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SANTAMARTA BY MARTA MATÉ AND ALFREDO MAESTRO: AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW

At a time when fashion seems torn between immediacy and the search for purpose, Santamarta positions itself as a voice that invites pause and reflection. Behind the brand are Marta Maté and Alfredo Maestro, two young designers who decided to transform their artistic curiosity into a project where design and sustainability coexist honestly and naturally without abandoning their identity.

Since they began shaping the brand in 2023, their journey has been as intense as it has been inspiring: they have shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid and 080 Barcelona Fashion, and have taken their collections to various European showrooms and pop-ups. But beyond these achievements, what truly defines Santamarta is its approach to upcycling: a practice that challenges sustainability clichés and relies on minimalism and clean design to demonstrate that sustainability can also be sophisticated.

To mark the launch of their latest collection, “Habitar un espacio” (Inhabiting a Space), we had the opportunity to talk with Marta and Alfredo about their creative process, the evolution of the brand, and the ideas that bring their universe to life. In this interview, the designers share how they conceive of fashion as a form of reflection, how they transform materials into new stories, and how their work has become an act of resistance against the frenetic pace of the present.

Lucía Merino: Before we begin, I’d like you to introduce yourselves as designers and tell me a little about your journey so far.

Marta Maté and Alfredo Maestro: We are Marta Maté and Alfredo Maestro. We started developing the whole concept behind Santamarta around 2023, but it wasn’t until January 2024 that we began to put it into action. It’s been a very intense two years for us. Since we started, we’ve shown at MBFW Madrid and 080 Barcelona, ​​and participated in pop-ups and showrooms in several European cities.

LM: How did the idea for Santamarta come about?

MM and AM: We’ve always been people with a lot of creative drive. This project was born as a way to freely express our artistic vision and approach fashion from the production method we consider most ethical.

LM: What mission do you want to fulfill with Santamarta within the fashion industry?

MM and AM: We want to promote a different way of understanding sustainability, beyond the aesthetics and clichés associated with it. Our mission is to make the most of textile waste without sacrificing design.

LM: What sets Santamarta apart from other brands that work with reuse, recycling, and sustainability?

MM and AM: Many people are surprised when they discover that our garments are made from other garments. And that’s precisely what we aim for, and what makes Santamarta different. Santamarta breaks away from the preconceived notion of «sustainable» or «recycled» aesthetics. We hate those labels and believe they greatly influence a brand’s aesthetic. For us, minimalism and design are precisely the tools to reach the public and show that making the most of resources isn’t incompatible with clean, modern design.

LM: How do you manage to combine recycling, artistic creation, and environmental awareness in your garment design?

MM and AM: I think the key is that we don’t let the material limit us when we design. We design and then study how to bring it to life using the available raw materials. We don’t think, for example, about a jacket and how to reuse it; instead, we design what we want and look for the best way to make it, adapting the pattern to the material. In this way, we can ensure that design is as important as the brand’s values.

LM: What role does fashion design play at Santamarta?

MM and AM: Fashion design is currently the main pillar of the project. We’ve only been developing the brand for a few years, and although we have many plans, it’s too early to be able to carry them all out simultaneously.

LM: We saw that you presented your new collection, «Habitar un espacio» (Inhabiting a Space), at 080 Barcelona. The title itself raises a question: what perception did you want to explore with this collection?

MM and AM: We wanted to explore space in all its dimensions, from the physical to the mental and emotional. In line with our collection About Perception, we want to reflect on how all the meanings and forms of objects and spaces can change depending on our own intention.

LM: What is the main message you want to convey with these garments? What was the trigger that made you decide to create a collection based on that message?

MM and AM: The idea arose quite spontaneously. Our inspirations always form around conversation, and the books we read greatly influence our collections. At that initial stage, we drew some ideas from the book Zen in the Art of Archery, which talks a lot about the importance of projecting, with the body and the mind; intention is almost more important than action.

LM: What reflection do you want to offer your audience? What sensations do you seek to create in the viewer when they encounter your collection?

MM and AM: The themes of the collections are something that we feel mostly stays within the studio and with the designers, and that once the collection is shown, its meaning is diluted. That’s why, beyond sharing this idea about space, we seek to convey that state of tranquility and calm that we always project through the music of our fashion shows, and which we believe somehow reflects our concept of reflection, slowness, and minimalism.

LM: Do you think that working with recycled pieces limits you when it comes to expressing your creativity? Do you prioritize the good use and optimization of materials over the full expression of your creativity?

MM and AM: As I mentioned before, reusing garments doesn’t limit our way of designing, although, of course, for us, making the most of the material is an absolute priority. That’s why we keep all the leftovers from our own production and reuse them to create other garments and smaller accessories. For example, our Fleur Errings, which were very successful at the last edition of the EGO showroom, are earrings made with strips of leather leftover from the About Perception collection. Our button-down top, which opened our recent collection at 080, is made entirely from buttons cut from shirts used to create the rest of the skirts in the collection.

LM: How have you translated the concept of your collection into something more tangible, like garments?

MM and AM: One of the resources we’ve used to represent the imitation of space and nature has been leather, wrinkling it and giving it texture through molding over stones. The small sacks the models wore as accessories also reflect humanity’s obsession with possessing nature and space, trying to capture and carry it with them. Even upcycling, as a reinterpretation of other garments, is itself another way of symbolizing how we inhabit clothing.

LM: Would you say that your own collection has also sparked reflection within you?

MM and AM: Absolutely! It all starts with a conversation about a topic that concerns us, and from there we generate ideas. During this process, we always find personal inspiration because the themes we address tend to be quite existential, haha.

LM: What was it like working together on this collection? What does each of you contribute to Santamarta’s creative process?

MM and AM: We always develop the creative process together; each of us adds ideas to the other’s vision. When it comes to creating the collection, Marta usually does the sketches and sewing, while Alfredo is in charge of pattern making, which in our case is a very delicate process because we have to carefully study the raw materials (trousers, jackets, shirts, etc.) to design the pattern pieces around the available material and make the most of these secondhand garments.

LM: Since the brand was founded, you’ve maintained a very strong identity, but one that’s always evolving. Where do you feel you are creatively at right now?

MM and AM: With each collection, we continue to define our style. We’re happy with the direction we’ve taken the project, but we’re always looking for ways to move forward and work with materials and garments that present a new challenge.

LM: What motivates you to keep creating in such a rapidly changing environment as the one we live in today?

MM and AM: It’s precisely this acceleration of the current moment that makes us think that projects with values ​​and messages beyond social media content, photos, influencers, reels, and all those things that fry our brains and distract us from the present are necessary. We ourselves also feel overwhelmed by today’s hyper-productive lifestyle, but we’re swimming against the tide so that, at least from Santamarta, we can contribute a small grain of sand to a more authentic and reflective way of life.

LM: Finally, after such an introspective collection as “Habitar un espacio” at 080 Barcelona, ​​what do you take away from this process on a personal and artistic level?

MM and AM: Alongside the creation of Habitar un espacio, many things have happened at Santamarta that have reaffirmed that the effort we put into the project every day is making the brand grow, bringing upcycling and our values ​​closer to more and more people.

questions by @luuciamer

translated by @alraco43