How Spain's Mixture of Cultures is Represented Through Their Fashion

June 12th, 2017 at 2:00am

¡Hola! Since I am currently studying abroad in Spain, I figured it would be fun to write an article about the fashion style in Spain. Spain has an incredibly unique fashion style because it is a combination of many different styles. Madrid, specifically, has a culturally diverse population. Its contact with other cultures, most noticeably the United States and the gypsies, creates unique styles.

Spain’s fashion is interesting because most people stick to a specific fashion culture. They either dress distinctly American or an almost bohemian style. For the purpose of this article, I tried to incorporate all three individual styles.

1—Spain

The most unique fashion trend that I have noticed are in in shoes. Madrid is a very hilly city filled with many narrow, steep streets that have even the most active person quickly out of breath. Yet, the largest fashion trend I have seen is leather platform shoes. Most Spanish shoe stores carry “Spain made” sections which only use fine leather and woods.

2—Gypsy

Spain has an unquestionable gypsy presence. Gypsy women and men have stands at El Rastro, the Spanish market held on Sunday, where they sell pieces from their culture. Gypsy fashion is similar to bohemian; the clothes tend to bring long, flowy skirts and dresses filled with intense colors and designs. Summers in Spain are hot and sunny, so the flow and light material give much needed relief to women. The skillful designs of the material are intricate patterns that are interesting to study.

3—American

Lastly, popular American young influence is undeniable. The more commercial parts of Madrid offer strips of contemporary American style versions of stores like Forever 21 and high-end stores like Marc Jacobs and Lacoste. Young people in Spain are very similar to the young people of America. Crop tops, off-the-shoulder tops, and chokers are staple pieces of contemporary young fashion.

What do you think of borrowing pieces from each culture? Do you think any of these cultures clash? Comment below! Until next time, ¡Adios!

Author