He telegraphed these ideas about Parisian style with wit and charm. There are some recognisable emblems of bourgeois style in slim blousons over skinny trousers and trench coats rendered as true to Abra: visibly a trench coat in front, the back entirely exposed. Perez hybridised other familiar garments like layered faux fur jackets (made from recycled nylon) that are fused together. He replicated the effect in a faux fur coat draped over the shoulders of a leather jacket. Elsewhere in the collection, there were flavours of couture with elegant shapes emulating the salubrious salons of Paris with explosions of cascading ruffles in cyan, cerise, and silver lamé and extravagant faux fur jackets shaped like rosebuds. Finally, he paid homage to Galliano with a string of newspaper print dresses from Christian Dior’s Fall-Winter 2000 collection.
“I like this idea of having a very crazy look but a very sophisticated attitude on the runway,” Perez said, in a video call from Paris.
What would you like us to know about the collection?
I wanted to have this feeling of clothing imported from Paris that is in boutiques around the world. In every city, there is a store that ‘imports’ clothing from Paris. I remember as a child my mother would go to a boutique in [Alicante, Spain] where they sell you the fantasy of clothing made in Paris. The collection has elements of Paris in the 1980s or ’90s. French fashion for me when I was a kid was John Galliano and Thierry Mugler.
I wouldn’t say this is a homage – it’s too soon to call it that – but it’s also got some of my greatest hits from previous collections that are more elevated. My first collection had Barbie prom dresses with sequins and it’s come back now in a more mature, more wearable, and more sophisticated way, but still reminding you of the brand’s beginnings.
How would you chart Abra’s growth from when you first started to now?
When I was a teenager, I was a big fan of fashion. I was collecting clothing from Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga, but I could never wear the outfit with Balenciaga shoes, because my feet were bigger than a size 42; so I started to create footwear for people who are like me and always dreaming of fashion. It’s five years on and there is still nobody doing bigger heels at luxury brands. I started Abra as a brand for everyone, that everyone can wear and fit into. Now, with the ready-to-wear, I hope people can come to us and not worry about not being able to fit into them. It’s all about inclusive sizing and individualism. We are unique and I never look at other people’s work, because I think people want my point of view.
Do you ever consider wider industry trends?
My brand is not about quiet luxury. I’m hearing people talk about entering a new era of quiet luxury. We wanted to start thinking about the opposite of quiet luxury. What are the materials of not quiet luxury? [In this collection] we went there: we are using lamé in pink and silver; faux fur made from nylon. There are ruffles and iconic bags and shoes with new animations.
How do you see your role as a fashion designer?
I always try to innovate and find something new. What’s happened is that a lot of people are trying to fit into what’s going to sell. It’s harder for hundreds of brands competing in the market with the same product. What we do is quite easy: if you like it, you’re going to go straight for it because it’s unique. For example, we created a ballerina sneaker and it’s all over the streets. You come to Abra because we’re the first ones to do it. Now, it seems everybody is trying to have their version.
When I created Abra, I didn’t want to create a massive empire. You can survive as a brand having a smaller vision of what you want to do with your company. It’s very charming to have a brand that is kind of hard to get. People come to us to be unique, they don’t come to be like the masses. I want to keep this as small and special for as long as I can.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.
