, the collection transforms tradition into a contemporary expression of shared identity and memory.
The collection is conceived as a visual narrative that intertwines dance, architecture, and folklore. Dalbat captures the essence of the zambra as an intimate and powerful ritual, reinterpreting its gestures and symbols in a modern context. The color palette evokes a series of scenes: the whites of lime plaster and caves, the green hues in fields and prickly pear cactus, the golden of sunsets and sky, the black of night, and the copper-hued glints that recalls her homeland’s material and spiritual richness.
With this foundation, the silhouettes explore the flamenco aesthetic with unstructured, layered skirts, capes, waist-length cotton blouses, and voluminous sleeves that suggest dance movements. Fabrics—silk, embroidered tulle, cotton with metallic sequins, and recycled Alpujarra fabrics—are mixed with technical and metallic materials, creating contrasts between the ancestral and the urban. The handcrafted embroideries, inspired by traditional polka dots and mantilla patterns, are reduced to abstract lines, reinforcing the collection’s minimalist aesthetic.
The fashion collection is complemented by the brand’s first jewelry line, created by Granada-based artisan María Soto, a descendant of a family of goldsmiths. Her pieces, crafted in vitrified copper, enamel, and gold from the Río Darro, extend the local tradition in a gesture of cultural continuity.
