Álvaro Calafat presents his new collection titled “Capítulo 2: Recuerdo” at the new edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion, which stems from the need to explore “the memories we all keep in the museum of our minds“.
Twenty-five looks that represent the designer’s most intimate memories, creating an ideal universe that provides further insight into who Álvaro Calafat is and, in turn, encourages you to create your own retrospective to continue enjoying and learning from those times.
This might be a continuation of his previous collection, although we see it as an independent chapter, another story within the designer’s universe that responds to the need to express how he felt and how he feels so that anyone who sees it can feel identified.
We met the designer and here’s what he told us:
Who is Alvaro?
That little failures give rise to great opportunities might seem like something out of a self-help book, but that’s how I define my professional development. A young man from Malaga who for different reasons came to qualify me as a person who has never liked studying, and who never came to understand that school was the only teaching method. After several “frustrated” years, I decided to link my professional life to a cooking course where part of the creativity that remained hidden in my restless mind, began to flourish in a frank way. Years later and having realized that the kitchen sector was not really my world, fashion appeared in my life, and suddenly, it became my vocation. This was the culminating moment, in which I began to define the personality that I had not even raised. So, I started my university stage in Cádiz studying fashion design. When facing the end of my studies I developed Chapter 1 Imbalance. It includes all the aspects that unbalance this wonderful and sometimes polluted industry, but also me, as a person. With Chapter 1: Imbalance we have always wanted to take a leap in quality, so 080 was the platform that would continue to develop and promote our interests. And with which, thanks to her, I have managed to perfect and innovate in different aspects for my second collection. I just hope that Chapter 2: Memories is a highlight where the audience wants my show time to come because they enjoy what I do.
You define your professional development by saying that “major opportunities stem from minor failures”. Why is that?
It is necessary to be aware of the great opportunities that surround us. Act intelligently, taking advantage of all the professional contacts that the sector offers us I am always in favor of adopting a learning attitude.
What’s the importance of the past?
The importance of the past is that it makes you the person you are today. And that without the positive and negative aspects that I have experienced, I could not have developed as a person. My past has conditioned the presentation of the firm Álvaro Calafat.
How do you manage the balance between creativity and a more commercial approach to design?
When we make a collection we go hand in hand with the conceptual and commercial design. We do it mainly for technique and to demonstrate our skills as a designer. We also do it to teach the concept of history, by breaking down a look we can see much more commercial and wearable garments. In the end, it is a good methodological way of working with which we achieve a collection that is very complete at the visual and content level.
