By Jesse Scott
Juana Martin's couture offering for Spring-Summer 2025, presented at Salt de Loup in the Palais de Tokyo, began not with a model but with the mesmerizing voice of Estrella Morente. The famous Granada-born flamenco singer sailed down the runway wearing a gown with a dramatic black train and serenading rapt guests with heartfelt passion. She would soundtrack the entire show, the live performance a fitting touch given the complex emotions evoked by Martin's silhouettes and the designer's frequent emphasis on her Andalusian heritage. But it was the clothes that ultimately took center stage. Beginning with an imaginative white chrysalis dress, which seemed to defy physics due to the delicate nature of the fabric yet robust and dramatic nature of the silhouette (Look 1), Martin guided guests on a soulful journey that brought flamenco's soul into the future.
Identidad: Andalusia Takes Paris's Runways
Martin is the only Spanish designer on the Haute Couture calendar, a badge she wears with pride, with textiles as her canvas. She designs collections that illustrate new elements of Andalusian culture and heritage each season. For Spring-Summer 2025, her sixth offering, iconic figures like actress Lola Flores served as inspiration for a collection marked by high drama and the finest artisanal craftsmanship. A series of black and white gowns (Looks 4, 6, 22), many glittering with jewels or flowing with elaborately layered ruffles, captured the often-tragic, always-alluring thematic nature of flamenco.
Natural tones, for example cream and a rich brown (Look 3), emphasized what the show notes described as the "authenticity and artisanal savoir faire" of Martin's work. Florals were a recurring motifs, sometimes hinted at through the silhouettes of garments and other times figuratively present on elaborate adornments. One model wore a dress seemingly bereft of any fabric; rather, it appeared to be an intricately constructed minimalist wire framework bearing an arrangement of metallic flowers and leaves. (Look 27) The collection's masterpiece was a somewhat surrealist mesh skirt, rustling like the thin canopies of faux leaves providing shade at Mediterranean beach clubs, extending into a bouquet of white petals that comprised a voluminous train. The skirt was paired with a barely-there breastplate of metal flowers draped loosely over the model's otherwise bare chest, creating a wholly unique silhouette that could perhaps best be described as "forest nymph." (Look 28) This visionary look drew murmurs of appreciation from the audience, whose excitement increased even more as the models completed their final walk en masse alongside Morente and a beaming Martin.
Martin's Star Continues to Rise
Juana Martin's star continues to rise within the world of haute couture, as emphasized by the stars who attended her sixth show. Iconic influencer Vanessa Borelli and famous Kazakh actress and model Zarina Yeva were among those who sat front row. Meanwhile, Italian designer Francesca Bellavita collaborated with Martin to provide elegant shoes for the show and well-known Spanish brand I.C.O.N. joined forces with the beauty team to perfect the final looks.
As Morente's final haunting notes faded from the Palais de Tokyo, many guests were visibly moved. Now a staple on the couture calendar, Martin continues to entrance her audience season after season with sartorial rhythms of Andalusia.
