For some time now we’ve been following the work of the designer and entrepreneur Carmen Berdonces and we’re great admirers of her attention to detail as well as her enterprising and valiant nature. We absolutely loved her collaboration with our good friend Anel Yaos at 080 in Barcelona and we were more than pleasantly surprised to hear she would be working with María Magdalena on her collection ‘Integración’ which was presented recently at the Samsung EGO platform during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid.

Here at So Catchy! we thought we’d take advantage of this opportunity to get to know this emerging Andalusian designer. Don’t miss out on the interview below!


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So Catchy: Carmen, how did your collaboration with María come about?

Carmen Berdonces: Her first collection caught my attention and I had always wanted to collaborate with a designer at EGO for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. I knew that María Magdalena would be the perfect person to work with so we talked about it and got to work immediately.

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SC!: What was the creative process like, from the first ideas to developing the pieces?

CB: The first time we met, Alejandra proposed making belt pouches. We adapted them to my style and gave them a double purpose, separately a bag and a belt. Then came the choker and the armbands that we used for arms and for ankles. We went all in on this style. We wanted to reference the obsession for luxury brands so we stamped our logos all over the accessories and added pearls to give them a distinctive touch.

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SC!: When it came to choosing materials, we’ve heard that all of your pieces are artisanal and that you always work with the best leathers but why did you choose brown for this collection?

CB: On this occasion, the accessories aren’t made of leather. Alejandra preferred to use other materials and I agreed. It’s canvas with a leather grain effect that we created, adding our logos with digital printing. The pearls carry a special mechanism to be able to fasten them.

I don’t usually use brown, I prefer colors that are more flashy but for the idea that we were working on, the combination with the pieces was perfect.

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SC!: What was it like taking part in the catwalk at EGO together with María Magdalena?

CB: When the show finished, we all hugged Alejandra. We were so happy that we were crying. I think we made a great team and we all worked hard. I’m very happy with how everything came out and the trust that was given to me for this collaboration with María Magdalena. All of us designers form a family when w meet at fashion events. We spend a lot of time together and share so much. I’m quite happy with the experience.

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SC!: What will you be working on next?

CB: I’ve just finished the collaboration with María Magdalena, which is already on sale at my website www.carmenberdonces.com and some time ago I worked with Anel Yaos at 080 Barcelona Fashion so I need to focus a bit on Carmen Berdonces and develop some of the ideas I’ve been sitting on.


Photos courtesy of VOGUE

Photographer: Pablo Latorre / L’Estrop

 

Translation and layout by Michael Padilla