Madrid Fashion Week presents Agatha Ruiz de la Prada's AI-designed collection, along with the introduction of fresh brands on the runway.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid: A Celebration of Artisanal Craftsmanship
The 40th anniversary edition of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid is underway, and this year's event is showcasing a diverse array of designs that pay homage to artisanal craftsmanship.
One of the standout brands making its debut on the runway is PARIS64, a label of leather bags and accessories made artisanally in Spain. The brand's collection, ‘Rose Noir’, offers an immersive experience dedicated to high artisanship, tracing its history from initial sketches to current creations.
Another label making waves is The Label Edition, founded in Barcelona in 2019 by Véronique Vaillant von Siebenthal and Laura Johansson. This brand presents a women’s collection inspired by Japan for the summer of 2026. The collection features traditional patterns from Japan combined with contemporary design, resulting in a unique blend of the old and the new.
The chromatic palette for The Label Edition's collection includes soft and powdery tones such as pale pinks, mint green, vintage yellow, white, and black. The collection features structured mini dresses, blazers, and tailored pants for daywear, and scenic embroidered dresses for nightwear. Natural and light textures dominate the collection, including textured cottons, linen, lightweight silk, worked denim, and cotton bamboo.
YolanCris, another Spanish label, is also making a statement with its Spring-Summer 2026 collection. The collection, titled "Back to Boho", represents a return to its origins, paying homage to boho, the founding essence of the brand. The collection features voluminous, complexly constructed dresses, tissue superposition, ethereal volumes, fringes, manual embroidery, and worked transparencies.
Agatha Ruiz de la Prada is also showcasing a collection during the event. This time, however, the collection is made with AI. The collection features dresses that resemble melted monsters, fish gills, digital pixels, and other unexpected structures. The collection also includes details such as hand-embroidered galons with crystals, meticulous finishes, and a contained shine that evokes splendor, youth, and desire.
Claro Couture's collection is also worth mentioning. Inspired by the luxury of the 20s and the daring elegance of the 90s, the collection features popelines, vaporous muslins, crocheted embroidery with crystals, and satin crepes. The collection's artisanal finishes such as stitching, laces, and buttons that resemble techniques like shibori and wabi-sabi add a unique touch to the designs.
The event is being held at Pavilion 14.1 of IFEMA. With so many exciting collections on display, the 40th anniversary edition of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid is shaping up to be an unforgettable celebration of artisanal craftsmanship.
