Purificacion Garcia: Thirty-five Years Of Spanish Design

  |   19-01-2017

The iconic Spanish designer, Purificacion Garcia, talks us through her artistic journey.

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Purificacion Garcia was born in the province of Orense in Spain. Whilst in her twenties, during the ‘70s, the Spanish aspiring designer started to create clothes for fun. She worked for a fabric company and started as an apprentice, designing clothes as a hobby. “I made a lot of things for my friends. They would ask me to make something to attend a wedding or a special event,” she said. Embracing the era of the ‘70s, Garcia lived in Palma de Mallorca and focused on creating hippie-style outfits in tie-dye prints, inspired by beach boho-vibes. “I created the prints myself; I was really happy with the styles and my designs were in demand by my friends,” she added.

She launched her first collection in 1981 in Barcelona. She said: “We had lots of special materials and we made a factory there.” By 1983 she was consolidated in the national market, participating each year in the Madrid and Barcelona fashion shows. A couple of years later she opened her first store in Belgium, specifically in Antwerp and in 1989 she participated for the first time on the catwalk of Milan where Italian critics gave a very warm endorsement of her work. Due to the opening of her boutiques in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto in 1990, she introduced for the first time, her work on the catwalk of the capital Nippon. In 1995, she opened her boutique-workshop in the avenue of Pau Casals in Barcelona.

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Today, the brand has a contemporary aesthetic and oozes effortless elegance. Purificacion Garcia is very involved in the arts and frequently collaborates with artists and designers for capsule collections and store concepts. The mother-of-three has achieved a lot in 35 years: they have over three thousand people working on the brand, with over two hundred point of sales across the world.

a&e had an exclusive interview with the iconic designer during a recent trip to Dubai to launch her Spring/Summer 2017 collection.

How would you describe the style of the brand?

At first, I didn’t have a big collection. I started with jackets and I had a special cut for female executives. I focused on people that work a lot. It was catered for daywear and workwear, but now the collection has developed to become so much more. It is about a versatile look, around the clock, for the day and night.

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Tell us about your journey becoming a designer?

I worked as an intern in factories. Now people study in Parsons School of Design and Central Saint Martins to become a designer, but I trained in a factory in Barcelona which is where I now live.

What makes your brand stand out?

A lot of things: the quality of the material and the price is very important. We work so easily with women because our collection is so wearable and versatile. It’s a brand that women can trust and wear daily.

What do you think is the secret to your success?

Our clothes fit with the every day woman’s working lives. Our customers start from 25 years old to 60 years old. We have such loyal customers.

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What are the highlights of your career?

To be selling in places like the Middle East. Latin America was a huge challenge and to open stores worldwide has been a challenge.

Have you had many collaborations and who with?

We have a lot of collaborations with artist, painters and graphic illustrators like Carlos Macia, Nico Munuera and Sofia Taboas. We collaborate with charities too. One artist we have worked with is Alicia Framis and LABoral (Art and Industrial Creation Centre of Gijón). It was a special project designing a bag with light inside. It was an energy light, technology light and hope light. Framis decided that the project should begin in one of its poorest regions in Uthar Pradesh, Dallipur, India. The intention was to bring light to this community, which in the midst of the 21st century is still in semi-darkness.

Framis elaborated some proposals to carry out her idea using elements such as LEDS and solar batteries. We wanted to develop a project that combined art, fashion, new technologies and social commitment. Several cultural agents were involved in the project in order to fund development aid and co-operation projects in India.

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Do you have a cult piece?

There isn’t one item but our jackets, bags and now our eveningwear outfits and sportswear too.  They are easily adaptable from day to night.

Do you have a muse?

I love the designers from Belgium like Diane Von Furstenberg, Dries van Noten who has incredible materials, and Ann Demeulemeester.

Tell us about your SS17 collection?

It is very fresh with hues of nude and gold. Fabrics include cotton and leather. The colours are natural earth tones, denim gives character to the collection and delicate butterfly print adds a touch of fantasy. We use a combination of natural and technical materials to make sportswear and outerwear.

The collection lies on the subtle borderline that separates minimalism from delicate femininity. Masculine meets feminine to create unstructured silhouettes that are comfortable and easy to wear. Midi skirts and dresses, pyjama style trousers and pantaloons, oversize shirts and lightweight wraparound outwear garments define our collection. There is also cocktail and eveningwear pieces that are easy-to-wear.

How would you describe the Middle Eastern customer?

Women here love fashion so much and they know what they want. They know their materials and have knowledge in fashion. Everything is available in the Middle East. We have a store in Saudi Arabia which is doing very well. We just opened in Jeddah too and we are opening in Qatar. We also have a shop in Abu Dhabi.

What advise can you give an aspiring designer and entrepreneur?

We are 35 years old. I can only really say that if you want to achieve something you just have to do it and focus on getting it.

By Hershey Pascual

[All images from the Spring/Summer 2017 collection.]