Paris (AFP)
Spaniard Arturo Obegero made his debut at the prestigious Paris Fashion Week on Saturday with outfits made from theater curtains.
His way of denouncing the influence of social networks which relegates the creation of clothes to the background.
"These imposing bows" with which he adorns certain clothes "show how something as beautiful as fashion can also suffocate you," the 27-year-old designer told AFP, presenting one of his creations. unisex collection, made entirely from discarded curtains.
The designer, who is inspired by flamenco, launched his brand just a year ago from his studio in the Parisian suburbs, with an ecological conscience.
He only works with fabrics that nobody wants anymore and that he collects from luxury brands, from Fendi for silk shirts, from Givenchy for pants.
This makes his work flirt with haute couture.
"I like to produce limited and exclusive pieces: for example, from a roll, I may only be able to create ten shirts".
- Money in an envelope -
Classic flamenco inspires his high waisted "Antonio Gades" pants.
He shares the obsession with black with his compatriot, the legendary Cristóbal Balenciaga, to highlight the figure, and pays homage in each collection to his late grandfather with the "Pedro" shirt.
Ballets Russes, Pina Bausch: dance fascinates him.
Born in the coastal town of Tapia de Casariego (north), Obegero remembers the dances he performed with his friends at local festivals.
Then comes the internet age which democratizes access to fashion images, a time when he could "die" if he missed a parade by Briton Alexander McQueen online.
At 14, he began to save money with his mother to study fashion.
"We put the money in an envelope."
He first studied clothing making in Coruña (northern Spain) before joining the prestigious Central Saint Martins school in London in 2018.
"They're squeezing your brain to get the best out of you."
More at ease with the more "classic and sensual" cut of Paris, he crossed the Channel to work for a year in the historic Lanvin house.
"I want to create stories and give clothes back a soul", explains the designer in an interview with AFP.
- A scarf of 4 meters -
With curtains recovered from theaters in London and Sydney, Arturo Obegero has created a collection that reflects how "the world is a theater, and how fashion is more than ever thirsty for applause" on social networks.
"Sometimes a selfie is more valuable than the work behind" creating a piece of clothing you pose in, he laments.
Some velvet outfits, presented in a video, evoke his impressions of a newcomer to the fashion class.
Such as a four-meter purple scarf with integrated gloves, which covers the face and "keeps you from moving", or pants with a waist to the chest, completed with a piece that surrounds the head, giving the silhouette a rose shape.
"It's an illusion at the end of the show, the moment when the audience throws roses. We want everything to go well but sometimes we feel drowned," he explains.
The stylist admits his collection isn't exactly portable.
“But today when we're all in our pajamas or tracksuits, it's the best time to bring some whimsy. I also wanted to show in my early days what I'm capable of.”
© 2021 AFP