The event takes place from 8 to 10 November and includes workshops, a photography competition and a broader programme of activities with the traditional picnic area and concerts.
The thirteenth edition of Fashion and Friends moves to the heart of the capital of Gran Canaria, to Parque San Telmo, from 8 to 10 November and will bring together 74 brands - 18% more than the previous year -, 27 of which will also be present for the first time at the benchmark event for new trends in Gran Canaria.
Under the motto “the fashion plan”, this festival remains faithful to the objective with which it was born under the umbrella of the Moda Cálida programme - promoted by the Cabildo -, which is none other than to serve as a platform for the fashion, technology, art and design sector, with the already traditional area of exhibitors and the catwalk, as well as the picnic area and workshops and talks, a photography contest and live music.
This was announced on Wednesday by the Councillor for Economic Development, Minerva Alonso, during the presentation, under the Templete of the San Telmo Park itself, in which she recalled that the event arose from the need to make visible the work of young designers, visual and plastic artists, entrepreneurs from other disciplines, to whom the Council intends to facilitate “a scenario for the exchange of projects where they can market and publicise their original creations, promote their brand and contact other professionals or companies in the sector”. “After 12 editions, it is a pride to be able to say that this event has served as a launching pad for many brands on the Island”, she commented.
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Fashion & Friends is also conceived as a space in which the audience can learn about fashion from another point of view: by getting involved in the creation processes and committing to differentiated consumption. "It is more than a fair, since it includes parallel activities such as fashion shows, product presentations, musical performances, leisure and restaurants," said the counselor.
An event that this year moves to the heart of the capital, to the San Telmo park - well connected by public transport and close to areas such as Vegueta and Triana - provided by the City Council. In this regard, the councillor for the Centro District, José Eduardo Ramírez, who thanked the capital for being chosen to host this event, commented that it is "an emblematic space that fits very well with the urban essence of this event", and added that it is a pride to host it in the capital "because it has everything: support for new talents, generating economy and job creation".
This is precisely the reason behind the slogan of the campaign - starring the musical duo Adora - “A whole plan, the fashion plan”, due to the fact that Fashion and Friends “is the perfect plan to disconnect from the routine in a context of fashion, trends, creativity, gastronomy and friends. A meeting point marked on the calendar that has earned the recognition of the public over the years”, commented Miguel Ángel Blanco, director of Caetsu Two, the company awarded the contract to organize the event, who explained the use this year of the image of the classic yellow post-it notes, referring precisely to “that plan that must be noted and not forgotten”.
Walkway, shopping and picnic area
Moda y Amigos will once again have a catwalk located in a large tent near the stairs leading to the bus station. Hair and makeup will be in another adjacent tent. With a capacity for 250 attendees at each show, they can be enjoyed from 17:00 p.m. to 20:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 12:00 p.m. to 14:00 p.m. on Sunday.
As for the commercial or exhibitor area, they will be located in various spaces distributed throughout the park, which will remain open from 12:00 to 21:00 on Fridays and from 12:00 to 19:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. The 74 selected brands will be there, of which 27 are new brands, that is, they have never participated in Fashion and Friends.
They are joined by seven from the Moda Cálida programme, an established designer such as Arcadio Domínguez and six new talents: Paula Delgado, Chacho Souvenirs, MR&G Design, Gianluca Urraso and Arantxa Arenas (FEDAC), Mommy Loves.
Finally, the IES La Minilla, the Textile, Clothing and Leather department, will also participate, both with an exhibition stand and a catwalk show.
The original format of the picnic area has also been restored, with its charm and its strings of lights, which will have four food trucks, four cocktail bars, a café and a sweet spot and will be open between 12:00 and 00:00 on Friday and Saturday, and between 12:00 and 19:00 on Sunday, and in which there will be a concert area.
News: workshops, talks and competitions
This year, the second edition of the Best Stand Design competition will be held - for exhibitors - which seeks to reward aesthetics and the use of recyclable and environmentally friendly materials. And the Best Collection Competition by Dorada Especial will be launched - for the brands participating in the catwalk - to reward aesthetics and originality in the shows.
In addition, among the sponsors, Dorada Especial returns with its Catando Talento platform to support Canarian creativity. As a sponsor of the concerts in the picnic area, the brand is organizing two workshops for the public: one given by The Pot, which teaches how to create coasters and bowls in microcement, and another on beer pouring, where attendees can learn how to serve the perfect beer with a brand ambassador. In addition, Dorada Especial will award the first prize for the Best Collection on the catwalk, highlighting the originality and style of Canarian designers.
Volkswagen Canarias will be present with a stand with the Tiguan in its plug-in hybrid version, a recently launched model.
