SIMOF 2024 * More Than Fashion… An Experience!

Vida Flamenca was honored to cover the twenty-ninth edition of the Salón Internacional de Moda Flamenca – SIMOF, a week-long immersive fashion experience held from January 18-21 at the FIBES Conference Center in Sevilla, Spain.

This highly recognized event brought together more than 60,000 visitors in four days, exceeding all expectations, and highlighting an increase in international audiences from the U.S., Asia, and throughout Europe in addition to visitors from the Andalusian provinces of Sevilla, Huelva, Córdoba, Cádiz, Málaga and Jaén along with Madrid and Barcelona.

SIMOF, the only official fair showcasing Flamenco Fashion on a national and international level, offers a meeting point where professionals, businessmen, purveyors of flamenco accessories and crafts, along with designers present their latest flamenco fashions. This year’s edition featured 57 professional shows on two runways with over 1,800 costumes, along with 72 exhibitors and fashion companies representing 98 designers and fashion brands in a 10,000 sq/ft exhibition area. Visitors were able to learn first-hand about the latest trends in flamenco fashion at an event that covered all areas of the fashion sector, fusing tradition and technology on an avant-garde catwalk and through exhibition displays.

Vida Flamenca was thrilled to have board member and Cultural Advisor, Rosario ‘Charo’ Monge covering this prestigious event in Sevilla together with María del Rosario Monge Martín from Junta de Andalucia. Collectively they covered runway shows, special presentations, including the 24-year-old Sevillian José Juan Hurtado Revidiego from Paradas (Seville), winner of this year’s Young Designers Contest; exhibitors of flamenco accessories, and 10 new talents from the Cajasol Foundation. As Sra. Monge commented, ‘personalized prints stood out, along with classic polka dots and a wide color palette ranging from apple green, orange, to pastel tones, such as peach but not forgetting the classic reds, blacks, whites, and monochromes. In the accessories, a spectacular showcase of the hand-made mantón/shawl from Juan Foronda and their exhibit ‘From Canton to Seville: Foronda 100 years’; and gold accessories paired with hairstyles featuring intricate buns, and waves with an array of colorful flowers stood out.’

One cannot forget the support of the business community including that of the superb wine label Marqués de Cáceres with a presentation of their special edition label in collaboration with SIMOF to celebrate the harmony between wine and flamenco fashion, brought to life thanks to illustrator Virginia Vargas. In this edition, the label on the Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres bottle is inspired by a suit by the established designer Carmen Latorre. https://www.marquesdecaceres.com/en/vinos-wines/simof-2024/

The honorable Doña Elena de Borbón (godmother of SIMOF 2024), the president of the Junta de Andalucía, the mayor of Seville, the Minister of Tourism, Nieves Álvarez (honorary ambassador) and Raquel Revuelta inaugurated SIMOF 2024.

As CEO Raquel Revuelta of Doble Erre, a Fashion and Communication company, shared in her opening statement, “it has been an international flamenco fashion week, intense, with a lot of quality content. … The level of the designers is something to feel very proud of. They do it better every time, they surpass themselves and set the bar higher.”

Thank you to SIMOF 2024 for allowing Vida Flamenca to cover this year’s impressive international flamenco fashion showcase. MORE THAN FASHION… AN IMMERSIVE FASHION EXPERIENCE!

Full information, including designer collections here: https://simof.es/

Here are a few highlights from this year’s extraordinary event!