After the show, I went backstage with office to speak with Alejandro Gómez Palomo about his spectacular return to NYFW.
Welcome back to New York! How does it feel to be back for fashion week?
Alejandro Gómez Palomo— It is amazing. I feel like I delivered what I've been wanting to deliver in New York for a while, and it feels really really nice. I love coming to New York in September when it's still beautiful and sunny. I love the energy of the city, and the inspiring people that I see around.
What were you the most excited for people to see in this show?
Just a real strong Palomo collection, a glamorous grand collection. I've never shown in New York in a space like this. I could never really deliver a collection how I would do it in Paris or Madrid or something — in a grand space, with this kind of historical reference to Spanish culture, full of sexuality and all that. What we did in the collection that we presented today is really what I wanted people in New York to see from me.
It was a beautiful show. You mentioned that tone of sensuality, and of course, the title was “Cruising in the Rose Garden.” Where did that theme come from, and what does it mean to you?
It really came from the idea of both of our sides, the more romantic, soft and feminine side, and then the really straightforward sexual, dark, animalistic, maybe cruisey part that pretty much all of us have inside as well.
I was trying to create a universe that was the crux of both: the darkness that we almost want to hide from, but in a beautiful place, creating this kind of magical scene where sexuality and beauty and romance could live together.
I noticed that it came out even in the models’ walks, and the way that they looked into the audience. My favorite, there was one that lifted up their shirt and made eye contact.
Yeah, definitely, definitely. They were cruising at the Plaza!
I love it. How did you decide to do this as a collaboration with Bimba y Lola?
Well, this is a conversation that we've had for a while, and it's been a beautiful magical journey because it's really allowed me to explore a lot of things that I'm not normally able to explore at Palomo, which is a smaller independent brand.
I had the chance to really do whatever I wanted, like big jewelry, beautiful necklaces, things that cost a lot of investment for a brand like mine to do. I have my resources and they’re great, but with this I could really expand and be free to create.
The jewelry was stunning, like wearable art. If you had to pick, what was your favorite look or element from the show?
I had this moment yesterday — let me show you on my phone — where I was like, this is it, I'm already happy even if tomorrow doesn’t go well. We had this moment at the fitting yesterday… [A model] came in and put on this look and the energy in the room kind of changed. We all stopped and cried, and we lived this magical, beautiful moment. So that for me was my favorite this season.
That’s so special, thank you for sharing it. My last question: how do you feel that Palomo has grown as a brand since you started?
It's grown and it keeps growing but I think it keeps being really true to itself, to myself. There's coats and other things that I've been doing since the beginning of my career, since my first collection. I even look at some looks of this season, and I'm like, this is pretty similar to what I did for my graduate collection.
It’s real, it is me, it’s my life, and this is what I do. So, of course, I keep growing and I have more experience and more techniques and we explore different places, but the way I make fashion, it really always is the same.
