The Valencian master will be honored for five decades of creativity, color, and avant-garde vision that have taken the identity of Spanish fashion to the world.
By Susan Villa
Approaching the figure of Francis Montesinos means entering one of the most singular, recognizable, and transgressive careers in Spanish fashion. Since opening his first establishment in Valencia in 1972, the designer has built his own universe and contributed to renewing the aesthetic codes of fashion in Spain. His first fashion shows represented a break with established concepts and messages, making him an essential figure for understanding not only the transformation of fashion, but also the transformation of Spain at that time.
Color, the Mediterranean, folklore, and creative freedom run throughout a body of work in which Spanish roots are constantly in dialogue with innovation. Montesinos championed tradition at a time when it was still viewed through stereotypes and transformed it into a modern and universal form of expression through his particular vision of Made in Spain. His creative world also incorporates the hippie spirit, the Madrid Movida, and the experiences he lived through during his professional stay in Havana.
His talent has never been limited to the catwalk. Film, the performing arts, dance, music, fragrances, and interior design have allowed him to express himself as a multidisciplinary creator, particularly sensitive to fabrics, volumes, and the needs of each artistic language. The artistic and documentary significance of his legacy was reflected in the catalogue raisonné dedicated to his work between 1972 and 2003, published by the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern.
In this conversation with Susan Villa, Francis Montesinos returns to his earliest memories in Valencia, recalls his most memorable fashion shows, and shares some of the anecdotes that have accompanied his extensive career. He also reflects on the state of Spanish fashion, the importance of supporting young designers, and the projects that continue to inspire his enthusiasm. An enthusiasm that will take on special meaning on October 17 and 18, 2026, when he will serve as ambassador of the 20th edition of Pasarela Española, to be held at Casino Gran Vía Madrid, at 24 Gran Vía Street, Madrid, where he will also receive recognition for his extraordinary professional career.
1. Talking about Francis Montesinos means talking about one of the great geniuses of Spanish fashion, with a career spanning more than five decades. When you look back on your beginnings in Valencia, what do you remember about that young designer who already dreamed of transforming fashion?
I was very young and had already begun making things for myself. I did not even know what fashion was yet, but everything related to it fascinated me: films, clothing, colors… I felt a natural attraction to that universe.
I was also extremely fortunate that my mother owned one of the first handicraft shops in Valencia. There I began to become familiar with beads, jet, trimmings, felt, and many materials that, over time, would become part of my professional vocabulary. When I left school, I would spend my afternoons in the shop, and they let me play with all those things. One day I would make colorful designs with crepe paper, and the next I would dress a nightgown. Without realizing it, I was entering that creative world that I loved so much.
Over the years, I also came to understand that fashion is an art. I always say that if cinema is the seventh art, fashion should be the eighth. It needs painting to understand color, architecture to construct volumes, and the performing arts to develop its entire theatrical dimension. A creator must know a little about all of these disciplines.
2. You are part of a generation of masters who played a decisive role in renewing and elevating Spanish fashion. Were you aware, while building your career, that you were opening a path that would serve as an inspiration to other designers?
Fortunately, I was not aware of it at the time. When you are creating and working, you do not think about the significance your work may eventually have. With the passage of time, you begin to understand it, especially when someone attends one of your fashion shows, becomes emotional, and tells you that they would like to dedicate themselves to fashion after seeing your work.
I remember, for example, Manuel Piña, who became very moved while looking at one of my collections. I also remember designers such as Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada and Sybilla, as well as many young people who had been advised to attend a Montesinos fashion show to discover what a fashion presentation could truly become. Afterwards, they would tell me that the experience had captivated them.
In our generation, we also learned a fundamental lesson from masters such as Balenciaga. He never wanted to enter the world of design: he was a creator. And a creator must know all the territories of fashion; they cannot limit themselves to a single specialty.
They must know how to work with woven and knit fabrics, cocktail wear, ceremonial clothing, and the different materials and techniques that are part of this profession.
3. Color, the Mediterranean, Spanish culture, and creative freedom form part of a visual language that the public immediately recognizes as your own. How did you manage to turn your roots into such a powerful and unmistakable artistic identity?
I think I achieved it through a great deal of perseverance. I have always maintained the symbols, colors, and references that form part of the roots of Francis Montesinos. Many young people have trained in my studios and, naturally, sometimes they wanted to move away from those paths to look for something different. I told them that they should experiment and move forward, but without losing what identified us, because it is precisely those roots that have allowed my work to be recognized.
I have also had great masters, both in art and in fashion, and I have learned an enormous amount from them. Education and culture are fundamental. My home is full of books, photographs, and works of art. I have images by great photographers such as Helmut Newton, and I have a particular fascination with Art Deco. Everything one observes, studies, and comes to know eventually feeds one's creative universe.
I have always also been interested in the cultural movements and trends of each era. The hippie movement and the Madrid Movida are part of that creative imaginary. Likewise, the year I spent working in Havana captivated me deeply and gave rise to worlds such as El lago and Un invierno tropical, in which I transferred those experiences into color, fabrics, and staging.
I also consider myself the creator of the Made in Spain concept within my work. When I began, everything related to Spanish folklore, tradition, and popular culture was, in certain circles, quite discredited and associated with a stereotypical image. I wanted to turn that around, elevate it, and demonstrate that it could be modern, sophisticated, and universal.
I worked on that universe alongside figures such as Camarón de la Isla and brought it into very important collections and events. The great fashion show I held at Las Ventas bullring, before 16,000 people, was precisely connected to this idea of Made in Spain.
For me, it was not simply a label, but a way of championing our cultural identity through freedom and contemporary creation. That fashion show truly marked a before and after in Spanish fashion.
4. Your collections do not merely dress the body, but convey emotion, theatricality, sensuality, and a particular celebration of life. What do you hope to provoke in the public when you present a new creation?
Many times, I am not fully aware of what I provoke until I hear the public's reaction. Applause allows you to recognize the moment when a garment has moved people or managed to surprise them.
For many years, it was very difficult for me to enjoy fashion shows because I was focused on making sure everything went perfectly. I felt an enormous responsibility and tremendous nerves. At those moments, all I wanted was for everything to work, for each model to appear when they were supposed to, and for the collection to reach the end correctly. Now I am able to observe certain things with greater calm and enjoy them a little more, although the nerves are still there. Fashion has that mixture of emotion, risk, and spectacle.
When you realize that a creation has reached the public and provoked spontaneous applause, you understand that all the work has been worthwhile.
5. Your talent has transcended the catwalk and has also extended into film, the performing arts, dance, music, fragrances, and interior design. Do you consider yourself a creator or, more broadly, an artist capable of expressing yourself through different disciplines?
I consider myself a creator and an artist. I have never understood my work through a single discipline. I like starting different projects, learning how they work, and eventually mastering them. I enjoy change, new things, and the possibility of continuing to learn.
When I spoke with students, I was surprised that some would tell me that they only wanted to devote themselves to haute couture, footwear, or a particular discipline. I always advised them to try to learn about as many fields as possible. The more things they know how to do, the more opportunities they will have to work and express themselves. When you confine yourself too early to a single specialty, you also limit your possibilities.
Costumes for the performing arts, for example, do not have the same requirements as costumes for film or dance. They are parallel worlds, but each has its own rules. A fabric that works wonderfully on stage may not be suitable in front of a camera, and a garment intended for dance must withstand movement, physical exertion, and practically daily cleaning.
On one occasion, I had an intense professional debate with Nacho Duato about the materials we should use. He had his reasons, because dancers finish performances completely exhausted and the costumes must constantly go to the dry cleaner. It is necessary to know very well how each fabric responds and to be especially careful with certain acrylic materials.
I have enormous respect for fabrics. Sometimes I do not even need to draw very much: I look at a fabric and can already imagine the garment. The fabric speaks to me; it tells me what I can do and also what I should not attempt. The true result emerges from the dialogue between design and material. After more than fifty years, all that experience eventually becomes an almost intuitive way of working.
6. A life devoted to creation must have given you encounters, fashion shows, and truly unforgettable moments. Could you share an emotional, funny, or unexpected anecdote that you remember with particular affection and that still makes you smile?
After hundreds of fashion shows, I could tell you countless stories. There have been garments put on backwards, models who were about to go out and discovered that they were missing their shoes, and all kinds of improvisations.
I particularly remember a creation for Swan Lake, connected to my work with Nacho Duato. I had prepared a wonderful feather cape, but I forgot to properly resolve the lower part of the costume. We had to improvise at great speed, using one of his garments and covering it with feathers. These are situations that create enormous tension in the moment, but that you later remember with great affection and a sense of humor.
Another unforgettable anecdote happened at Cibeles. The model closing the show was Eugenia Silva, one of Spain's great runway figures. She was wearing a dress with such a large train that, when she turned around, the fabric became tangled around my legs and I ended up on the floor underneath the dress. For one or two seconds, I did not know what had happened, but I immediately got back on my feet. Part of the audience did not even notice, and for those who did see it, everything seemed almost magical.
These situations also demonstrate the importance of the team. In many fashion shows, there is hardly any opportunity to rehearse. Even at an event as important as the one at Las Ventas, we had to work practically on the fly. That is why it is essential to trust the people who accompany you and to ensure that everyone works with one voice.
7. In your book Francis Montesinos: Arte y alma, you trace your personal and professional history. What did you feel when looking at the entire path you have traveled and realizing that your work is now part of the memory and creative heritage of Spanish fashion?
Arte y alma is a very personal book. It is not exactly a technical book about fashion, but rather a work about Francis, about my life, my memories, and the many anecdotes I have experienced. It is a textbook, very entertaining, and many people have told me that they read it practically in one sitting. It can be found on Amazon, and there is a possibility that a new edition will be published.
The book begins with my school years and follows the journey to the moment when I begin to truly feel like a creator. It includes some of the most important events of my career, such as the fashion show at Las Ventas, my presence in Berlin when it was European Capital of Culture, and other personal and professional episodes.
Looking at that entire journey produces a mixture of emotion, responsibility, and vertigo. It also makes me think about the importance of properly preserving the work created over so many years.
I have been fortunate to have a catalogue raisonné of my work, Francis Montesinos: Catálogo razonado 1972-2003, something that major artists usually have. It was promoted by Kosme de Barañano and produced with the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM). It is a publication of more than five hundred pages that required around two years of work and cataloguing. I have also participated in publications and exhibitions related to Balenciaga and to my fifty-year career.
Many of those books are out of print and have not been reissued. It is a shame because students and people interested in fashion continue to look for them. I myself have someone searching for copies, garments, and documentation in bookstores and second-hand platforms. One of my greatest wishes would be to create the Montesinos Foundation while I am still able to participate personally in it. I would also like to bring a major exhibition to Madrid featuring hundreds of garments and representative pieces from my work. I believe that this heritage must be preserved, studied, and made available to new generations.
8. The 20th edition of Pasarela Española will take place on October 17 and 18, 2026, at Casino Gran Vía in Madrid, where you will serve as ambassador and receive recognition for your extraordinary professional career. What does it mean to you to be part of this edition and to receive a tribute worthy of your legacy?
I think it is wonderful, and I am much more excited than you can imagine. I held my last fashion show at home and, after more than fifty years and around two hundred presentations, I thought that perhaps the time had come to stop. However, shortly afterward, that need to create and return to the catwalk reappears. There have also been changes within the company, and new licenses related to fashion and interior design projects have emerged. All of this made me think that it could be a good time to return to the runway.
In a recent undertaking related to that return, I felt that perhaps my career had not been sufficiently understood. I do not approach it from a place of confrontation, but from the conviction that a career spanning more than five decades must be treated with respect and sensitivity. After all that journey, returning to Madrid as if I were starting again from scratch was difficult to accept.
That is why, when I received the call from Pasarela Española, I felt that it had come at exactly the right moment. Being the ambassador of this edition and receiving recognition for my professional career represents a very beautiful way of returning to Madrid and reconnecting with my audience.
Throughout my career, I have traveled to a large part of the world and have always presented myself as a Spanish, Valencian, and Mediterranean creator. When Berlin was European Capital of Culture, I showed alongside some of the best international designers, and the foreign press spoke extensively about my work. I also experienced that massive fashion show at Las Ventas, which marked a before and after in my career.
For all these reasons, this tribute holds a very special meaning for me. It restores my enthusiasm for showing, for bringing together once again the press and the people who have accompanied my career, and for celebrating Spanish fashion through respect, joy, and freedom.
9. After leaving an indelible mark on Spanish fashion and culture, what projects currently inspire you, and what new creations will Francis Montesinos surprise us with?
I am very happy because many new and wonderful projects have emerged. I am working both in fashion and creation and in the performing arts, collaborating with major professionals and directors. There is also an international film project that particularly excites me. There are also new licenses connected to my brand, interior design projects, and several initiatives that allow me to continue exploring different creative fields. In addition, I have been appointed an honorary member of the Committee of the Salon of Art and Economy for the Culture of Peace, a new project that I consider very important. Added to this is my desire to recover and disseminate my archive, promote the Montesinos Foundation, and ensure that a major exhibition of my work can be seen in Madrid.
I have a lot of work, and that makes me deeply happy because I enjoy working. After more than fifty years, I continue to feel curiosity, enthusiasm, and a desire to learn. As long as that emotion exists, Francis Montesinos will continue creating and looking for new ways to surprise. Conversing with Francis Montesinos has been much more than interviewing one of the great names in Spanish fashion. It has been an exceptional opportunity to get closer to a passionate, approachable creator who is deeply committed to his craft. Through his memories, anecdotes, and reflections, we discover not only the artist who has influenced several generations, but also a great professional who continues to work with the same enthusiasm, curiosity, and dedication he had at the beginning of his career.
It has been a true honor to conduct this interview and to hear firsthand about such an extensive and valuable career. His appointment as ambassador of the 20th edition of Pasarela Española and the recognition he will receive at Casino Gran Vía in Madrid constitute a thoroughly deserved tribute to an essential figure in our culture. Francis Montesinos continues to demonstrate that fashion can be art, identity, freedom, and emotion.
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