Agatha Ruiz de la Prada

Agatha Ruiz de la Prada (Agatha Ruiz de la Prada) is without a doubt an outstanding personality.
Best selling designer in Spain. A fashion designer whose name is known to everyone in the global fashion industry. A unique style that boldly combines bright colors and original shapes, recognizable in all objects touched by Agatha’s creativity, which has been creating a world of iridescent beauty and truly childlike spontaneity for almost a quarter of a century. Working in collaboration with famous brands such as SWATCH, MARIE CLAIRE, PAMESA, AMAT on all kinds of objects: clothing and shoes, accessories, furniture, interior elements, ceramic tiles, etc., Agata created her own brand and founded a company that called it by her name.
Agatha Ruiz de la Prada is one of the largest companies engaged in the production of clothing for children and women, with representative offices in various parts of the world. Her original solutions are known throughout the planet. A special distinctive feature of all the master’s creations is the amazing combination of colorful, cheerful and non-standard designs, which makes the style special and recognizable. All models combine bright combinations of color shades, which creates a feeling of celebration and at the same time carries an extraordinary, bright, amazingly beautiful originality. The secret, according to Agatha herself, is that there are no dark shades in her collections. Agatha offers a world full of light and life; she believes that color influences a person’s life and perception, his feelings, relationships and state of mind. By choosing clothes in rich colors, people become happier.

Biography

Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada y Sentmenat (Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Sentmenat) was born on July 22, 1960 in Madrid, into a family of Spanish aristocrats.
She is the twelfth Marchioness of Castelldosríus, Grandes de España (Granees of Spain, Grandee - "noble honor", are the highest ranking members of the Spanish nobility), and the nineteenth Baroness of Santa Pau (Santa Pau is a municipality in the region of Girona, autonomous community of Catalonia). She began her professional career in 1981 by presenting her signature collection of clothing for women at the fashion house “Local” (Madrid).
Later, the young designer opens her first studio store in Madrid on Marqués de Riscal Street. At her first fashion show in Barcelona, ​​she showed dresses made from fabrics that she painted with her own hands. Agatha actively participates in the cultural life of the Spanish capital, exhibiting her works in art galleries, being a prominent representative of the cultural revolution of the 80s, known as the “movida madrileña” (“Madrid movement”). This movement gave the world many famous creative personalities. In the late 80s, Agatha presented her collections at fashion shows in France and Spain, published her first book (“Comfortable Fashion”), and also tried herself in the design of pastel linen.
Experiments continued into the 90s. First, a collection of kitchen utensils and tableware for Bidasoa, and a year later a joint project to produce an exclusive perfume with Gal. In 1992, Agata registered her own brand.
The era of de la Prada begins: the “Dressed Watches” collection for Swatch; clothing, accessories and interior items for the largest Spanish chain of shopping centers “El Corte Ingles”; a new fragrance under his own brand and design of ceramic tiles for the PAMESA plant. Agatha becomes a regular participant in famous European exhibitions dedicated to interior design. By the way, in the world of ceramic tiles, the collection of the same name by this designer left its bright mark and became the hallmark of the PAMESA factory. This tile is distinguished by an incredible variety of decorative elements, as well as a magnificent combination of bright rich colors, in which de la Prada’s signature style is easily recognizable. It is surprising that the collection, created in 1997, is still considered fashionable, relevant and in high demand among buyers. This is the eternal avant-garde! The author’s style and charisma are especially clearly visible against the backdrop of numerous imitators offering an alternative to this mischievous, mischievous, but at the same time incredibly cute ceramics. You don’t often see such energy in the product range of finishing materials stores, but if this tile is available, believe me, the owner will definitely find a good place for it in the exhibition. And you will certainly pay attention to the characteristic hearts and stars, unique graphics, incredible performance, and of course the unreal combination of colors!

Interview

Here are excerpts from an interview with Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

- Is fashion a business for you?

- For me, fashion is the biggest hobby that you can do all your life. This is far from just business.

- How do you see a potential client for your collection? Aren't you afraid that it will be difficult to sell?

- You know, I started working a long time ago, 27 or 28 years ago. At first I made collections in the Art Nouveau style and it was very difficult for people in Spain to understand them; they were afraid to buy things because they looked very strange. I know that I create very unusual things. But time has passed and now I am a designer with the largest sales volumes in the history of Spain. And here we are talking not only about clothes created by me, but also about things for children, furniture, ceramic tiles, and much more.

How do you switch from fashion design to ceramic tile design?

- Because I have one style and it is equally applicable to clothes, furniture, tiles and everything else.

- What is your favorite color?

- My number one color is always fuchsia.

- Do you mix colors according to any specific rules?

- No. It is absolutely natural for me to mix all colors and experiment with them. It's in my nature. I can do this for hours, days and weeks without ever getting tired.

- Do you have time for your personal life?

- I think a person should always find time for his personal life.

- As far as I remember, your husband is a famous journalist?

- Yes, he is a journalist and works very hard. Maybe because I'm with him I have so much time to work. It always works. His magazine only has 3 days off per year! That's why he works, and I work...

For reference: Agata Ruiz's husband is Pedro Jose Ramirez Codina. Born on March 26, 1952 in the city of Logrono, province of La Rioja (Spain), better known as Pedro J. Ramirez. Journalist and writer. In 1989, he founded the newspaper El Mundo, and remained its permanent editor for a quarter of a century (an absolute record among editors of the central print media in Spain). He has collaborated with several radio stations, works on television, and writes books.

- Do you have children?

- Yes (Agatha has two children, son Tristan (born in 1987) and daughter Cosima (born in 1990)). I think children are very important, but you shouldn't constantly take care of them, you should give them a lot of freedom. Excessive maternal care primarily has a negative impact on the children themselves.

- What things do you always carry in your purse?

- Always lipstick, since I have plump lips, even my lipstick is my best-selling product, which sells best all over the world. I think. That you can easily find it in your stores.

- What makes a woman stylish in your opinion?

- For some reason, traditionally a fashionable woman is associated with an arrogant, bitchy image. I think we, designers, should change this image, and a stylish woman should be associated with warmth, kindness, and a pleasant atmosphere around her. This is much better than the image of a bitchy and arrogant bitch. I also think that a kind, open person is more erotic both as a friend and as a business partner.

In Russia

Agatha de la Prada first visited Moscow in November 2004 with the presentation of new brand perfumes; subsequently she repeatedly presented her collections of women's and children's clothing on Moscow catwalks. In 2012, as part of Russian Fashion Week, Agata Ruiz de la Prada presented the exhibition “Twenty Costumes for Russia,” which included works by the best Spanish designers. The source of inspiration for the authors, according to them, was the works of classics of Russian and Spanish literature: Tolstoy, Chekhov, Marquez, Cervantes and others. Agatha dedicated her own design - a dress made of transparent fabric with multi-colored balls inside - to her favorite Spanish writer and 2010 Nobel Prize winner in literature, Mario Vargas Llosa. “I’ve been a fan of his since I was 13 years old, and that’s why I decided to dedicate my dress to him,” Agatha Ruiz de la Prada admitted in an interview.

- There are always a lot of bright colors in your collections. What role do they play?

- Bright colors lift our spirits and make us happier, and I'm sure they're good for our health. I was in Moscow some time ago and noticed that now less and less people are dressing in dark colors. And that's great!

- What do you think about Russian fashion?

- There are so many beautiful girls living in Russia, and Russian style has always been popular in world fashion. Russian girls are real heroines; it is more difficult for them to follow fashion, because they also need to take into account weather conditions and comfort. Here, clothing must perform another important “defensive” function - to protect from the cold.

The article was based on materials from:
WomanJournal.ru;
website Poshivchik.ru;
plot of the program “Algebra of Fashion”.