i interviewed a designer: Roberto Piqueras

Ooh would you look at that I'm about to apologise for yet another unannounced hiatus. I have a real excuse this time - I'm back in the classroom 9 - 6 doing my journo training, four days a week and Fridays are set aside for Notion business. You do the maths - my free time is limited and preferably spent socialising.


But, I shall share this with you..

Roberto Piqueras Model Line-up

Less street style snippet, more street style show. Roberto Piqueras invited to us a Bethnal Green estate, Friday afternoon to scout some serious street, street wear, styled by our very own Queen of fabulousness, Alexis Knox. In true Planet Notion style, we stuck around afterwards to speak to the man himself about loving the east as much as us. And the show ofc.

Planet Notion: There’s a good crowd here, props for a first show. How d’you feel it went?Robert Piqueras: Thank you! Yeah, really excited. I’m feeling really well, yeah it was a good show.


PN: You should be! What initially attracted you to London?
RP: Well, I was attracted to London a long time ago when I was seventeen, I think. I was obsessed with London but I had also been here at different times as I was travelling around. Not the world because I was living in Mexico, Madrid and Barcelona. So I was thinking ‘OK before I go to London, I need to see the rest of the world’.


PN: And here you are today. What, in particular, is it about East London that you like?RP: I think the most important is the people. People’s style but not just the styling. When you are walking through Bethnal Green Road, you know, you can feel everyone’s particularity with himself and they are not looking at you or they don’t really gossip about what you are doing. Its very personal and independent. So that’s what I was doing with the street show – to show that kindof East London freedom.


PN: What elements of London do you incorporate into your designs?RP: For example, in the last collection I used the Barcelona Olympics, that you probably wont remember, from 1992. So for example, talking about London I was using the face of the queen with diamonds in the eyes and Big Ben but because I know London is something different for me than the rest of the world – its more about the queen and Big Ben. So its like OK, I want to use that but do it in my own way.


PN: On the subject of Barcelona, how do your designs identify with the city?
RP: Its more not in the actual prints but you can see it in the shapes. I’m feeling more comfy because usually I’m talking about clothes to go to the beach, just walking or sportswear so that’s kind of my identity with Barcelona.


PN: What made you make the transition from menswear to unisex to womenswear?
RP: Well, for example, in this show I think I separated the womenswear and menswear more so but usually I’m talking in unisex because when I’m designing I’ve got those kind of patterns – its very similar but it depends. If you’re putting a woman in it works in a way and if you’re putting a man in it, it works in a different way. So that’s what I’m talking about when I say unisex – it depends who’s wearing the clothes, not like, I’m not working with the silhouette of women or men.


PN: With that in mind, when designing do you not envisage a particular type of person?
RP: Well, yeah and no. Usually, I’m thinking about what kind of clothes am I wearing, my friends or what’s around me.


PN: And who would you most like to see wearing your clothes?
RP: Do you know the blogspot, studioboyo? Its a blogspot about menswear – very East London style. So, because in wonderland magazine they asked me the same and I said the guys in this blogspot. That would be amazing.


PN: Fingers crossed for you, one day!
RP: Laughs. Yeah that would be amazing.


Props to Gabriel Love for the photos.

x