“Wood do Wow” & the Memories of a Young Girl by Karlota Laspalas

Earlier this summer I wrote an article on Pamplona, Spain, and the Festival of San Fermín, featuring a label that designs t-shirts for the festivities of the events.

Now, I would like to introduce you to a promising young designer, who is also from Pamplona. Her name is Karlota Laspalas, who moved to Barcelona to study Fashion Design at the Escuela Superior de Diseño y Moda Felicidad Duce.

Karlota is unique in that approaches design by transferring her life experiences and the emotions that they evoke—such as memories, fears, sorrows, and the like—in to one concept, which represents her internal and external being. Her recent collection exemplifies this approach.

Karlota’s father comes from a small Basque village called Ochagavía, which lies in the Salazar Valley of Navarre, Spain, where the Irati forest is located.

Having spent 12 years in the area, Karlota nurtures strong childhood memories of the forest. A documentary on the land art of British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy triggered Karlota’s memories of the trees’ crooked branches, the feel of bark, and the smell of autumn leaves.

Two years after the completion of her schooling, Karlota presented at Ego Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week her first collection, which she named “Wood do Wow” and pointed to wood as a symbol of simplicity, purity, and longevity.

Karlota drew inspiration from one more source: the folds and wrinkles in the wooden sculptures of Venetian wood artist, Loris Marazzi. As Loris carves ornamental garments of apparel out of rugged wood, so Karlota has fashioned a collection of rugged menswear that is inspired by the grooves, knots, and grains of wood.

For more information on Karlota, have a look at out her blog.



Photo top center Irati Forest Copyright Karlota Laspalas.
Photo middle right & slideshow 2009 a/w collection “Wood do Wow,” photographer Salva López, Copyright Karlota Laspalas.

Pamplona, Running of the Bulls & Kukuxumusu

Well, the toll is in. Day 7: 101 injuries and one person gored to death—the first victim in 14 years.

Probably one of the most popular events in Spain, the Running of the Bulls takes place every year from July 6-14 during the festival of San Fermín, patron saint of Pamplona.

Pamplona, also known as Iruñea to the local population, is located in northern Spain and is part of Basque Country—home to an ancient people who share a unique language and culture.

The Pamplona bull run, or Encierro in Spanish, dates back as far as 1591 and was made popular in modern times by Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises.”

Like many European festivals that find their origins in Medieval or Renaissance times, a specific dress is associated with the festival. Traditionally, the local inhabitants dress in white shirts and pants with red scarves and belts.

During the San Fermín festival of 1989, 3 friends decided to sell t-shirts as souvenirs and, little did they know, a new tradition would be born—a new line of clothing called Kukuxumusu, which, in the Basque language, means ‘flea’s kiss’.

Humorous and festive, the clothing caught on fast, and now the festival and Kukuxumusu have become virtually interchangeable. Examples of designs include images of bulls chasing runners in traditional white and red, and vice versa!

Referring to himself as the czar-jester, Mikel Urmeneta is co-founder and creative director.

Photo top left by Bernard bill5, Copyleft at Wikipedia.
Photo bottom right Copyright Kukuxumusu.