Bringing Spanish designer fashion closer to the public is the main objective of Madrid es Moda. A purpose that has led to the platform being chosen as a stage to demand the end of counterfeits in the textile sector. A very widespread scourge in our country. According to the latest 2023 data from the European Intellectual Property Office, 20% of Spanish citizens admit to having purchased fake products in the last twelve months. This figure is well above the European Union average, which is 13%.
Counterfeits destroy jobs, and their sale and consumption limit the creation of new jobs and the preservation of the trades and crafts that are the cultural heritage of our country. Furthermore, million-dollar losses are recorded annually that directly affect the industries associated with designer fashion, such as workshops, small businesses or suppliers of fabrics and trimmings.
For this reason, the opening of Madrid es Moda at the National Archaeological Museum last Thursday hosted the signing of a manifesto against the copy market. Gerard Guiu, general director of Andema (Association for the Defense of the Brand), was in charge of reading the document, where he invited all members of the production and consumption chain in the world of fashion to preserve and promote creative design , authenticity and intellectual authorship. Also to fight against counterfeits and promote awareness and sensitization of the entire society to ensure the economic, social and cultural development of the country.
A resounding demand against this problem that has also been expressed in the form of shirts with messages against copies, such as ‘Original is chic’, ‘Intellectual property = future’, ‘Fake kills design future’ (Fakes kill the future of design), ‘Don’t steal, wear real’ or ‘Be originals not a fake’. Some garments created by the European Intellectual Property Office in collaboration with the Greek designer JP John Pan that showed several models.
The value of time
This is a great initiative to defend designer fashion by Madrid es Moda, which raised the curtain on Fashion Week with a show that fused fashion and flamenco in the museum before reading the manifesto. An urban event open to the public and inspired by crafts and creations that are born from manual work, in which time and experience are the basis of their value.
The singer Antonio Carbonell, the dancer El Yiyo and the guitarist Pepe Montoyita, great international figures of flamenco, marked the passage of the models on the museum patio. And they did it to the rhythm of the martinete, an ancient flamenco stick that was born in the forges and that treasures the memory of the blacksmith’s blows on the metal, symbolizing time and thus establishing a parallel between the two artistic disciplines. At the end, the models continued parading through the central streets of the capital.
A careful staging that kicked off an edition with an extensive program of collection presentations, fashion shows and exhibitions by more than 30 designers held in workshops and emblematic places. Original events that will continue to bring designer fashion closer to the public, turning the streets into a catwalk.
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