When Jaen-born Manuel García opened the men’s boutique García Madrid in 2006, he could hardly imagine it would become one of the brands leading a radical change in Spanish tailoring. García Madrid arrived to shed light on the traditionally dark spaces where the magic of tailored suits is created, to break with orthodoxy and to create contemporary style solutions for men wanting to enjoy a traditional tailoring service with a modern focus.
The commitment of Manuel García (Villacarrillo, Jaén, 1970) to men's fashion has always been about changing the form but not the substance. His know-how rests on a tireless pursuit of elegance, in a commitment to quality clothing and fabrics, and in a painstaking attention to detail to create designs connected to the reality of modern-day men. He learned to gauge the needs of male consumers while running the multi-brand store in Madrid’s Calle Fuencarral he had opened in 1996, and to identify a market niche for a new generation of customers looking for that extra something in tailoring.
García Madrid is a living company, built step by step, which has grown but also retreated when it was necessary. We have seen García Madrid on the runway, but it is on the red carpets of Spanish cinema where it has really made a name for itself, dressing the likes of Asier Etxeandia, Hugo Silva, and Javier Rey. Manuel García opened a boutique in Barcelona and tried to enter the Chilean market. However, he is currently focused on the three boutiques the brand has in Madrid—one in Malasaña, one in Serrano, and Azul (also in Malasaña), a different and exciting new boutique where we can discover its first women's collection.
It’s been a decade of García Madrid now. What has been the most difficult to get here?
It has been a long-distance race and an obstacle race, too, that we have faced with patience and perseverance, by working hard every day and improving step by step.
But it hasn’t been all obstacles. There have also been plenty of good times…
Indeed, especially when David García joined the brand and when we opened the boutique in the Salamanca district. We were also the first exclusively male firm to take part in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid. That was a big step forward for men's fashion.
In Azul, your new boutique, we can find your new women's collection. Tell us about this project.
Yes! It's a creativity hub where our women's collection shares space with other guest designers, young creators and artisans. García Madrid Azul is a great project we are really excited about.
Three boutiques in Madrid make for a sizeable business for a brand like yours.
Despite the current instability in the sector, we are still full of creativity and enjoying total independence and freedom. Our boutiques in Malasaña and Serrano will continue working as usual with a prêt-à-porter collection and a tailoring service.
Images of the Spring / Summer 2020 collection. This autumn sees the birth of García Madrid Azul, a great project that will accommodate a new collection for women as well as the work of young designers, creators and artisans. ©García Madrid
Images of the Spring / Summer 2020 collection. This autumn sees the birth of García Madrid Azul, a great project that will accommodate a new collection for women as well as the work of young designers, creators and artisans. ©García Madrid
Images of the Spring / Summer 2020 collection. This autumn sees the birth of García Madrid Azul, a great project that will accommodate a new collection for women as well as the work of young designers, creators and artisans. ©García Madrid
What are Spanish men like when it comes to dressing?
We are still quite conservative and have a hard time wearing new shapes and colours, but we are making significant progress.
This makes the Spanish market especially complex, doesn’t it?
Right now, there is so much information many men feel lost. García Madrid has connected with them by offering clear and simple personalized advice aimed to fulfil their needs and make new friends in the process.
Still, the García Madrid man falls outside the norm. What is he like?
He is an urban man who feels handsome, confident, comfortable and elegant in a Garcia Madrid suit. This may explain why more and more customers choose our brand for the most important moments of their lives.
By that you mean marriage? How important are groom suits for your brand and to what extent the canon has been renewed?
At the moment they represent a fairly high percentage of our sales. We have chosen to dress men for this important moment with a forward looking collection, different to what has been offered so far, providing quality and design, making our clients the main protagonists of the event.
That is perhaps what makes so many actors choose you for special events.
We have been supporting culture in Spain since the very beginning, and our friends in cinema have a special place in our hearts. We have managed to become regulars on red carpets in both national and international award ceremonies. All clients have the right and duty to look great wearing a local brand like ours.
What do you keep from classic tailoring?
A passion for work well done.
