ENTITLED “EL BAILE DE LOS EXCLUIDOS” (THE BALL OF THE EXCLUDED), DESIGNER LEANDRO CANO’S PRESENTATION MIXED DIFFERENT “BUCOLIC REFERENCES WITH DREAMS” AND PAID TRIBUTE TO THE PEOPLE SET APART IN THE MIDDLE AGES BECAUSE OF THEIR DIFFERENCE.
Andalusia has always been a land of passions, but today it seems more fashionable than ever. Lately, many groups and artists have been appropriating the region’s traditional folklore and reinventing it. From abroad, none of this seems cliché or old-fashioned: in its new light, Andalusia seduces. And the richness of its culture is conquering cities around the world, including Paris’ Haute Couture week, where both Leonardo Cano and Juana Martin presented their collections.
Leandro Cano’s “El Baile de los Excluidos” parade opened with a Nazarene dressed in black, reminiscent of a Holy Week procession. Elaborate silhouettes followed, characterized by exaggerated volumes, including a dress inspired by a metallic armor made of 1,750 meters of chains, a male wool suit decorated with more than 3,000 golden nails and weighing a whopping 15 kg, a red crochet look referring to the one worn by Lady Gaga a few years ago and even a long dress with papal reminiscences paraded under a canopy, in a new nod to the Andalusian Holy Week.
“This is an ideal moment to celebrate the marginalized and claim the craftsmanship of our country, widely appreciated abroad,” explained Leandro Cano backstage at the fashion show. The designer was born in 1984 in Ventas del Carrizal (Jaén) and designed this collection during the pandemic, which he lived as a period of inspiration, surrounded by the women of his family.
Ten looks for ten years: Cano’s collection claims the tradition and value of the craftsmanship of his region. The show was held at the Spanish Embassy in Paris, a space that was also used by the Spanish label Oteyza a few days earlier and which is becoming a must for fashion brands.
It took three months of hard work to make “Las Bellas Criaturas” (The Beautiful Creatures), a white cotton jumpsuit decorated with large dolls and towers hand-embroidered with blue elements, representing the weight that weighs on the shoulders of women. And this is just one of the ten exclusive looks presented by the designer Leandro Cano, originally from Jaén.
Cano presented his latest ready-to-wear collection in Spain last April. To support his commitment to artisans, Leandro Cano also released a short documentary film called “Caballo Ganador” (Winning Horse), focusing on the skills of his teams. “I want to show what the artisans I work with do. I want to be a designer who shows the work behind his collections instead of hiding it. I’m proud of that,” he says.
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