Arturo Obegero A/W´20 - The Palmira Collection

Born in a bohemian family of surfers, in Tapia de Casariego, a fishing village in Northern Spain, Arturo Obegero grew up surrounded by nature. He spent his childhood and teenage years in the melancholic town, which left a significant impact on him. He describes his hometown as “captivating, poetic and aggressively beautiful”, epithets also attributed to his personal aesthetic.

Obegero's mother encouraged him to pursue the performing arts, which nurtured his sensitivity. Obegero rigorously acquired skills including pattern-cutting before enrolling in the prestigious MA programme at Central Saint Martins, London, where he developed his creative narrative.

Stimulated by the world of dance, the surrealist and neo-noir movements, Arturo Obegero creates a romantic, sensual, and severe wardrobe for men and woman. Obegero explored the world of Tauromaquia. Although he is unequivocally against the violence in bullfighting, the designer found it challenging to research such a brutal tradition and turn it into something beautiful.

¨I visited Spain’s most prestigious torero tailor, Antonio Lopez, who taught me everything about this age-old tradition from the beliefs to the unbelievable craftsmanship involved. For me, the Palmira Collection is a tale of elegance, sensuality and rigour.¨

The eroticism of bullfighters’ outifts inspired the silhouettes from the cropped and fitted vests with high piping pockets to the sportier figure-hugging tops with deep cleavages, to the extremely high-waisted trousers and the cropped jackets with elongated and curved sleeves. The garments are comfortable, with no bonding or fusing material that could restrict the movement – only using wool, jerseys, velvet and satin. Sharp tailoring was the focal point, hence the absence of embellishments, motifs, embroideries.

The collection is named after Arturo Obegero’s grandmother. The designer’s upbringing in Northern Spain is the starting point of his creative process. Having grown up in a matriarchal Spanish family ruled by togetherness, Obegero is deeply inspired by relationships and emotional bonds. This collection is a self-exploration that allows him to affirm himself. It is an exaggeration of his own personal style, at the crossroads of sensuality, sexuality, androgyny, and purity.

The collection was partly inspired by Pedro Almodóvar’s 2011 film The Skin I Live In, with which Obegero deeply connects emotionally. “I loved the brutal romanticism of the movie and its extremely twisted, almost perverted fascination for love, obsession and sex. The cinematography, the score by Alberto Iglesias, and the artistic references really spoke to me.”

Porte [Spanish] /ˈpoɾ.te/ noun 1. Graceful and elegant bearing in a person. "he carries himself with incredible porte" Synonyms: control, grace, gracefulness, presence.

Obsessed with the film, Obegero initiated a written correspondence with Pedro Almodóvar, who then sent him research material: a signed book, the script, photographs, and texts. “In one of the texts, there was a metaphor comparing the relationship of the characters in the movie to the dance between a bull and bullfighter, and that really struck a chord.”

“Flamenco embraces every single aspect of our life, from the happiest and most cheerful celebration of living and love to the darkest, most furious expression of sorrow and passing. All of these can be narrated with garments, so that’s what I tried to do.”

Obegero explored the world of Tauromaquia. Although he is unequivocally against the violence in bullfighting, the designer found it challenging to researched such brutal tradition and turn it into something beauiful. “I visited Spain’s most prestigious torero tailor, Antonio López, who taught meeverything about this age-old tradition from the beliefs to the unbelievable craftsmanship involved.”

The eroticism of bullfighters’ outfits inspired the silhouettes from the cropped and fitted vests with high piping pockets to the sportier figure-hugging tops with deep cleavages, to the extremely high-waisted trousers and the cropped jackets with elongated and curved sleeves. The garments are comfortable, with no bonding or fusing material that could restrict the movement – only using wool, jerseys, velvet and satin. Sharp tailoring was the focal point, hence the absence of embellishments, motifs, embroideries.

 In addition to bullfighting, Obegero also delved into Flamenco to create his collection. The Spanish dance exudes energy and power as well as sensuality, elements present at the core of the designer’s work. Dancer Antonio Gades is a constant inspiration for Obegero who admires his passion and severity on stage.

“I wanted to focuson the essence of the line so that’s why everything is black. Black is the ultimate colour, the most powerful. I chose it not only because it represents the ostentatious sobriety of Spain, but also as homage to my grandfather who passed away three weeksbefore I finished this collection.”

Palmira is a mix of fantasy and reality. Arturo Obegero gracefully plays with fitted silhouettes and adds a dose of drama with exaggerated volumes. It is also about confidence and self-exploration as the collection flirts with androgyny. Each garment has its opposite sex counterpart so that duality generates ambiguity and blurs the line between feminine and masculine while remaining distinct. But ultimately, it is about Spain’s cultural dichotomy, bringing together the exuberant flamboyance of the south and the rigorous severity of the north. “

¨Aimed to create sensuous pieces while expressing the soul of my Spanish roots. I wanted to translate these beautiful emotions and gestures into garments by combining structure and fluidity, second-skin and traditional couture volumes.”