At the same time that Madrid’s Ernesto Naranjo is developing as an artist, he is trying to navigate the treacherous fashion landscape, increasingly dominated by mega-brands and conglomerates. “As a young designer,” he said on Zoom, “you feel like you have to follow a path and see what other brands are doing,” despite the disparity in resources. After determining what his own brand of success looks like, he seems to have set Naranjo’s imagination free. Presented in the form of a look book, this collection is the best work he has ever done.
The decision not to put these clothes on the runway was deliberate. Despite its many parts, Naranjo notes that the format “puts pressure on you to impress, and it’s really fast,” while he’s associated with a slower pace. The idea is to “work your way forward slowly and step by step and in a straight line.
A slower pace allows time for a personal touch, something Naranjo knows a lot about because his business operates primarily as a made-to-order business. After dedicating the collection to her private clients, she considered the feedback she received and began focusing on fabrics including silk and tulle for her customers. The delicate balance between texture and flow is what gives these garments their electric charge. Naranjo is a fantastic colorist and is keen on bold shapes. This season he designed his clothes with what might be expected, but with wide bands of elastic, which allows him to “play with movement and movement and create such an ease on the body.”
For this purpose, there is no closure. Everything can be slid on or off with ease. Naranjo often quotes artists. This season he featured Rebecca Horn and dancer Luke Fuller, the subject of a 2023 documentary known for his flowing costumes and manipulation of light as he moved. It is the influence of the latter that is most evident in the collection. Naranjo transforms a simple stretch t-shirt look into something amazing using knotting. He was on trend with pannier-like shapes but eschewed historical references in favor of something modern and fluid. Overlays of colorful tulle on some looks took the collection in a romantic and ethereal direction.
