Elisa Palomino

...dreaming in technicolour

Having graduated from Central Saint Martins in 1992 with an MA in Fashion & Textiles, Spanish born designer Elisa Palomino went on to work for some of the most prestigious names in fashion, such as John Galliano, Christian Dior, Diane Von Furstenberg, Roberto Cavalli and Moschino. Her fashion gentility includes five years at Moschino, which saw Ms Palomino create collections for the Cheap & Chic line, helping to establish the whimsical nature of the brand. She was then recruited by John Galliano and the house of Dior as Head of the Studio, a position she held over seven years before joining Roberto Cavalli as Studio Director. In 2008 she moved to New York to work with Diane Von Furstenberg as the Vice President of Design, repositioning the brand from contemporary to that of a luxury designer. Having collaborated with leading luxury labels and having held some of the most sought-after positions in fashion, Elisa Palomino decided to launch her own label in February 2010 during New York Fashion Week. Her first collection was bought in its entirety by Dolce & Gabbana for the opening of the concept store SPIGA2 and her second collection was selected by Franca Sozzani for ‘Whoisonnext’, a platform sponsored by Vogue Italia in collaboration with Alta Roma. She has also been selected for the Pioneer Programme of the CFE. Currently stocked in fourteen stores internationally, the Elisa Palomino collections are available in London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Riyadh and Beirut. Elisa Palomino’s signature style embraces rich textures, vivid colours and statement prints. Stunningly feminine and decadently detailed, the collections layer luxurious fabrics with heavily embellished surfaces.

Nothing inspires me like…
A good Baroque opera. I have always wanted to be a lyric soprano, fashion got in the way, but I have never forgotten my dream and my fashion shows are always populated with the most dramatic coloratura arias, giving a special aura to the whole performance. Colour and music are very strictly linked, and in my universe they have managed to merge together on the catwalk.

I hope…
I can keep making dreams come true. Fashion is about making beauty and making women dream, that is my role and as long as I can keep producing beauty, I will carry on.

Cultural influences…
I grew up in a family of artists where my mum restored reinassance paintings in her attic, historicism is part of my background as well as Asia, where in another life I was a geisha and in this life that past haunts me still, and it is reflected in all my shapes, prints, hand embroideries and the huge collection of kimonos that I own.

I got where I am...
Thanks to the invaluable help of people like John Galliano, Franca Sozzani, Katell Le Bouhris, Natalie Gibson, Rosella Jardini and the fairies at the CFE, to name a few. I have been so blessed all my life to have encountered some really magical people who have encouraged me to carry on in my career and have made my path so much more joyful and colourful.

Fashion can sometimes...
Be really cruel to the real artists in this field. It is a highly demanding industry that can easily burn out the most sensitive ones.

I sense…
Everything around me, we live in a very detached world and should keep a closer link with our inner world.

I scream when...
I see an ugly shade of pink. Colours are sacred and should be venerated.

Love now because…
If you don’t, life is a waste of time.

Creativity comes from…
Everything that surrounds you, to be in a beautiful enviroment is like meditation to me, it gives me the peace of mind I crave for.

Love is…
The most important thing.

My dreams are…
Always in technicolour, full of details and highly connected with the other side.

There's a new...
Era coming, everything is changing. The world as we have known it is no longer there and if we insist on staying as we are, we will miss our train..

The earliest memory...
I have of me dressing up is in my grandmother’s attic. She had a kimono from her wedding night, and I loved performing in it.

My first crush...
Was my choral teacher. I was seven and he made us all feel the sensuality of music.

I love getting older...
Because I keep accumulating stories and layers, like when I dress, I love older women, always excentric and with no fear of expressing themselves.

Elisa Palomino on NJAL