SIGNATURE LABEL - The art of being yourself

By Laura Martínez

Here’s our new section about the designers who have collaborated in our Fashion Hotel: Los Felices. More than 113 veteran and emerging Spanish and international designers are involved in the hotel in different ways, with the rooms named after them in tribute. We have chosen a selection of them for this article, with some interesting details about how they have forged for themselves a prominent place in a world in which the only way to stand out is to be true to yourself.

The first time I heard about Alejandro Gómez-Palomo was in 2016, when he showed the world his first collection in Madrid, although it was in 2015 when his eponymous brand, Palomo Spain, took off. I remember thinking that it was beautiful to see men dressed differently, defying gender norms with such artistry and savoir-faire. The mix of Spanish folklore, with decorative elements such as flowers and intense red and pink tones, are unmistakable hallmarks of the house. That catwalk show has stuck in my mind more than any other that year. In 2017, exactly one year later, this native of Cordoba made his debut at New York Fashion Week, where he won over critics and the public without moving his workshop from Posadas in Spain, his hometown, where he began dressing his Barbie dolls as a child.

Alejandro Gómez Palomo

Success quickly followed from that stellar premiere in the Big Apple. One of the key moments was when Beyoncé, the Queen among queens, chose a custom dress by Palomo Spain for her first photo on social media with her twins, catapulting the brand to international fame. Another Queen, Rosalía, often dresses in Palomo for her concerts and red carpet appearances. His collaborations with brands such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Osborne (with whom he launched a collection reinterpreting the brand’s iconic bull logo from a queer perspective), Bimba y Lola and Puma have earned him a more accessible audience without losing any of his personal, genderless and hedonistic touch.

Palomo x Puma campaign

Alejandro Gómez-Palomo has an unstoppable trajectory as one of the most important Spanish designers of the last decade, and to whom we dedicate one of our hotel’s villas, reserved for the most outstanding artists who collaborate with Los Felices.

Another designer who defies the norms, infusing his homeland and roots to his designs, is Esteban Cortázar. Born in Bogota, Colombia, he moved to Miami at a young age, where he grew up surrounded by influential figures in the fashion industry, such as photographers Patrick Demarchelier and Herb Ritts, and supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. His passion for design manifested itself early on. Aged 18, he debuted at New York Fashion Week in September 2002, becoming the youngest designer to present a collection at the event.

Cortázar campaign

Throughout his career, Cortázar has worked with various fashion houses (such as Spanish label Desigual) and has presented his collections in cities including Paris, where he has lived for more than a decade. His style is characterised by a fusion of Latin influences and contemporary aesthetics, marking him out as a breath of fresh air amid so much rigidity. His international recognition is the result of being true to himself and capturing all his influences in his designs. In 2024, he launched his brand, ‘Donde Esteban’, a project that pays homage to his Colombian roots and reflects his evolution as a designer.

And if Cortázar brings his Colombian origins to his colourful, lively and practical designs, Emma Rowen Rose is an amalgam of origins and influences. Born in Paris and raised in a family of Spanish and Polish origin, the designer founded her luxury label Rowen Rose in September 2018, establishing its headquarters in Paris. The brand finds its essence in fusing traditional elegance with bold originality, creating a stereotype-defying aesthetic that proposes new forms of elegance.

Emma Rowen Rose

Her love of tailoring is reflected in structured, characterful garments that combine influences from the past with a contemporary vision, producing distinctive luxury pieces with an ethical and sustainable approach, made entirely in Italy, where the designer lived before founding her label. In Milan, she developed a taste for femininity, colours and prints, elements she did not find in Paris. Her work could be described as a mix of preppy, sumptuous and playful, gaining the fashion industry’s attention since the brand’s launch.

Something similar happened to the American Hillary Taymour and her brand Collina Strada. Originally from Palos Verdes, California, Taymour moved to New York more than a decade ago to pursue a career in fashion. In her early days, the Californian focused on designing handbags, something she began doing unpretentiously for herself. She began with a self-made hobo-style model, which immediately caught the eye of many, resulting in orders for many more. She handmade them in her small studio in L.A., where she developed five models that sold like hot cakes. This promising start was the spark for creating her own brand.

Hillary Taymour portrait

Collina Strada defines itself as a platform to address social issues and raise awareness. The brand, characterised by its commitment to sustainability and radical transparency, aims to become a fully sustainable brand in the near future. Based and produced in New York, the brand offers easy-to-wear garments that reinvent classics with groundbreaking details. The brand embodies humour and youth, encouraging self-reflection through fashion. Taymour has been recognised for its innovative approach and dedication to ethical and sustainable design practices, and its work has caught the attention of celebrities such as Rihanna and Lorde.

If fashion is art in movement, art that takes on a different life and meaning for each person, then Los Felices is your refuge, where textile art lovers can stay in Mid-century style rooms dedicated to a selection of groundbreaking artists who seek to break the mould.