At the same time that Madrid’s Ernesto Naranjo is developing as an artist he is trying to navigate the treacherous fashion landscape, which is increasingly dominated by mega brands and conglomerates. “As a young designer,” he said on a Zoom, “you feel that you have to follow a path and follow what other brands are doing,” despite disparities in resources. Having determined what success looks like for his own brand seems to have freed Naranjo’s imagination. Presented in lookbook format, this collection is the best he’s ever done.
Deciding not to put these clothes on the runway was deliberate. Despite its many pluses, Naranjo noted that the format “gives you that pressure to impress and it’s really quick,” whereas he’s committed to a slower pace. The idea is to forge his own path forward by “going slow and going step-by-step and going in a straight line.”
A slower pace allows time for personal connection, which Naranjo knows a lot about because his business operates mainly as made-to-order. Having dedicated this collection to his private clients, he started by considering the feedback he received in fittings and focusing on the fabrics his customers like, including silk and tulle. The delicate balance between structure and flow is what gives these garments their electric charge. Naranjo is a fantastic colorist and keen on bold shapes. The structures over which he draped his fabrics this season weren’t stiff, as might be expected, but wide bands of elastic, which allowed him “to play with mobility and movement and to have that kind of easiness on the body.”
To that end, there were no closures; everything can be slipped on or off with ease. Naranjo frequently references artists; this season he mentioned Rebecca Horn and the dancer Loïe Fuller (the subject of a 2023 documentary), who was known for the mesmerizing way she manipulated her flowing costumes and light as she moved. It’s the latter’s influence that is most evident in the collection. Naranjo transformed a simple stretch T-shirt shape into something spectacular using knotting. He was on-trend with pannier-like shapes, but eschewed historical references in favor of something much more modern and fluid. Sigh-worthy overlays of colored tulle on some looks took the collection in a romantic and ethereal direction.
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