Palomo Spain Wins National Fashion Design Award 2024 | kbnmart

When Alejandro Gómez Palomo, known as Palomo España, first appeared on the Madrid catwalk in 2016, he was an unknown designer who dared to give men the right to wear ruffles and daring slits with a boldness he insisted was simply “design without fear, using the language of today.”

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Last Tuesday, the Ministry of Culture awarded him the National Fashion Design Award “for establishing a unique perspective within the fashion design sector, giving voice to inclusion and diversity and advocating for new forms of artistic expression through an innovative proposal.”

This youthful audacity has since led him to exhibit his work in New York and Paris.

“I am very excited and very proud of the work we have done,” Palomo told Spanish news agency EFE minutes after learning of the award at his workshop in Posadas, Cordoba.

“This honour is fantastic for me and my team. I absolutely deserve it. It’s the most valuable award anyone can receive in Spain,” he added, referring to his daring creations.

The jury also praised the brand for being “rooted in its territory, with its factory located in Posadas, where it has contributed to the international promotion of Spain’s image.”

At 32, Palomo has already made history. In 2019, one of his designs was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum in New York alongside pieces by John Galliano, Gucci, Balenciaga and Karl Lagerfeld, during the MET Gala, which was dedicated to the “camp” style, which blurs the lines between men’s and women’s clothing.

Despite his young age, Alejandro Palomo, born in Córdoba in 1992, has always been a contender for the National Fashion Design Award, which in previous years has been awarded to Teresa Helbig, Antonio Alvarado, Anna Luking, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and David Delfin.

“Just a few days ago, I was reflecting on my career and thinking about how lucky I am to dedicate my life to what I have always dreamed of and that what I do reaches people, goes beyond them and brings new spaces to a generation that lacks a reference to freedom,” said the designer.

“A dream come true, which entails ‘huge responsibility and very hard work. It takes a lot of effort,’” he admitted while putting the finishing touches on his new collection, which will be presented in New York in September.

What many saw as “female designs on male bodies” was a comment he ignored.

“We have established ourselves as a men’s brand, with a male clientele that is open to feminine design, sex and sexuality,” he says, adding that his clothes are for “a gentleman like my father or the most modern man in New York.”

He was appointed by Jean Paul Gaultier when the French designer announced his collaboration with young creatives to relaunch his ready-to-wear line, a project in which Gaultier was a reference. “My style is influenced by his heritage,” he noted in an interview with EFE.

“I was labeled as a provocateur, but for me it was natural. I created without fear, using today’s language, translating it into today’s way of communicating, with a sense of freedom and a desire to influence people,” an attitude he admits has been key to his development.

The designer has turned his brand into an independent label, dressing celebrities such as Beyoncé, when she announced the birth of her twins; Eduardo Casanova; Harry Styles; Rosalía; Rita Ora; Miley Cyrus; and Chanel at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she wore a suit embellished with more than 50,000 Swarovski crystals.

In 2022, he designed the costumes for New York City Ballet’s “Play Time” directed by Gianna Raisen, alongside Raf Simons and Giles Deacon.

As a jury member on the TV show “Maestros de la Costura,” Palomo has managed to reach a wide audience thanks to his charismatic and friendly image. Despite his success, he has kept his workshop where he grew up and will first celebrate the award with his team.

“The road wasn’t easy, but we had rewards along the way,” he fondly recalls of the “trust, energy and money” his parents invested in pursuing his dream of a career that had nothing to do with their environment.