The Antonio Ortega runway show was a whimsical parade of colors, textures and styles during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.
With a passion for craftsmanship, an attention to detail and a love of life, Antonio Ortega has constructed his career and life around a dream: becoming a part of the world of Haute Couture.
Born in Morelia, a Mexican city renowned for its culture and craft traditions, the last child of a family of 15 discovered his love for fashion at the age of 8. Using his mother’s sewing machine in secret, he made his first dress from a pattern found in a magazine. Fascinated by this way of expressing himself, Antonio Ortega was naturally attracted to studies in design in Mexico. In 1994, he works with the Mexican Arts and Crafts Centre and learns ancestral techniques and know-how in braiding, weaving, embroidery and openwork: characteristic techniques that can be still be found in his creations.
Curious and always ready for a new challenge, in 1996 the young man joins the television channel Televisa S.A., where he excells as head stylist, supervising a team of more than 35. In addition to his artistic and creative talents, he develops his managerial skills, another facet of the designer trade. He decides, however, to leave this environment to pursue his dream and become a fashion designer.
In 2001, Antonio lets his curiosity take him to Paris to discover the roots of Haute Couture and study at the Chardon Savard design school. He works alongside the designer Dominique Sirop in his Parisian Haute Couture workshop, honing the young designer’s attention to detail and allowing him to enhance and refine his knowledge and techniques. The same year, he launches his own label, characterized by cultural diversity and blending noble materials with technological and natural fibres. He experiments with tattoos on leather, unfinished finishings and twist skirts. He mixes neoprene and waterproof materials with silk, cotton, cashmere and bamboo, constantly looking for that “which does not yet exist”. Quickly, his creations find their place in fashion shows in New York, Montréal and Toronto.
In 2014, more ambitious and determined than ever, he decides to give a new impetus to his label by presenting his 2014-2015 Fall-Winter collection during the Haute Couture week in Paris. A philosophy of excellence and a quest for perfection that bears fruit. His collection, “The snake, myth and reality”, abounds with sensuality, elegance, refinement, colour and life. Fluid tailleurs, impeccably constructed, accompany tops that follow the curves of the body with romantic embroideries or, quite on the contrary, project a contemporary design in constant movement. Pleated skirts, shimmering or with a delicate, modern cut, follow layered dresses that are often closer to fantasy than to reality. A style that personifies diversity, joy and assurance. Clothes that make a woman feel free and at her best. An affirmative identity, driven by passion, discipline and tenacity. A dream become reality.
