Palomo—
Fashion as a Stage 

(South of Spain) Officially, Alejandro Gómez Palomo is a fashion designer; unofficially, he is the best cultural ambassador a region could wish for. Since the designer achieved his breakthrough 11 years ago with his label—then still called “Palomo Spain—with his very first collection, the recognition of his hometown, Posadas, has also risen sharply. Not only because, until recently, the 34-year-old still had his studio there while presenting collections on the runways of New York, Paris, or Madrid. But also, more recently, because his origins are so clearly reflected in his designs.

Posadas is a small town of 7,000 inhabitants southwest of Córdoba. It lies on the edge of the vast Andalusian plains, where summers are swelteringly hot and traditions run much deeper than in the major cities where fashion is usually created. Palomo’s parents ran one of those typically Spanish bars with silver chairs on the terrace. The neighbor upstairs was a seamstress, and her daughter, along with young Alejandro, persuaded her to create ever more imaginative costumes for their Barbies. They were not meant to be pink and sweet, but to embody the same temperament as the clothes worn by men and women during flamenco, or at the exuberant family celebrations and religious processions they admired as children. “In Andalusia, clothing is worn as if life were one big stage,” says Palomo—an attitude that shaped his aesthetic from an early age.

In A Fashion No-Man’s-Land
After school, Palomo moved to London to study at the London College of Fashion. There, he learned the craft of fashion, its staging, and how the international business operates. However, instead of trying to appear as cosmopolitan as possible and hiding his roots as a “country boy,” Palomo’s signature style remained distinctly Spanish—more precisely, southern Spanish: ruffles reminiscent of flamenco dresses, opulent embroidery, velvet, lace, and silhouettes that make grand gestures. While most of his fellow students stayed in London—because, as they were constantly told during their studies, young designers have no chance outside the major fashion capitals—Palomo returned to Posadas. Right in the middle of a fashion no-man’s-land, he founded his menswear label “Palomo Spain” in 2015.

In Tune with the Zeitgeist
At the time, there was constant talk of “gender-bending” and nonconformity. Alessandro Michele had just presented his first collection for Gucci, featuring sheer ruffled blouses and pastel colors for men. Palomo’s sense for fashion fit perfectly into this zeitgeist. In his designs, men had long worn voluminous sleeves, transparent fabrics, or lavish embellishments. They expressed emotion, temperament, and drama. Yet his clothing never felt calculated or costume-like because it always carried a hint of sensuality. Young men from Madrid to New York immediately wanted to wear Palomo during a night on the town.

Harry Styles and Pedro Almodóvar were seen in his designs; Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, and Rita Ora ordered custom pieces for their performances. Palomo won a series of awards, reached the finals of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers, and opened Paris Men’s Fashion Week. But after every show, after every event, he returned to Posadas, where he lived and worked in his two-story studio. Part of his team consisted of seamstresses and pattern makers he had known since childhood. “I will never leave here, never,” he enthused about his home in an interview last summer.

Posadas in Tow
And yet, his website now lists a Madrid address—at the end of 2025, Palomo moved into a large studio in the Lavapiés district. Not just physically, but strategically, this marks a new chapter for the brand: recently, a new investor came on board. “In Posadas, we had created a unique universe. But in a way, we were also holding ourselves back,” the designer admits. Ultimately, the company had become a bit too cut off and isolated from the industry. Buyers, suppliers, and journalists always had to travel far. Especially after the pandemic, time and budgets were not always available.

Still, Palomo has brought a piece of Posadas with him to Madrid. The studio is an open space featuring a prominent painting by José Luis Barquero, a friend of the designer. Nearby are many mementos from home: his grandmother’s reed chair and Manila shawl, as well as various plants that grow in the Córdoba region. “The most beautiful thing about this place is that I look out the window and still see a garden. They’re not the bougainvilleas and orange trees from home, but there are roses and trees that maintain a connection to nature that I have always loved,” he says.

This new chapter for the brand also includes its first complete womenswear collection, launched as part of the Resort 2026 line. Surprisingly, it appears much more restrained than Palomo’s menswear—although a few flounces, embroideries, and many leather bows are, of course, still present. This aesthetic, too, is shaped by his southern Spanish roots. “For me,” the designer once explained, “women were always the stronger ones, and men the far more fragile.”