ACME is promoting RE-CHULOS, a creative circular fashion challenge held as a part of the official program of the 2026 San Isidro Festival. The initiative proposes reimagining the traditional chulapa and chulapo attires using secondhand clothing, with a contemporary perspective linked to upcycling, sustainability, and creativity. The project enjoys the collaboration of Cáritas‘ circular fashion initiative, Moda re-.
The call for entries is open to fashion and design students, as well as other creative disciplines and anyone interested in contemporary fashion or textile reuse processes. The first thirty participants will receive a surprise kit containing three secondhand garments from Moda re-, which they then must transform into a look inspired by Madrid’s traditional imagery, without literally reproducing the traditional attire.
Each proposal must incorporate at least one of the garments included in the kit, although it can be supplemented with other pieces, fabrics, embellishments, or trimmings provided by each participant. The objective is to work on the reinterpretation of traditional dress through contemporary codes and textile transformation processes.
The project is structured in three phases. The first will be the RE-CHULOS masterclass, which will take place on Friday, April 24th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Serrería Belga in Madrid. The session will be led by Juan Duyos, ACME’s President, and Miguel Becer, focusing on upcycling, textile reuse, and the creative keys to approaching a new interpretation of Madrid’s castizo traditional dress.
After this session, participants will develop their proposals independently. The process culminates on May 16th with the RE-CHULOS fashion show in Las Vistillas, one of the central spaces of the San Isidro celebrations, where the designs will be presented publicly to a professional jury.
The competition includes two prizes: one for the best reinterpretation of Madrid’s chulapa attire, worth €500, and another for the best upcycling project, worth €300. Each participant will also be responsible for independently managing the person who will present their look in the fashion show.
The event will also include a participatory textile donation drive open to the public at Las Vistillas.
Registration
Please complete the following form.
Translation Note:
Chulo (male) / chula (female) is a characteristically Madrid term that describes a self-assured, spirited attitude rooted in the city’s popular culture—confident, witty and a touch irreverent, but always with charm. Historically, the term is linked to Madrid’s traditional attire worn during the San Isidro Festival.
The San Isidro Festival celebrates Madrid’s patron saint while transforming the city into a vibrant stage of tradition and style—where music, parades and open-air gatherings are as much about cultural expression as they are about fashion, with chulapo and chulapa dress codes reinterpreted in a contemporary key.
Chulapo (male) and chulapa (female) attire is rooted in 19th-century Madrid, being the city’s most iconic expression of the castizo style, traditionally worn during the San Isidro Festival and increasingly revisited through a contemporary fashion lens.
Castizo is a distinctly Madrid concept that refers to something authentic and unmistakably local—an expression of cultural identity shaped by tradition, character and attitude. In fashion, it evokes a refined yet unpretentious style: confident, elegant and true to its origins, where heritage codes—such as those seen during the San Isidro Festival—are worn with natural ease and contemporary relevance.
