Lucadetena is the ‘bedroom brand’ inspired by the Rodarte sisters and Attenborough’s insects
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
From staging grandiose runway shows as a child, Luca De Tena has turned his ‘bedroom brand’ into psychedelic couture that inspires DIY energy and paves the way for more experimental designs in the Spanish fashion industry.
Courtesy of @luca.de.tena
NAME FELIPE LUCA DE TENA
AGE 27
LOCATION Madrid, Spain
STAR SIGN Virgo
May Garland: What inspired you to start Lucadetena?
Felipe Luca de Tena: Like most fashion kids, it’s been a dream of mine to start my own brand ever since I can remember. I’ve been staging grandiose runway shows in my head since I was 10 and walking around the house with a draped towel as if I was NAOMI CAMPBELL at an ALEXANDER MCQUEEN show. My inspiration came from an interview of the RODARTE sisters talking about their collections which I have always really loved. Also, I have always been obsessed with exotic nature and have watched every single DAVID ATTENBOROUGH documentary ever made. Taking these two elements, I decided to create a brand that tries to mimic nature’s patterns and colours through the use of different dye techniques.
MG: What message do you hope to convey with your brand?
FLT: I love brands that inspire a DIY energy, so it's very important to me to create a universe in which anyone can belong. To me democratised fashion isn't just about making cheap clothes, but more about democratising ideas. So even if someone can’t afford what I make, they can buy some acid dye and try to mimic what I do. Hopefully my work can inspire people.
MG: In three words, how would you define your style?
FLT: Crafty, psychedelic and insectile.
MG: What are some of the defining characteristics of the fashion landscape in Spain? What makes it different to other parts of the world?
FLT: If I’m answering honestly, for all its potential as a fashion powerhouse, its too scared to lead. There is a general consensus where it’s pretty hard to make it as an emerging designer unless you have made it internationally or have a ton of money. When it comes to the actual fashion scene, there are so many amazing Spanish designers yet the system as a whole doesn’t champion creativity or innovation. Our strength as a country lies within its artisans as there’s a rich history of leatherwork and embroidery, which is why many companies like COMME DES GARÇONS produce their shoes and leatherwear here in Spain. My hope is that the new generation of Spanish designers, that are making it on an international scale, force the system here to move forward and embrace the changes necessary to allow space for future generations and become the leading country that it could be.
MG: What has been the biggest issue you’ve faced in your creative process and how did you overcome it?
FLT: I think I’m facing it right now. As a “bedroom brand” where I’m in charge of 95% of everything, success might be the scariest thing I could face. Making one-off pieces using my mom’s bathtub and a couple of pots is the easy part, but that transition from being a designer to actually having a brand is a huge issue. Having to face actual orders when I’m practically on my own and without enough money to invest in a production line is terrifying. It’s a lot of work when having to pair it with managing social media, taking care of the PR requests and all the stuff that comes with owning a brand. I severely underestimated what comes after finishing a collection and if I can offer any advice to designers venturing on to starting their own brands it would be to have a very clear plan from the start and know what to invest in. About overcoming it, I will find out soon enough lol.
MG: Who is your favourite designer at the moment?
FLT: My new fave has to be PAULA CANOVAS DEL VAS. She reminds me of SYBILLA, who I interned for and who has been the most amazing Spanish designer since BALENCIAGA.
MG: What’s one trend you wish would just disappear?
FLT: Something I truly despise is the fact that up-cycling has become an Instagram aesthetic for lazy designers. We have amazing creatives like MARINE SERRÉ, CHOPOVA LOWENA, KEVIN GERMANIER and many more whose aesthetic as designers are completely separate from the fact they up-cycle.
MG: Your biggest fashion faux-pas?
FLT: Mmmm… I think most of the years I spent at uni were a faux-pas. Thank God I’m out of the pressure cooker that a university like that can be.
MG: What are your thoughts on sustainability in fashion right now? How important is it to be transparent as a brand??
FLT: I think there are two sides to sustainability, like a computer there’s the hardware and the software. The hardware being sustainable through the actual production of clothing by using recycled material, up-cycling or using dead-stock fabrics. Then, there’s the software which is often neglected as a vital element of sustainability. That is the way in which your brand encuorages customers to buy. At this point, production of clothes is pragmatically pointless as there are enough clothes in this world to dress us for millennia. So, creating products that create a feeling of FOMO or where you need that specific logo to belong to that specific clique can be equally dangerous as it creates this idea of fashion as a necessity.
MG: What clothes make you feel the most confident?
FLT: I’m going to sound like a posh grandma but I love wearing natural fibres so anything silk or cotton. I can’t deal with certain materials on my skin so nylon is where I draw the line with synthetics. No poly anything. Depending on my mood I love either really oversized or really skimpy. I don’t discriminate when it comes to colours, I love every single colour in every single shade, they are the best mood enhancer, so if I’m having an off day you’ll probably see me walking down the street with a full face beat and dressed as a clown.
MG: What music makes you feel the most motivated?
FLT: Techno, house, ambient from the ‘90s. Sometimes really trashy K-pop circa 2009. I hate lyrics, so anything electronic or in a language I can’t understand.
MG: Is there a way you like to unwind?
FLT: Rock climbing is my drug of choice. I discovered it a couple of years ago and it’s where I find the most peace. When you’re up there in nature and the survival instinct hits, the mixture of adrenaline and fear make it imposible to think about anything else. It feels like a very physical form of meditation. There is nothing better in life than the feeling of pushing yourself and overcoming an obstacle. Some honourable mentions go to; Dancing, doing my make-up, hanging out with friends, watching the Real Housewives and eating pizza.
MG: If you could go anywhere and do anything for your next holiday, what’s the plan?
FLT: I love to travel solo, so probably backpacking through South America or Asia for a couple of months, meeting people along the way. I would love to do some textile research, eating the weirdest foods I can find in every street market. Also, doing some outdoors-y stuff like scuba-diving and hiking.
MG: After the holiday, what’s next for Lucadetena?
FLT: I’m at a crossroads in my life and whether I continue on the path of being an entrepreneur or I manage to get a job at a fashion house is yet to be decided. There are many things I want to experience within both of those options. I would be super happy to be able to continue to explore the possibilities within my brand and make a living out of it, but there are so many things I could learn by working with others for an established business. Time will tell. For now, I’m just going to keep hustling, so wish me luck because this industry is tough and I’m most certainly going to need it.