Where Light Becomes Colour: An Interview with Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada
Few designers have made color so unmistakable their own. For more than four decades, Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada has created a visual universe of hearts, flowers, vibrant colors, and unexpected shapes that turns her innate sense of optimism and playfulness into a recognizable language that goes far beyond the clothes themselves. For a designer whose personality is so set in stone, there is little interest in standing still. It is only the years that have passed that made her more curious than ever before.
Madrid has been a constant in the evolution of her career, as it is where Ruiz de la Prada was born, where she started her professional journey, and where her studio, shop, and workshop are still located today. Yet, for the designer, longevity is not about looking back but about learning new things, working with younger people, and experimenting with new ways of self-expression. And, most importantly, it is about retaining the joy of fashion. Ruiz de la Prada talks with us about her curiosity after decades of designing clothes, the freedom that the designer’s identity affords her, the emotions that dressing a woman brings, and why, for her, fashion was never meant to be taken seriously.
photograghy Framae Studios
images courtesy Madrid Fashionweek
Sandra Myhrberg: After decades in fashion, what still makes you curious as a designer?
Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada: I’ve been a designer for many years, and the truth is that, because I enjoy it so much, I have more fun with it every day. I imagine it must be the same for a good doctor: every day you know more, you learn more, and more interesting cases come your way.
It’s exciting to see the years go by and realize how much you keep learning. If you genuinely love what you do, you become more curious and more interested every day. But if someone was only attracted to it in a superficial way, then of course I can understand how they might get bored very quickly.
SM: You have developed an instantly recognisable visual language. How do you continue to evolve it while staying true to your identity?
ARDLP: Once you have your own language, and, as you say, a recognizable language, it becomes very easy to adapt. From there, it’s really a question of adapting to trends, seeing what’s happening, working with young people, and working as a team. All of that allows you to keep rethinking and exploring your own style in many different ways.
SM: What are you most interested in exploring in fashion at this stage of your career?
ARDLP: Well, I think there are many brands that start out, become successful, and then, because life can be very tough, that interest eventually fades. So being able to dress a girl, then later dress her daughter, and then almost her granddaughter, is something very beautiful and very moving.
SM: Do you think fashion has become too serious?
ARDLP: No, not at all. Fashion has never been serious. It has never been serious in the entire history of humanity. Fashion has never been serious, and that’s exactly why I like it.
SM: What does Madrid give you creatively that you might not find elsewhere?
ARDLP: I really love Madrid. First of all, because it’s the city where I was born, and it has such great energy. I don’t really know why, but it’s a city that gives you a lot of energy and it’s a lot of fun. I also rely a lot on my roots here, especially my friends. Thank God, I have many friends in Madrid, so I really enjoy myself here. And on top of that, I have my studio, my shop, my workshop, everything is here.
