Carolina Herrera trades New York for Madrid to present latest collection

For the first time in its history, the fashion brand Carolina Herrera will not be presenting a collection during New York Fashion Week, but instead, in Madrid. The show will take place on September 18, in a yet-to-be-announced location. “We are very proud to form part of a Spanish company. For us, it’s like coming home in many ways,” the brand’s creative director, Wes Gordon, told EL PAÍS. After producing and selling the New York firm’s perfumes since the 1980s, the Catalan group Puig acquired Carolina Herrera’s fashion division in 1995.

Gordon, who replaced Herrera after her retirement in 2018, has a close relationship with the Spanish capital. “It has become one of my favorite cities. I’d say it is my favorite, in fact,” he says in an exclusive interview with EL PAÍS. “For me, as a designer, it’s a city that overflows with inspiration. Every time I go, I refuse to spend a second in my hotel room.” Over the last two years, the brand has launched several initiatives in Madrid. It sponsored the exhibition Maestras at the Thyssen Museum in 2023 and Gordon formed part of the 2024 jury of the Fashion Fund prize for emerging designers hosted every year by the Spanish edition of Vogue.

It was also in 2023 when the brand decided to follow the example of other big names in luxury and begin presenting its cruise collections in cities beyond the usual fashion suspects. First, in Rio de Janeiro, and last year in Mexico City. This time, however, it has decided to present what is known in the industry as a “main collection” — in this case, spring-summer 2026 — in Madrid. It’s an unusual choice, but one that demonstrates the brand’s commitment to the Spanish market. “There is something about the way people dress in Madrid that is ‘very Herrera’; that mix of elegance and daring that fascinates me,” says Gordon.

In recent years, Spain has hosted two internationally renowned fashion shows. Dior presented its cruise collection in Seville’s Plaza de España in 2022 and Louis Vuitton did the same in Barcelona’s Park Güell last year. It had been decades since the country, whose folklore is a recurring source of inspiration for vaunted designers, had appeared in this way on the global fashion map. In fact, Madrid has not hosted a fashion event of this magnitude since 1959, when the Duchess of Alba hosted Dior’s Trapèze collection at the Palacio de Liria as a charity gala for the capital’s aristocracy. It was the first collection created for the French fashion house by a very young Yves Saint Laurent.

But in these post-pandemic years, Madrid’s image has changed vertiginously. In 2024, the city welcomed 11.2 million tourists who spent a total of $18.4 billion, 21% more than the previous year. This opportunity presents a two-way street: Carolina Herrera will be reaffirming her presence in a buoyant market, and the national fashion industry will also benefit from the event, which will likely be attended by international editors and celebrities.

Gordon says that the runway show will be “big,” but has not revealed any details on marquee names who will be in the seats. However, he does say that designers and artists who “will showcase local creativity” will be involved in the presentation. The date chosen is also a particularly favorable time to showcase Spanish designers. While cruise collections are presented off-calendar (usually in May or November) and focus exclusively on the brand showcasing in each city, this time, as it is a main collection, the show coincides with Mercedes-Benz Madrid Fashion Week. The event, just days before the shows begin in Milan, will attract fashion influencers from all over the world to the city.

Carolina Herrera, whose labels themselves bear the words “New York” has no plans at this time to continue presenting its main collections outside the Big Apple. This coming September, following the Madrid show, the brand will present its collection to clients in New York, and in February, it will return to New York Fashion Week, where it has been a regular for over 40 years. This makes the fashion house’s decision to spotlight Madrid all the more special.

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