It's been a while since the last time I did a "BEHIND THE DESIGN" feature here in Something Fashion but, since my homework and architecture duties seem to have calmed down for a bit here in Firenze, I wanted you to meet another fashion entrepreneur whose brand Ibaza I met during the last Barreira A+D students catwalk. My friend and I left the catwalk mesmerized by those headpieces with snakes full of colorful scales and finally, I could sit down and write some questions for its creative director for all of you to meet her and know a bit more behind her philosophy and workflow.

Accessories are one of the main foundations when it comes to a successful outfit, but sometimes we totally forget about them and give more importance to other fashion pieces in our attires. What would you say to people who only pays attention to the tag in what they're wearing?
Everybody has a different rhythm in their lives: there are some people who doesn't care at all in the tag because they're just used to wear something everyday, and other people who wearing something from a high end brand is big effort which may ultimately end in some personal satisfaction. I am one of those who has always thought that wearing a bag because some kind of celebrity has worn it previously is just a flamboyance. I like to wear things which claim a message, something which has lived some sort of battle in history in which I feel identified or I'm in favor of. Therefore, a piece of clothing is not just a thing which an expensive name behind, but it is something that represent my ideals and the ashes of a battle to get a place at the closet of other people. That's what satisfies me.

Which is the base to build a great millinery or hat design, not only talking about materials, but also speaking about ideation?
About inspiration, a great connaissance in fashion history gives you the opportunity to look at a picture and know where to do your research and where to focus. It's like a compass.
Your Instagram account is your main social channel with your followers, where you usually shade videos and pictures of all the creative processes and making-ofs. Do you think it's necessary having any kind of specific education to lead a fashion brand with Ibaza's characteristics, not only talking about the creative direction but also in different aspects like community management? 

I never seem to get the hang on social media. It's been always a complicated ambit for me, and I think a community manager would handle marketing, social media activity and the web much better than I do. I personally think that Ibaza needs a development in the side of marketing, but I won't stop thinking about the topic and reading books to get a glimpse of the social media scene and get to solve that factor.

About the brand identity to the physical public, I'm satisfied with the results, but it's also true that I've studied all the programmes and aspects of it. It's important being self-taught in some sort of things.

What would you highlight in a city like Valencia as an emerging fashion designer? Is it easy to belong to the creative guild in a place like this?
Talking about hat making and millinery it's quite easy to stand out. There are barely six different ateliers in Valencia, and those which make everything handmade are numbered. Valencia is a relatively small city, and word spreads quickly if you get moving to get your work viewed and talked about. Belonging to a world like the fashion industry is never easy; you have to work hard to get noticed.

Which are the aspects that differentiate Ibaza from a traditional millinery brand?
Ibaza is a traditional millinery brand in fact. Everything is done handmade and from scratch, but what differentiates a brand from another is its identity and the essence put into every designer piece.

Ibaza's pieces are intricate, dynamic and drink from different references. Could you explain briefly what's your creative process, from the idea popping up until the craftsmanship and final production stages?

The idea just shows up eventually. Magazines are a great help in my case: I always buy a lot of magazines and store them, I have a massive archive to which I usually draw on. I pay attention to certain details and I usually compare them with old magazines; I do my research on the Internet and whenever all information is clear and set up in my brain, I start comparing with the market real needs (trends, economic level, possibilities to create what's been planned, society, my personal taste and preferences...). Whenever you are clear in what shapes you will be using, they get to reality and you get to play with the different characteristics and colors you've been storing. Before buying all the supplies you must think carefully whether the design will be viable or not, and how you'll be structuring it for it to own balance, be light and most important, comfortable enough. Everything else comes after that.

A post shared by I B A Z A (@ibaza_) on Jun 16, 2017 at 2:42am PDT

The headdress design is the first thing that comes to your mind, but sometimes we get over-creative and is almost impossible to reach the final design because there aren't appropriate materials and ultimately you would end up with a bad aesthetic, so, the headpiece has to be flexible respect to the material.

What's the most outstanding difference between designing for a theatre play, as in the collaboration you did with Taiat Danza, and designing for any kind of day-to-day event?

When we talk about something for stage, they already have their aesthetics and it's not something you argue with. You have to stick to the company's idea and create and structure which endures harsh movements when dancing, and pieces that are quick to be removed and put back into their places for the dressing changes in the least time possible. It's a challenge that makes your versatility level explode.

Designing for a daily event is about following the path you are already used to, in which you have your routine and you've figured it way too much to not being a thing of "sew and sing". But definitely, the decoration of every headpiece makes me enjoy every single hour to its maximum; give identity to a piece is an entertaining and meticulous job with rewarding results.