Fashionable Madrid

Icons in their own right

Weaving the Fashionable Madrid map led us to reflect on what we really know about the history of our shops and boutiques, tailors and dressmakers, and fashion designers who helped put our city on the global stage. Struck by the countless names that were once celebrated but are now largely forgotten, we put together this playful yet meticulously curated map—a tribute to the individuals and firms whose lives measured up to their creations and whose work revolved around Madrid.

On it you’ll find the iconic Ana de Pombo, whose glamorous life spanned the worlds of Chanel and Cocteau; Manuel Piña, a singular figure of the La Movida cultural movement, whose career was tragically cut short by his untimely death; and Dafnis, the boutique of boutiques and a creative shrine for the glitterati, whose founder María Rosa Salvador went on to establish the Aguja de Oro (Golden Needle), an award collected by the likes of John Galliano, Oscar de la Renta and Sybilla, among other couture legends

And, of course, we cannot forget Grandes Almacenes Madrid-París on Gran Vía avenue, the sophisticated yet short-lived department store that opened in the 1920s. Nor can we overlook Almacenes Arias, with its signature kitsch charm, a later establishment that outfitted entire families as well as the most rebellious youth, who rummaged through the rails in search of those elusive garments that captured the spirit of the 1980s.

Finally, we recommend a visit to the Garment Museum, where you can admire the very best that fashion has to offer, from unique 15th-century pieces to the latest cutting-edge trends.

We hope you enjoy this journey through our beautiful city—because if Madrid is the way to heaven, as the locals say, then consider this your ticket to fashion heaven!

Text (originally in Spanish) by Lorenzo Caprile (Couturier) /  Lydia García (Curator of the López-Trabado Collection)

- Download the illustrated cultural map of Madrid (1.5 MB) (Spanish/English)