Interviewing: KARLA AGUILAR
Winner of the Pelonio New Talent Award, Spanish designer Karla Aguilar explores dissociation and the changing perception of the body through her collection, AMORFO. This recognition marks a new opportunity for her to grow and continue developing her brand.
We spent some time backstage during her show at MBFW Madrid, where our photographer @munblas captured the collection through a series of images showcasing each look.
RINGO: What inspired you to explore the idea of dissociation? Does it come from a personal experience or someone close to you?
KARLA: Yes, it comes from a personal experience. AMORFO was born from moments when I have felt that sense of dissociation and the feeling of perceiving my body in a strange way, as if at times I didn't fully recognise it as mine.
It is also very connected to a burn I suffered on my arm when I was 15. Seeing how the skin had changed made me think a lot about irregular and organic shapes. That's where ideas like the melted-effect caps, silhouettes that seem to melt or deform, and that kind of second skin that appears in some of the pieces came from.
In the end, I mixed these two experiences and brought them into my own creative universe. I wanted the garments to seem as if they were transforming on the body, just as we also change and learn to see ourselves differently.
R: What is the material you have enjoyed working with the most? And which one has been the most challenging?
K: I think the material I've enjoyed working with the most has been biodegradable gelatin. It was really fun because I felt like I was almost sculpting directly onto the mannequin, creating volumes and letting the material lead me towards results that I often couldn't completely control.
The most challenging has been silk, because it is quite delicate and difficult to sew. On top of that, each piece involves so many hours of hand-dyeing, so any mistake after all that work feels twice as painful.
R: Where did you find the experimental materials you worked with?
K: Actually, I learned all of this from Mireia Ruiz, a graphic design professor at my university. One day I saw her working with biomaterials with her students and I found it really interesting, so I went over and asked her what they were doing. From there, I started researching and experimenting on my own.
I get the dyes from herbalists' shops or specialised natural-dye websites, and I buy the gelatin by the kilo from a local shop in Barcelona. In the end, a big part of the process has been about searching for materials, trying them out, and gradually discovering everything I could do with them.
R: Is there anyone you would love to see wearing your designs? Or a particular event where you would like someone to wear them?
K: Honestly, I would be really excited to see Rosalía or Bad Gyal wearing one of my designs. I think they are two artists whose aesthetics I really love, and in some way, that aesthetic is also present in my collection.
They are also both quite daring when it comes to fashion, and I think some of the AMORFO pieces would suit them really well. Seeing either of them wearing something I've made would be an honour and would make me incredibly happy.
R: What are you looking forward to the most now that you have won the Pelonio New Talent Award?
K: What I hope for is that the award will help me start selling my work and continue building my brand, because ultimately, that's what will allow me to keep creating.
I would love to be able to make new collections, another runway show, and, above all, continue being able to share my art and make a living from what I truly love doing.
R: Thank you for letting us into your world and sharing a glimpse into your creative process. We can’t wait to see what’s next for you! ¡Mucha suerte!
photography by @munblas