{"id":83734,"date":"2025-05-08T05:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T05:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/83734\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T05:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T05:01:11","slug":"how-spains-indie-fashion-scene-nailed-global-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/83734\/","title":{"rendered":"How Spain\u2019s Indie Fashion Scene Nailed Global Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the two-week run of Spanish womenswear brand La Veste\u2019s pop-up in New York City, the brand\u2019s \u201csuper fans\u201d \u2014 as described by chief executive Sofia Garc\u00eda-Gallardo \u2014 arrived in its wares from head to toe. Eager to get their hands on a pair of La Veste\u2019s striped pants or one of its scalloped shirts, they ended up selling out several items, including its parasol pants and knit capsule. <\/p>\n

The US is an increasingly important market for La Veste: Despite not having a permanent stateside store, 40 to 45 percent of its sales already come from the US market, with the average American order hovering around 2.1 pieces compared to 1.6 in Europe.<\/p>\n

The brand is one of a number of independent, digitally native Spanish labels, including jewellery maker Simuero and womenswear label Gimaguas, expanding into new territories and attracting customers with a laidback vibe and flourishes of colour. They\u2019ve opened pop-ups in locations like Paris and Seoul, but many have also started to plant more permanent roots, opening physical retail locations in Paris, London and New York. In March, Spanish womenswear brand Paloma Wool<\/a> opened its first flagship in SoHo, just a few blocks from where footwear label Flabelus is set to open its own store later this spring.<\/p>\n

While lesser-known than some of their European counterparts, like France\u2019s S\u00e9zane<\/a> or Denmark\u2019s Ganni, Spanish brands have been growing more quickly than many of their regional peers. On the fashion wholesale platform Joor, sales of Italian brands declined and French labels posted modest gains in 2024, while Spanish brands, including the likes of Loewe and Casta\u00f1er, saw their international wholesale business rise 13 percent in the same time frame, according to Amanda McCormick Bacal, Joor\u2019s global head of marketing. <\/p>\n

With a population just shy of 50 million, the Spanish market has its limits, and the local audience is often inclined to favour native high street giant Inditex \u2014 parent to brands like Zara and Bershka \u2014 over independent labels. Unlike their fast-fashion counterparts, local production is at the heart of many of these small brands\u2019 ethos, making it challenging to significantly lower their prices. Domestic sales to Spanish retailers on Joor dropped 16 percent from 2023 to 2024. <\/p>\n

Setting their sights further afield is one way for emerging brands to tap into higher spending power while maintaining the integrity of their products. It\u2019s also where they have been able to drum up more organic interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a relaxed atmosphere, being close to the beach, to the sun and then having this culture of leaving on the weekends and trying not to stay in the city too much,\u201d said Blanca Orbaneja, Gimaguas\u2019s art director. \u201cThat\u2019s a big part of Spanish culture as opposed to the hustle of bigger cities like Paris, New York, London.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LaLa Veste’s first store opened in Paris in January. (AMBROISE TEZENAS\/\u00a9Ambroise T\u00e9zenas) Sunny Disposition<\/p>\n

Spanish labels\u2019 unexpected, bright pieces are a welcome alternative to the minimalist wardrobe staples from many Scandinavian and French brands. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen set against more uptight clothes, [Spanish brands] created a dynamic that felt fresh,\u201d fashion influencer and writer Leandra Medine Cohen wrote in an email. <\/p>\n

The shift aligned with the end of the pandemic, which Roc\u00edo Gallardo, founder of Simuero, highlighted as a driver behind people\u2019s need to get out of the house and get closer to friends and nature, which \u201cfor Spanish people \u2026 it\u2019s our thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The surge in popularity of Spanish style hasn\u2019t stopped. Medine Cohen noted in her Substack newsletter, \u201cThe Cereal Aisle,\u201d last year that a number of Spanish brands \u2014 including Gimaguas and Maria de la Orden \u2014 were hosting pop-ups in New York. While \u201cthat voluminous Cecilie Bahnsen dress with New Balance sneakers-look really defined the new, young style identity of the 2010s, this deliberately undone, body exposed, wrinkles unironed, can\u2019t-be-bothered-to-care vibe is now,\u201d she wrote. <\/p>\n

As shoppers grow tired of online \u201ccores\u201d<\/a> and looking like everyone else, these brands have also maintained some of their if-you-know-you-know mystique, rooted in their niche communities and growth driven by word of mouth.<\/p>\n

While non-Spaniards will likely associate the country with vacation destinations like Ibiza, Mallorca, Barcelona and the south of Spain, Spanish style isn\u2019t limited to the beach. Another key style born out of Spain is known as \u201cCayetana,\u201d a look that connotes posh dressing with a playful, romantic twist: Think high-waisted trousers, ruffled white collars, quilted vests and low buns. <\/p>\n

Digitally Native \u2014 and Personal<\/p>\n

The uniting factor behind many of these emerging Spanish brands\u2019 success is the strong online communities they have built.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are all digitally native,\u201d said La Veste\u2019s Garc\u00eda-Gallardo. \u201cThey started when Instagram more or less took power. They launched at the right moment \u2026 And also, if one does well, it catches the interest and [people] go to see the other one.\u201d<\/p>\n

As these brands move from online to in-store, word of mouth has been a crucial driver. For Flabelus, which has quickly grown its wholesale and retail presence, it was \u201cthe first and foremost way to get the brand out there,\u201d said founder Beatriz de los Mozos. <\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone found us in Mallorca, and she went back to the States and told all her friends, and they were like, \u2018Oh my gosh, I love this brand,\u2019\u201d said de los Mozos. \u201cAnd then they all followed the brand on Instagram, and started seeing the ads and recommended it to friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AFlabelus’s colourful footwear exemplifies the bright look that Spanish brand fans seek out. (Flabelus) <\/p>\n

Unlike French digital-native successes Pol\u00e8ne or S\u00e9zane, where the founders keep a low profile, Spanish founders often have extroverted, open presences on social media, generating followings in the hundreds of thousands on their personal profiles, which constantly cross-reference their brands. De los Mozos appears in many Flabelus ads herself.<\/p>\n

La Veste\u2019s founders, Blanca Mir\u00f3 and Mar\u00eda de la Orden, already had established follower bases when they launched the brand together, and wanted to continue to mindfully foster the relationship they had with their communities. According to Garc\u00eda-Gallardo, the pair have been selective in terms of gifting and event invitations to ensure content about the brand reaches a curated target audience. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe could have invited many people that have a lot of impact,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we prefer having a person who might have a small community, but really likes and follows the brand.\u201d <\/p>\n

For Simuero, the brand\u2019s Instagram focuses on the craftsmanship that goes into each of its pieces. When the account had just 1,000 followers, a Selfridges buyer reached out, leading to its first wholesale account. Stylists followed \u2014 including one working for the Kardashians, which helped it gain traction in the US, now its second-largest market after Spain. <\/p>\n

Growth has been mostly organic; Gallardo briefly experimented with Instagram ads last year but ultimately pulled back. Instead, hosting pop-ups (it has staged several internationally, with plans for more in London and New York this year) and connecting with its community in-person has been Simuero\u2019s sweet spot. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing like seeing people trying on your rings,\u201d said Gallardo. <\/p>\n

She also teased plans to open a studio in Ibiza in two years where shoppers can collaborate on creating bespoke pieces of jewellery with the team, rooted in her goal of stimulating local jobs and craftsmanship. <\/p>\n

The brands are all intentional about growth, targeting expansion areas that allow for connecting with specific communities. Many of the brands, like Simuero and La Veste, also produce their wares exclusively in Spain, and controlling expansion enables them to stay close to production. <\/p>\n

Gimaguas\u2019 founders are opening their second permanent store in Madrid this month, with plans to open just a few additional brick-and-mortar locations \u2014 in addition to their pop-ups \u2014 to connect with their core shoppers abroad. La Veste, meanwhile, is focused on controlled growth in department stores like Le Bon March\u00e9 and Liberty, known for their curation of emerging labels. <\/p>\n

\"Gimaguas'sGimaguas’s April ephemeral store in Los Angeles. (Gimaguas) <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to be overexposed, and we don\u2019t aim to be in every corner of every store,\u201d said Garc\u00eda-Gallardo. <\/p>\n

Flabelus, on the other hand, has seen wholesale as a cornerstone of its commercial health, with 50 retailers in the US and Europe stocking the brand in its first year of business. Maintaining a balance between their own retail and e-commerce operations is key, however. The brand had opened 15 of its own stores by 2024, with plans for a total of 25 by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowth has to come with profit,\u201d said de los Mozos. \u201cIf not, it doesn\u2019t make sense because in the end, you just have something very big, but useless.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During the two-week run of Spanish womenswear brand La Veste\u2019s pop-up in New York City, the brand\u2019s \u201csuper…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83735,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[1829,14357,2000,299,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-83734","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-apparel","9":"tag-designers","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-spain"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114470459159081288","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}