crafts by flag
It was the middle of April when I walked through the front door of the store. Fabiola 1987 , one of the flamenco fashion designers most representative of the city, in the center of Seville .
I wasn't surprised to find her hand in hand sewing the hem of one of the dresses from her new collection, My Flamenco Dreams. "Here we are, At this point, we have no choice but to put our shoulders to the wheel”, she told me she.
At that time there were only two weeks left for the April Fair -although, paradoxically, this 2019 has been celebrated entirely in the month of May-, key date of deliveries, touch-ups and last-minute brushstrokes.
One of the most representative flamenco fashion designers in Seville
However, despite the situation, Fabiola wore a huge smile. There was no hint of embarrassment on her face at all. Rather the opposite, she perceived that she was absolutely happy: the big week was about to begin.
All a universe of fabrics, colors and ruffles wrapped every corner of his store and one of her could do nothing but fall in love with each of her models.
As she patiently showed me every detail of her dresses, the designer passionately spoke about a profession she has been in for over 30 years. “I am actually a philologist and my idea was to be a librarian. But I got married, had children, and I decided to start doing something that I liked and that would allow me to work from home”, she was telling me. Fabiola was clear: her love of sewing would go one step further.
In the case of Pilar Vera , another of the best known names in the world of Sevillian flamenco fashion, the thing came from the family. "My mother was a dressmaker, I was literally born in a sewing workshop."
What she started as a hobby with which she designed and sewed her own suits, was transformed, over the years, into a clear business. "I started by making my own, then also those of my friends... I couldn't continue making flamenco dresses for free".
Both have turned a symbol of Andalusian tradition into the center of their lives and, when it comes to talking about which one is the essence of the flamenco dress, match: it is pure craftsmanship. “As soon as you industrialize anything, it is it ceases to have personality and exclusivity”, Pilar comments.
The care for detail makes them something so special
Therefore, what makes the type of suits they make special is the care for every detail, the careful finishes and above all, the exquisite direct treatment with the clientele.
“In our workshop absolutely all the suits are sewn by hand one by one, with patience”, Fabiola commented. For months, all the seamstresses who work for one designer and another strive to finish each dress in the most personalized way, ensuring that even the smallest stitching is perfect.
“The good thing about the flamenco dress is that with a little wisdom, you can hide those little things that you may not like so much about your body. It lends itself a lot to favor. What woman is not pretty with a flower in her hair?” said Pilar.
But if there is something that turns flamenco fashion into a real business, it is the trends that move with it every year: the flamenco dress changes, it is alive. And this has caused more and more women to feel the need to innovate, to add a new model to your wardrobe every few years and to be up to date.
The flamenco dress mutates, it is alive
The key is, according to Pilar, that this costume is not only worn one day a year to make an offering of flowers to the Virgin, as can happen in other regions: “in Seville, for example, we put on the suit during the days that the fair lasts; but then comes El Rocío, the Jerez fair, the Cordoba fair, the Granada fair, the village fair... and many other festivities”.
And that's where we are now. Just after the April Fair, the stores of these two Sevillian designers, far from taking a vacation, are on fire. “Fabiola sells at the fair, not in the store” , comments the artisan, “people see the suits, ask, and come for them”.
Also, this year you are in luck: Her outfits have been appearing in all the social media magazines for days. It turns out that Queen Máxima of the Netherlands chose her to make the dress that both she and her daughters wore during her visit to the Seville fair. "This is the best thing that can happen to you, there is no better publicity."
And it is that The April Fair is the best platform for Flemish designers to show off their creations. A live catwalk, with ordinary people as the protagonist. A showcase for the artisans of a regional costume that surprises more and more each year with its designs, which are revealed during the two great catwalks that are held in Seville at the beginning of the year: the veteran SIMOF and the young We Love Flamenco.
The fair becomes a showcase for suit designers
That the fair is a long-distance race becomes clear to me again when I telephone Ernest Sillero . The first thing the young designer from Lebrija does is apologize: he is finishing putting the flower on a dress that one of his seamstresses has to take away to finish it off. The client will premiere it at the Cruces de Mayo in Bonares, a small town in Huelva.
He also agrees: show off his models at the Seville fair is to do it in a first class square. "But many people from the towns of Andalusia walk through the Real to get ideas. After the fair comes much more work”.
Ernesto came to the world of flamenco fashion in a very different way from his colleagues. “I entered the Sevilla de Moda school determined to design clothes for men. I loved the jackets, the shirts… But I soon realized that the issue was a bit more complicated: men are more traditional and don't spend as much on fashion."
And it was thus, a bit by chance, that he came alive with flamenco dresses. "When I decided to present a flamenco collection, I didn't even know how to make women's clothing, many of the patterns I used then were for men."
Adding a new model to your wardrobe every few years is already common
But the magic of this universe, that necessary touch to become an artisan of flamenco fashion, appeared. And he became one of the many men who, in recent years, have made a big hole in a world that until not so long ago was led by women.
Taking a look at his designs, a more transgressive, daring air can be glimpsed. “You can do anything while maintaining the essence”, he affirms. “Not everything goes in flamenco fashion, far from it, but adding creativity you can play a lot”.
The big ones tulle pom poms they are the hallmark of his latest collection, Bamboleo. When I ask him what inspires him for his designs, he is clear: everything that he likes a lot, from the shows of El Circo del Sol to the brotherhood of his town.
To Fabiola, for his part, what they suggest are the fabrics when creating. The fabrics make his imagination fly and give shape to new models and combinations.
Flowers, polka dots, plain fabrics? Anything goes. She claims that her outfits are timeless, and that what she "wears" she doesn't include. “If we lose the north, we lose the vision that they have of this from outside. We are no longer unique."
A new concept: the Flemish bomber jacket
This year he has also opted for a new line of business that has been a complete success: the 'Moments' of him. He has offered the possibility that anyone who visits a fair has the opportunity to rent one of the flamenco dresses from him. “You will leave the store with all the details ready, and you will be able to use it for every day that you go to the fair”. That never again not having your own suit be an excuse for not wearing it.
And what are the keys to wearing a flamenco dress well? Pilar says that attitude is basic. Be sure of yourself when you dress and, of course, have your hair well groomed: “Hair always up”. Plugins are essential: a good shawl that matches the suit, the earrings, the shoes...
In his latest collection, Y Sevilla, she has been inspired by the city, and In addition to the more traditional dress, she has opted for skirts with their corresponding tops. In addition, she has added a new concept: the flamenco bomber Very groundbreaking and very well accepted. A way to innovate to make sure that what surrounds a flamenco dress does not become stagnant, although without losing the essence.
And it is that essence that transforms artisan work into a true work of art. The one that results in suits in which the explosion of shapes, colors and drawings are the protagonists. An authentic universe in which the combination of beauty, tradition and avant-garde is possible. It is clear: the flamenco dress is more alive than ever.
It is that essence that transforms artisan work into an authentic work of art.