Sporting Spanish fashion – as publicly as possible SPORTS stars in Spain have agreed to wear Spanish clothes at all events and receptions in a bid to promote two of the countrys most unsung but excellent icons – its sporting results and its fashion. Outside of Spains borders, little is known about its fashion aside from Zara and Mango, or the luxury accessories brand Loewe, which is often mistakenly thought to be American or German – and was in fact founded by a German designer of the same name. And although few can forget Spains resounding success on the football field, with its hat-trick of two Euro Cups and one World Cup, and its top tennis star, world number one Rafa Nadal, Spains excellence in other sporting areas often goes unnoticed elsewhere on the planet. Madrids failed Olympic bids for 2012, 2016 and the most recent for 2020, its doping scandal surrounding Spanish medic Dr Eufemiano Fuentes – and even Formula 1s Fernando Alonso struggling and failing yet again to make the world championship - means Spanish sports tends not to conjure up images of gold medals and broken records. But the High Council of Sports (CSD), led by Miguel Cardenal and the Association of Fashion Creators in Spain (ACME), headed up by Modesto Lomba – of the luxury brand name Devota&Lomba – want to change all that. Determined to show the rest of the globe that Spain is a breeding ground for some of the best sportsmen and sportswomen ever to set foot on a basketball court, in a swimming pool, on a bicycle or an athletics track, and also home to some of the most elegant, quality, durable, wearable and attractive fashion which is perfectly able to take on London, Paris, New York or Milan and win, they have signed an agreement to join forces in sending out their message. Spanish fashion critics have always said that what their country does best is mid-upper range, affordable garments – its cheap high-street brands are not rock-bottom price compared to in other countries, but within the reach of a schoolgirl saving up her pocket money and of a quality of fabric and cut that defies the price tag. And the countrys numerous élite designers create not only bespoke and tailored, but thousands of off-the-peg prêt-à-porter pieces which are some way above the price of an average high-street chain, but still a long way from the breathtakingly-high costs of better-known brand names around the world. This means ordinary people are able to at least save up for some good-quality wardrobe staples by Spains top designers, whereas they would not be able to even consider doing so in the case of many of the more traditional haute couture brands. It is these Spanish designs, as opposed to the countrys already-globalised high-street brands, which its sporting celebrities will be donning when seen in public. Olympic medal-winning swimmer Ona Carbonell wore a Modesto Lomba dress at the recent Royal Order of Sporting Merit awards ceremony, where the late Formula 1 driver María de Villota, who passed away aged 33, was given a posthumous gold medal. Minister of culture, sports and education José Ignacio Wert will hold a reception for the countrys top womens basketball players, where players Amaya Valdemoro will wear a floaty Ángel Schlesser gown, Elisa Aguilar will wear Roberto Verino, Uma Diallo will wear Adolfo Domínguez, and Sara Rodríguez will wear Purificación García – three designers, two from Galicia and one from Ibiza, known for practical but elegant classics, often in bright colours, and varied ranges that ensure women of all ages from late teens to late 90s can find something to make them look classy. Isa Sánchez will wear Pedro del Hierro, a Madrid-based designer whose simple cuts in very cheerful colours turn heads in the street for all the right reasons, and Ángela Salvadores will wear Custo Barcelona, a top-of-the-range streetwear brand which uses all the colours of the rainbow and crazy patterns in everything from trousers to tops, dresses to trench coats. At the National Sporting Prize ceremony later this year, Pedro del Hierro will be the designer of the day and the entire Spanish national football team will be dressed in pieces from his menswear collection. Spanish sports is a force to be reckoned with and its professional players in every discipline excel in their field – the countrys medal collection at London 2012 far outstripped most other nationalities and especially the number of wins by the host country. As well as household names such as every member of the national football team, Fernando Alonso and Rafa Nadal, many other sports are dominated by Spanish competitors including cycling, swimming, synchronised swimming and sailing. The top three riders in MotoGP are all from Spain, and Pau and Marc Gasol are among the best basketball players on the planet. Source: Think Spain
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 17:09:13 +0000
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