MERCEDES BENZ MADRID FASHION WEEK AUTUMN WINTER 2022: A Roundup Report

by Cecile Paul · Published April 5, 2022 · Updated April 5, 2022

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MADRID Fashion Week Fall 2022 Paid Tribute to the Curvaceous Cut-Out Midriff and über-Eighties Power ‘Pagoda’ Shoulders. Oh, and Shocking Pink was the Brightest Star of the Show.

All Image Credit Madrid Fashion Week, Vogue and Participating Designers

Fringing, a touch of tartan and bright stilettos – at ManéMané

¡Hola! and welcome to the fabulous 75th commemorative edition of Mercedes Benz Madrid Fashion Week, Spain’s number one fashion event. The elegant city of Madrid with its Beaux-Arts heritage – and in particular the Feria de Madrid where most of the shows and presentations took place – transformed itself into a heaving melting pot of all things en vogue for a week in March with live streams, digital presentations, runway shows, fashion talks & lessons, interviews with designers and sponsors on the official set of MBFW Madrid, award ceremonies and much, much more.

L’Oréal Paris was once again the official makeup artist and hairdresser brand, perfecting the latest catwalk trends for Autumn Winter 2022, working hand-in-hand with the esteemed Spanish designers and at the same time offering the most sensational tutorials and makeup tricks to fashion week attendees.

Well-established heavyweight fashion designers rubbed shoulders with the new kids on the block over the course of this week. There were awe-inspiring international collaborative fashion incentives or ‘fashion bridges’ between different cultures (Spain and Tanzania, for example), there were copious quantities of awesome upcycling and recycling too, and the result was a very rich selection of fashion on offer, all in line with the all-important conscience of sustainability in fashion.

The very characterful street style of Madrid – imaginative, casual, forward-thinking – which ran in parallel with the shows was also a special spectacle to behold. All-in-all a fashion fiesta was had – on and off the runways in Madrid – and if you missed it you’re cordially invited to join us to re-experience the very best bits!

ManéMané

A magical fusion of European and African creativity, with history and design intertwined in every colourful creation, ManéMané is the brainchild of a ‘fashion bridge’ between Spain and Tanzania. Traditional tailoring effortlessly brings together the best from both continents: blazers, corsets, kilt-like pleated skirts and tailored coats get a fashion-forward culture shock.

Fabrics include traditional Maasai Mara blankets and kikois from Tanzania and Kenya and plaid, tartan and wool from Europe. The influences are inspired, multicultural and global – from Scottish kilts and plaids to oriental-style platforms. The details in each ensemble are divine: contrasting piping edges the tailored coats, elegant scalloped edges decorate the structured corsets, eye-catching patchwork and recycled ties and ribbons give each piece a unique character. The orchestrator behind this fabulous incentive adds, “They are very traditional (European) clothes but brought to the Tanzanian world, to the vision we had of garments you want to wear for a very long time, which are fun and appealing.” We couldn’t agree more! These are pieces for posterity.

A scalloped patchwork balconette corset-top – at ManéMané

Piping on this pirate coat, plaid and tweed work well with a pair of Japanese-inspired platforms – at ManéMané

Stunning appliqued embellishments – at ManéMané

Regal and theatrical red plaid – at ManéMané

Stringy embellishments, tartan and tweed get the African touch – at ManéMané

Treble Denim looks very modern – at ManéMané

Fit for a king! (or the court’s joker) – at ManéMané

Upcycled elements give this ensemble a fun character – at ManéMané

Shell-embellished gloves and oversized sequins on the skirt – at ManéMané

Ernesto Naranjo

Ernesto Naranjo’s collection is dreamy and escapist, bohemian and ever-so-slightly theatrical. The tailoring is softened with the application of tactile, hand-made details like oversized knitted pom-poms (traditional Spanish ‘madroños’), fringed, three-and-a-half meter long boas and oversized pieces of crocheted fabric. The metallic fringing is particularly striking in its boldness and vivacity.

In this collection the fabrics are gently tie-dyed and dramatically draped, tailored trousers come in soft colour-blocking and raised top-stitched contours embellish the long toga-like waistcoats and dresses. Flashes of neon metallics in the boas and leather boots beautifully juxtapose and contrast the muted opaque greys and browns of many of the ensembles, and the addition of bright fuchsia satin as pops of colour is very effective.

It’s a collection that’s subtle, sophisticated, balanced and extremely well-considered. The designer adds, “our aim is to make things easy for our clients and give them options to choose from.” Well, you’ve most certainly succeeded – most of us would find a very special piece (speaking for myself – quite a few, actually) in this offering.

Fringing on the collar – at Ernesto Naranjo

Shocking pink drapey trousers and gold boots – at Ernesto Naranjo

Curvaceous embroidery and a shiny bag – at Ernesto Naranjo

A hand-dyed trapeze dress and shiny boots – at Ernesto Naranjo

A stunning set of unusual colours – at Ernesto Naranjo

An interesting mauve drape – at Ernesto Naranjo

A hooded waistcoat with raised embellishments – at Ernesto Naranjo

A blanket-coat, shiny boa and poison green pointy boots – at Ernesto Naranjo

Oversize pom-poms and 60s-inspired boots – at Ernesto Naranjo

Ynésuelves

A play between the sheer and translucent, and the dense, opaque fabrics makes this collection very interesting indeed. The pieces are cleverly tailored and embellished with magical elements like mermaids, butterflies, flowers and stars, hand-painted and embroidered onto silk. These also appear on leather belts and jewellery, to great effect.

The silhouettes are reminiscent of traditional men’s tailoring but these have been reconstructed to take on novel shapes – the pockets on jackets, for example, are oversized. Dresses come in translucent organza and silk: they’re sheer, flimsy and floaty, and are juxtaposed with the heavier fabrics used to construct the coats, jackets and trousers.

The designer sums up this exquisite range that’s full of contrasts and one in which the traditional is effortlessly mixed with the new, by saying,” we love blending extremes. The idea was to pay tribute to the different aspects of womanhood through the diversity found in nature.” The result is a super feminine and very covetable, modern offering.

Sheer red tulle – at Ynésuelves

Interesting proportions in this jacket, worn with slashed-hem trousers – at Ynésuelves

Sheer, translucent and shocking pink – at Ynésuelves

Magical embellishments on the belt and collar of this tailored coat – at Ynésuelves

Sonia Carasco

Sonia Carasco’s Autumn Winter 2022 range is a very tactile one indeed, full of delicious crafted details like the long ropes that embellish a knitted dress, the jacquard-knitted suits and the crunchiness of the satin scarves that are tucked around models’ necks for effect.

The unexpected little details, like a bolero over a blazer, the elongated sleeves on a shirt and an asymmetrical ribbed cobalt blue jumper peeking out from under a mocha brown suit, are what make this range very memorable. This tension between aspects of Carasco’s design is intentional. She explains, “sleeves are extra long, and there is a sense of chaos in the ropes cascading down some of the pieces, as in those moments when you feel emotionally low.”

The tailoring – like the rest of this range – also tells a story: the deconstruction and avant-garde nature of the pieces – jackets, for example, expose their inner structure and blazers are deliberately oversized and genderless. Carasco used deadstock fabrics like recycled cotton, organic wool and vegan leather to create this range, clearly keeping an eye on the sustainability credentials too. We adore the earthy tones of the pieces, which is allegedly inspired by the film Dune.

A short tweed bolero juxtaposed with a maxi skirt – at Sonia Carasco

Loose-cut trousers and a layered shirt – at Sonia Carasco

Layering and colour blocking – at Sonia Carasco

Rope-extensions give a tactile edge to this ensemble – at Sonia Carasco

A stunning crocheted rope creation – at Sonia Carasco

Asymmetry in this crocheted sweater and sky blue suit ensemble – at Sonia Carasco

A pop of cobalt blue brings out the earthy tones of the rest of the ensemble – at Sonia Carasco

Overly long crocheted hems – at Sonia Carasco

Elegant and avant-garde rope details – at Sonia Carasco

A cut-out midriff and rope details – at Sonia Carasco

Traditional tailoring meets knitting here – at Sonia Carasco

Dominnico

Gritty, gutsy and somewhat futuristic may be one way of describing this Autumn Winter 2022 range. Designer Domennico Lázaro produced a selection of pieces that seem inspired by a combination of cyberpunk and motorcycles. Colours are bright and animated, body-conscious and some pieces (like the 2-tone pink and red miniskirt and micro top suit) verge on bondage, with an endearing bubble gum twist in the tale!

Studded, colourful cyberboots (think Mad Max or 1960s Barbarella,) beaded mesh, , shimmery lame, faux fur, PVC, leather and lace paint a picture of adventures in a spectacularly futuristic, technicolour universe full of fuchsia pink, poison green and cobalt blue. The shapely cut-out dresses and long trench coats are super memorable, and so is the little tweed suit with the oversized applied hearts.

Our favourite in the collection has to be the spectacular dusty pink and tarnished gold cut-out ‘empress’ dress with its strategic wraps and cut-outs. (Incidentally, cut-outs were one of the key trends at this Fall 2022 Madrid Fashion Week.) This is a fun and edgy compilation of traditional design and tailoring to appeal to the Gen Zees out there as well as to their somewhat older (but young-at-heart) fashionista-counterparts.