Miguel Adrover wins National Fashion Design Award for 2018

The jury chose the designer for "the profound impact that he has had on the world of fashion, his social commitment and the capacity for reflection shown in his work, as well the timeless currency of his discourse within the framework of contemporary creation. He is an iconoclastic artist widely recognised by critics around the world, and his influence continues to be felt in world of avant-garde fashion".

The award is granted in recognition of a creator, or group that may be considered a creator, for their work that has been made public or carried out in the previous year. With due justification, it may also be in recognition of a whole professional career. The award takes into account the quality of the work or activities that have been recognised, their innovative nature, and their significance as an outstanding contribution to Spanish cultural and artistic life.

Biography

Born in Majorca in 1965. Miguel Adrover lived in London and in the early 1990s moved to New York, where he began to design using recycled clothing. Some of his first designs that won him fame were dresses based on Burberry pieces and reinterpretations of Louis Vuitton bags.

His self-taught deconstructive style transformed into avant-garde design, with a preference for volumes with a strong content, allegories on the fashion industry, and a new artistic concept that included giving clothes a second life.

In 1995 he opened the store Horn with his partner Douglas Hobbs, where he presented a wide range of designs, among them the creations of the young Alexander McQueen. In 1999 he presented his first collection "Manaus-Chiapas-NYC", and shortly afterwards "Midtown". Both were widely applauded by the critics, and won him the support of Pegasus Apparel Group.

At the start of 2000 he received the prestigious Perry Ellis Award for best emerging designer. However, the following year he presented "Utopia", a collection based on the society and culture of Islamic countries. It was not well received by the critics and led to a distancing between Adrover and the world of fashion. The designer moved to Egypt, returning to Majorca in 2004, where he opened a bar while continuing to work in his workshop. Shortly after this he began to collaborate with the German organic clothing brand Hess Nature, which lasted until 2013. In 2010 he presented a new collection as part of the New York Fashion Week.

The jury

The jury for the award was chaired by Román Fernández-Baca, director-general for Fine Arts. The deputy chair was Begoña Torres, sub-director-general for Promotion of Fine Arts. The members were as follows: Agata Ruiz de la Prada, winner of the National Fashion Design Award in 2017; Ana García-Siñeriz, director of Condé Nast College; Juan Gutiérrez, curator of Contemporary Fashion, at the Museo del Traje (Costume Museum); Charo Mora, specialist in fashion culture; Lucas Arraut, editor of the magazine Icon; and Carmen Melgar, journalist and teacher specialising in fashion, trend analysis and the culture of contemporary fashion.

Non official translation