La Fábrica has recently published the book Moda. Spanish Fashion Through Photography. This book was the catalogue of one of the exhibitions included in PHotoESPAÑA 2018.
Since the blend of art and fashion proposed by the pioneer Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, Spanish fashion designers have stood out in the international scene partly due to their commitment to unique, ground-breaking ideas. This singularity has turned Spanish fashion into an extraordinary subject for photography.
Richard Avedon and Irving Penn were attracted by the volumes and shapes of Balenciaga’s gowns, and Henry Clarke found Elio Berhanyer and Manuel Pertegaz’s designs to be the best accomplices for his luminous, exotic photographs. Since the 1960s, Spanish photographers themselves have also been interested in taking fashion into their visual language: Juan Gatti’s photographs perfectly convey the poetry and symbolism of Sybilla’s clothes, and the light in Javier Vallhonrat’s images is the perfect accessory for Jesús del Pozo’s designs.
The great influence of international fashion magazines in the Spanish publishing scene, during the 1990s, caused many new photographers and designers to emerge. Also, names such as Oliviero Toscani, Arthur Elgort and Mario Testino contributed to the Spanish editions of the magazines and immortalised the evolution of Spanish fashion. At the same time, local talents appeared such as Adolfo Domínguez, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Amaya Arzuaga.
