Visions from the past

Arresting and vivid, Anibal Hernandez-Palacios Caro’s womenswear reveals his deep research into the Spanish Golden Age and his personal heritage. The mastery of Diego Velazquez and Francisco de Zurbaran are referenced alongside photographers such as Jose Ortiz-Echague. Hand pleating and hand crochet are used in modern and dramatic ways to create new shapes and silhouettes. Folkloric garments and artisanal crafts are re-imagined into exciting, monumental and organic forms that reflect nature and reveal the designer’s imagination and skill. Conventional garment construction is rejected in place of hand crafting, moulding and shaping has been employed to achieve innovative shapes. Huge swathes of hand crochet have been hand-dyed with saturated tones of olive and wine, so texture and shape combines to achieve a memorable statement.