Standing perched on a black chair that is actually one of his original sculptures, Gabriel Escámez seems to fantasize about that dimoni that as a child he saw spitting fire and burning firecrackers in Sitges and Cubelles, the two towns on the Barcelona coast where he spent part of his life. childhood.
At least that is deduced from his look and his clothing, a white suit that is inspired by the devils’ sack clothes, one of the most typical traditions of Catalonia. “I liked to watch the dimonis street runners but my parents never wanted to point me out because they were scared, and that stuck with me and now I have my devils in the form of a dress,” confesses the interior designer.
The outfit that Escámez wears is a variation by London-based Pakistani designer Zain Ali, founder of ZN Ali, with whom the Barcelona artist has developed a clothing collection called After All and which represents his first foray into the world of fashion. The photographer Bèla Adler has captured that moment of Escámez’s childish daydream before starting the session to make the After All fashion editorial for La Vanguardia Magazine.
After All is nourished by art, crafts, history and folklore, it is a cultural foundation that is interconnected through the reinterpretation of clothing typical of Mediterranean festivities and objects. “We are paraphrasing, in some way, the dimonis and the siurells, which are the whistles made of clay found in the Balearic Islands,” says the creative.
The initiative with ZN Ali is not a matter of chance, as Escámez, who is now 36 years old, summarizes: “There is something that connects us, he looks a lot and rescues the poetics of his culture, his activities, his folklore… just like us We do it with ours, hence the result of this collaboration, which is everything that has existed for a long time but shown in a contemporary way and thinking, obviously, that you can use it to dress yourself.”
After All’s conception of homo ludens, as defined by Escámez, is reflected in streetwear shirts, pants, vests and hats without age or gender, as it is designed even for children. The collection has been worked as a blank canvas with patches sewn as if it were a patchwork, in white, black and raw tones. And the pieces have been made of handmade cotton.
“ZN Ali’s fabric in itself is already like a piece of art, because it is made by hand and it is wonderful to see it in those pieces,” exclaims Escámez, who trained in fine arts and interior architecture and who believes that fashion can be a one hundred percent art.
After All is the first collaborative clothing collection by the Catalan interior designer, who is already preparing another one, but this time with a jewelry brand that he prefers to keep secret. Escámez is not closed to future projects of this nature since for him everything is very organic. “Of course, it has to be harmonized, that is, brands have the same concept and point of view,” he says.
Gabriel Escámez tackled different types of creative plans until he created Cobalto Studios, an art direction project focused mainly on fashion and interior architecture. Later La Cobalta was born, a studio that appeals more to the soul of Cobalto with not so commercial initiatives. “It emerged as a space where we could emphasize looking at ourselves, seeing Mediterranean culture without needing to project that what was outside was better. And also to reinforce the concept of craftsmanship that was being lost and that today is a luxury, when it should not be because it speaks about us, about our environment, about the vernacular,” he emphasizes.
Art direction, furniture design, creation of unique objects, sculptures, photography, fashion, ceramics, books… Escámez is a creative force that coexists in many universes: “I feel comfortable doing projects of different kinds, I think the important thing is not “What area are you in but what is the point of view of how to conceive something whether on a large or small scale.”
His great pillars of inspiration, he acknowledges, are poetry and also popular cultures projected into the future. “They define my style as Mediterranean, but I also see a sobriety that is sometimes even Spartan but always warm. It’s like a vow of poverty, but with very good materials, seeking simplicity, like those people who you probably have to look twice to notice something that you haven’t done the first time,” he describes.
Zara Home, Mango, Chloé, Aristocrazy, Sessùn, Castañer… are some of the brands she has worked with. Not in vain, Cobalto Studio was selected as one of the 100 decorators of the moment by AD France Spécial Décoration magazine three years in a row, from 2019 to 2021. Escámez feels satisfied with his projects and is now looking for more personal than work challenges, although he emphasizes that never gives up. “My friends say I’m pretty crazy,” he continues with a broad smile, “but they also describe me as a very creative person, with a lot of energy, and very sensitive.” Like that Mediterranean world that he constantly evokes in his work and in his clothes.