Victoria Prada, designer: "Attractive brands are born every day and you have to be very innovative" "21 years of economic information"

Victoria Prada was taking her first steps as a designer when Ana Patricia Botín fell in love with one of her garments and her business philosophy. Since then, the young businesswoman has seen how her slow fashion fashion brand has become known throughout Spain. Her namesake firm, Victoria Prada Collection, works with artisans from different countries around the world to make her garments with natural and handmade materials.

Let's start talking about your beginnings. How did you enter the world of fashion and at what point did you decide to take the plunge and found the Victoria Prada Collection?

Since I was little, fashion has been a world that has fascinated me. I was very observant, I loved drawing, going to painting classes... everything in my life was linked in some way to the sector. When I finished my high school studies, I decided to go to Milan and spent three years studying Fashion Styling at the Marangoni Institute. During that time, that creative part that had always accompanied me was seeping into me and the entrepreneurial spirit knocked on my door.

In my last year of college I understood that I wanted to open a business linked to crafts and handmade processes. I love to travel and soak up the culture of the area, observe its customs, get to know its markets... hence the idea of ​​creating a community of artisans with whom to work. In addition, since he did not want to give the world another problem, he was very clear that he was looking to create something sustainable and ecological. In 2018 I packed my bags and went on a trip to Colombia, where I met the first artisans and a year later I opened my office in Madrid under the name Victoria Prada Collection.

How would you define your signature and its style? What would you say is the differential fact of Victoria Prada Collection?

Victoria Prada Collection is, above all, a craft project. In each collection we introduce a new material, and with it, a new technique. If there is something that I would highlight about the firm, it is that you will not find something similar anywhere.

I like to combine different objects that somehow catch my attention and transform them into my own concept of what fashion is. With materials such as alpaca, organic cotton, linen, iraca palm or merino wool, I design biodegradable and ecological one-size-fits-all garments.

In addition, for me it was very important to bet on fair trade, helping local communities. Without a doubt, I would say that my hallmark is craftsmanship and all the power of handmade. As for the style, I would tell you that I start from an artisanal fabric and configure it. There is nothing like it. They are original garments with a lot of personality, with presence.

Pros and cons of working in this world. What about being a slow fashion brand?

I would tell you that competition is the most complex. Every day new very attractive brands are born and, although I do not have direct competition, you have to be very innovative. I move around a lot to reach artisans, etc. In the end, the creative process of Victoria Prada Collection is super elaborate.

Who are your references in the world of fashion? Who do you draw inspiration from?

My greatest reference is Isabel Marant. She is my favorite designer, I love her philosophy and she also started working with artisans. I have many people whom I admire, the truth. Chiara Ferragni too, especially on a business level, with her brand and her empire that she has built around her. Maybe I don't love her style, but for me she is a benchmark in the industry.

Who would you like to dress?

Chiarra Ferragni, Hailey Bieber… although I fulfilled my dream by dressing Ana Patricia Botín.

Talk to me about it…

Her niece, Carmen Ballesteros, daughter of Carmen Botín, is a close friend of mine and she wanted to give her a present. Ana Patricia was interested in the brand from the first moment and in its entrepreneurship. In fact, Banco Santander is giving me a lot of support and has financed my project. She read it all and loved it. What I never imagined is that days later I would post it on her networks and mention me as a model of a young entrepreneur in Spain. I noticed a spectacular change in sales. And in the media, the reception was great.

Where has Victoria Prada Collection focused right now?

I'm going to Colombia now and I'll be there for a month and a half. I want to help them in their social life and I am looking for artisans. My idea is to see how I can help them in the future, through fashion and design. I will create part of the winter collection there, but it is true that I want to continue supporting Made in Spain with which it will end here, in our country.

Where do you find inspiration?

In South America there are a lot of crafts and for me it is paradise. I have been in different countries, I have produced in Peru and Colombia and there is nothing like it. Crafts are everywhere, there is a cultural wealth that passes from generation to generation, with a unique know-how.

Fabrics such as alpaca, which is undoubtedly one of the best materials that exist for winter… the natural palm tree woven by hand by them… It is their life, their culture and they live for it.

Your star garment?

For me this summer has been the ponchos. Until recently, I would have told you about the 'oversize' pink merino wool V-neck vest that Ana Botín wore. In addition, I have been able to verify that it is a garment that is liked by very different age ranges and that reassures me a lot. Something similar has happened with ponchos. In addition, the result has been super good, I know you like it, they are comfortable, of good quality, I have been able to embroider the logo by hand...

Five basics that are never missing in your suitcase.

My Guerlain powder, my sports clothes, a dress for night and another for day, and jeans with a white T-shirt. I am very less is more.

What colors prevail in your collection?

We have repeated the fuchsia color after the fury of the vest and it has worked great.

How did the collaboration with Es Fascinante come about? (Es Fascinante is a platform founded by Valentina Suárez-Zuloaga together with her mother, Margarita Ruyra de Andrade, with a firm commitment to slow fashion that makes Spanish designers and firms known)

There was something in me that told me I had to be there. They were creating something very powerful and I started talking to them. We start selling together in October 2020, for the winter collection. We made four vests and three sweaters exclusively. I was delighted. The space, its philosophy, its way of working... it is spectacular how they welcome you as a brand, as a community. Valentina and Margarita communicate very well and at a design level they have an impeccable selection of garments. It is an honor to be part of Es Fascinante.

Do the designs launched by low cost brands influence you in any way? Do you see it as a threat?

I believe that we live in a country that leads fast fashion, but I think that little by little platforms like ES Fascinante or designers like me are proposing to the world that there is another concept when it comes to dressing. I'm not fighting against it, it's just another concept and another business model.

Will you open a physical store soon?

It is in my future plans, but it is not an immediate future. For now I prefer to have all the online management super controlled, and when I know that I have enough stock and production volume, I will launch without a doubt. If it does, it will be in Madrid.

Your essential fabric?

The alpaca, without a doubt. Its quality, its beauty… It makes me fall in love and inspires me.

Tell us about your next projects…

We start the new course by introducing home accessories made with 100% natural fabrics and 100% by hand. It makes me very excited.

How do you see yourself in a few years?

I would like to see myself with a physical store in Madrid, dressing important people and that people know how to appreciate the history behind my brand. But I guess what I want most is to lead a team and see how the Victoria Prada Collection evolves. I can not really see myself doing something else.