Olga Menchén has been at the head of the company Menchén Tomàs since 1995 designing, producing and putting together her own fashion collections “which dress women 24 hours a day”.The company is facing a year full of innovations with the launch of her online shop which will allow her to reach out to the international market, also by presenting her collections on the Madrid cat-walk, a fashion-date which according to the designer constitutes “the best shop-window for promotion of Spanish design”. We talked of challenges and opportunities in a year which promises to be full of hope…
How was your experience of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid ? You had some initial nerves, but in the end everything turned out very well…
You always have nerves before a fashion-show, but in this case there was the added pressure of being a debutante on a new cat-walk. The result of the experience was revealing and I can sum it up for you with this sentence …Why didn’t you do it before ?
Why did you decide to go for the Madrid fashion-show ?
Particularly because of the repercussions which the shows have in the media. In Madrid they treated us very well. That is not to say that I’m unhappy with the way Esma Proyectos and all her team treat us in Barcelona, but I noticed a big difference in the coverage of the show in the press and the importance attached to the work of the designer.
“In Madrid there is more media coverage of the catwalk shows”
What didn’t you like about 080 Barcelona Fashion ? Why ?
The decision was an easy one and I was sad not to have done the Barcelona catwalk show, but here there is no real follow-up to the shows and the creative work of the designers is of secondary importance. Personally I don’t agree with the policy of promoting famous people who happen to be currently in favour and the celebrities who attend the shows getting an excessive coverage which eclipses everything else. It doesn’t seem logical to me that they should be more prominent than the designers themselves.
This circus that is organised around the catwalk shows results in fashion becoming perceived as something frivolous… What do you think ?
And fashion is certainly not frivolous ! Fashion is the mechanism that there is “back-stage”: people who work in it in order to get a collection onto the road, those who show passion for their job; it is that creativity and talent which is the life-blood of a company. No way is it frivolous !
“Fashion is the creativity and talent which is the life-blood of a company “
You have been in the job since 1995. What value do you give to this experience ?
I value it as providing an absolute passion towards my work, a passion for the job. If I could go back in time I have no doubt that I would wish to devote myself to it once again. I’m absolutely certain of
that !
How has Menchén Tomàs developed ?
In these last 22 years Menchén Tomàs has experienced many changes. Those I’ve noticed most have been in connection with the way in which the industry creates short-term needs and the manner in which they affect consumers. Previously people bought a designer-suit and they gave it a value. Currently the out-and-out consumer policies of low cost have killed off this concept and it seems that clothes have stopped being valuable.
“Previously people bought a designer-suit and gave it a value”
What is the key to organising every season your own prêt-à-porter, party and bridal collections ? How do you avoid getting lost with so many different productions ?
Menchén Tomàs began by specialising in bridal-wear and gradually we broadened the concept towards dressing women from morning until night. In this way we developed collections for the everyday and also for party clothes. Every area has a different type of clientèle and we can organise and manage it without losing the essence of the company.
How many people are currently working on the company’s team and what are your roles now ?
Everyone is professional and each of them has a specific job. The pattern-makers, the sales and design teams, the external cutting-workers… and I also have a daily feedback with the sales team, with those in charge of the shops throughout Spain in order to know what sells best or worst and to know the needs of the consumers.
What obstacles do you meet in the sector that maybe you didn’t meet previously ? Every day must be a survival experience…
Yes… we have survived everything: economic cycles, sector crises, ups-and- downs… It’s not easy, nor do we have any support, we are still here.
“We don't have any support, but we are still here “
What is your link with Gratacós ?
We’ve worked in parallel since we started. We’ve always worked very closely and every season they have surprises for me.
Why do they deserve your confidence ?
They’ve never let me down.
“Gratacós has never let me down”
What fabrics do you usually ask for ?
We’ve established a kind of game. Every season they tell me they have a surprise for me and after they’ve shown me some fabrics I ask : “ Where is my surprise ?” It’s then that they show me all the samples that I adore and I tell them to keep them for me – she smiles.
What other challenges are you giving yourself for 2017 ?
At the moment we’ve just finished setting up our shop online and it is our shop for everybody. We were able to see a demand for fabrics from other countries and now we will be able to supply them. Then I’ve got two projects in mind, but I’m not going to tell you about them until they take place. I prefer to keep it a secret !
Gratacós Questionnaire
Your essential garment…Jeans and a white shirt
A fetiche fabric… Cotton
A colour you could never give up… Red
A designer you admire… Azzedine Alaïa
An infallible style rule… That you wear the clothes, the clothes don’t wear you
Your favourite place in Barcelona… El Jardín del Taxi, near cerca Riera de San Miquel
A Word of advice for designers starting out… Follow your dreams
VYour ‘leit motiv’… Walk with me
