25 Jul LANZAROTE FASHION WEEKEND: A CHANCE TO DISCOVER A UNIQUE PLACE
JAMEOS DEL AGUA IS, FOR THE CATALONIAN DESIGNER, THE BEST POSSIBLE SETTING TO LAUNCH HIS LATEST FASHION COLLECTION
If there’s something Custo Dalmau is well-known for, is that there’s a brightness about him. He’s smily and always looks as if he was coming up with something as he talks. He’s an approachable and simple man. He’s in love with Lanzarote, its light, its tourist centres, the landscapes and the people. He says that he feels as if he were in paradise when he’s here. “Sometimes people ask me what I do here when I come for the summer, and to tell you the truth, I don’t do anything in particular. I just go for strolls, and I enjoy being here, I love the island”, he said.
Knowing about his passion for Lanzarote is necessary when it comes to understanding his latest project, the “Lanzarote Fashion Weekend”, an important event that will bring journalists and influencers to the island from all over the world, turning Lanzarote into an international fashion hub on 12th May.
Custo assures us that he couldn’t tell when exactly he decided he was going to work in fashion. “It all started in 1981 with a graphic design project, with an outstanding factor, the designs were done on T-shirts”, he explained. “At that moment, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into”, he said, making reference to his brother and partner David. “We were just making printed T-shirts, something that nowadays seems very common but that wasn’t the case 37 years ago.”
Custo Line, that later became Custo Barcelona, ended up being a tremendously innovative project that “took us over”, and now it’s 37 years later. “We never stopped to think whether we wanted to be fashion designers or not. It just happened, because the project was so powerful and overwhelming, and we really have had plenty of fun in the past few years.”
CUSTO, A PROJECT WITH NO BOUNDARIES
One of the most significant aspects of the Custo Brothers wasn’t only their undeniable creative capacity, but also their entrepreneurial wit to be able to carry the project forward and make it known everywhere.
Around 1997, by the time people all over the world started to pay attention to their eye-catching designs worn by some actors who starred in TV series such as Friends and Sex in the city, the company had already been around for fourteen years. “The truth is that making it in Hollywood gave us an incredible push, it was great marketing”, he said.
COLOURS IN CUSTO, THE HOUSE BRAND
If there’s something characteristic about Custo’s designs, is the colours. That’s why it’s not that hard to believe that the designer is so in love with the island and its light. “When we got started in the 1980’s, fashion used to be really boring, there was no colour”, he said. “It was difficult for us to introduce it, people looked at us as if we were weird, but we did it, and we also introduced patterns with colours in clothing items.”
Fashion is a complex industry, as the Catalonian designer knows only too well. “In Spain it’s hard to compete, especially if we take into account that the largest company in the world is actually Spanish, and they have a huge impact”, he said. “Spain is a small country dominated by large companies. It’s hard to make it here.” “The only way to compete is to try to do something nobody else is doing, and that’s what we’ve done.”
LANZAROTE FASHION WEEKEND
Custo assures that what led to the ‘Lanzarote Fashion Weekend’ happened way back in time. “The idea started years ago. We know that fashion is not only about the clothes in fashion collections. It’s also about the setting used to introduce those designs”, he said. “We have been doing fashion shows all over the world for years, and we thought that the place where you hold those shows is an important factor when it comes to introducing your designs. I must say that I’m in love with Lanzarote, it’s a paradise in my opinion, it’s a secret to be unveiled and a stunning place. That’s why we submitted this project to the Government of the Canary Islands around fifteen years ago, but the crisis got in the way of it and that was it”, he told us. “Last year we tried again, and thanks to the current government of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, things have gone ahead and that’s very exciting for us.”
Dalmau tells us about the event. “It will be a fashion show in Jameos del Agua where we’re introducing one of our collections, partly inspired by the island itself”, he said, also adding that another part of the collection was already presented in New York a month ago. “But the most important thing is the setting the event is being held in, Jameos del Agua and the island of Lanzarote. Journalists, designers, influencers and people in the world of fashion from all over the world, will come to the event and will get to see the stunning landscapes Lanzarote has. The whole point is to present it from a glamorous and unique perspective.”
JAMEOS DEL AGUA, A UNIQUE SPOT
He has nothing but praise for Jameos. “I hadn’t visited Jameos for a long time, and the other day when I came back, it seemed even more impressive that the last time I was here. How many places in the world can we say that about? How many places are there like Lanzarote? I’ve travelled the world and I’ve seen few places like the ones we can see on this island”, he said determinedly. “I’m in love with this island. Not only have I spent summers in Famara, but also in La Graciosa. I don’t really want to talk too much about the island because I don’t want it to get crowded when everyone hears about it. I like it the way it is now. Waking up in the morning in Famara and having a look at the landscape, walking around the Risco, visiting the Mirador and Timanfaya, this is wonderful”, he said. “I like everything about it, the lifestyle, the little towns, the food. I love eating here. If I ever get the chance to do so, I’ll move here.”
Custo seems positive when talking about the future of the event. “We have only just got it started, but I think this project will last in time”, he said.
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