Presentation

Málaga de Moda

The Malaga textile industry is undoubtedly thriving and has enormous potential. This makes it more crucial than ever to strengthen the fashion business network in our province. And that’s where we come in: Malaga Fashion.

Malaga Fashion is a brand of the Provincial Council with the dual objective of strengthening the fashion business network in Malaga and promoting and showcasing the work of our designers, producers, manufacturers, workshops, and distribution companies, as well as the craftsmanship and technological innovation linked to fashion.

Malaga is the most important center for the textile and fashion industry in southern Spain, ranking first in Andalusia and fourth in Spain in terms of the number of workers and professionals. With a network of more than 500 companies, it is essential not only for the sector to become more robust but also for production to become rooted in the region.

Industry

We were already there during the 19th century when the development of the cotton industry put Málaga on the textile map, thanks to the advancements made throughout the province, transforming it into a key sector of the Industrial Revolution, second only to Barcelona nationally.

Likewise, in the 20th century, Málaga’s textile sector boasted large, renowned companies that made this activity a vital part of the province’s industrial fabric.

However, during the 1950s, the industry suffered a decline that was eventually resolved with the creation of the public company Industrias Textiles de Guadalhorce (Intelhorce) in 1957. Considered Málaga’s largest factory, Intelhorce occupied a plot of 322,233 square meters. By 1972, it had 25,000 spindles in operation. In 1975, it employed more than 3,200 workers and produced up to 80 million meters of fabric. In 1992, after years of crisis and losses, the company declared bankruptcy, but survived until the European textile crisis led to its closure and subsequent sale in 2004.

Another historical example is Mayoral, the pioneering children’s fashion company from Malaga, whose origins date back to 1942 and which today has a presence in more than 100 countries.

Currently, companies like Arggido, Carla Ruiz, and Shamat, among others, are making a name for themselves internationally.

Prêt à porter

With giants like Intelhorce gone, cooperatives like those in Ronda, Coín, Antequera, and Alhaurín now practically nonexistent, and production entirely outsourced and replaced by India and China, Málaga’s textile industry in the 1990s was crying out for renewal.

It was then that Charanga was born, a children’s fashion company founded in 1991 that offered a then-novel marketing system: franchising. Currently, Charanga boasts over 230 stores worldwide, including Charanga boutiques, franchises, and shop-in-shops in major department stores like El Corte Inglés.

Around the same time, small and medium-sized companies with a contemporary vision of fashion emerged, focusing solely on the design and marketing of garments. These included Pepa Loves (which started in 1992 as Pepa Karnero), Olimara, and Aerostato—brands that, despite creating fewer jobs than the industry giants, achieved significant profitability.

Haute couture

To speak of the 2000s in the Malaga fashion industry is, of course, to speak of Haute Couture. And to speak of Malaga Haute Couture is, necessarily, to speak of David Delfín.

Having passed away from cancer at the age of 46, David Delfín was a courageous and groundbreaking designer who leaves a void that will be very difficult to fill. This year, the Malaga Provincial Council created the first David Delfín International Original Talent Award, worth €10,000 for the winner.

However, Delfín’s legacy has not gone unheard, as his influence is being carried on in our province by incredibly talented designers such as Álvaro Calafat, Montesco, Javier Alcántara, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, Gemma Melé, Ángel Palazuelos, Rafael Urquízar, Jesús Segado, Antonia Galiano, and Susana Hidalgo.

Future

With all these elements, the province of Málaga has the potential to create many successful projects and regain its privileged position in the sector, not just nationally, but globally.

Because we have the professionals, we have the companies, we have the technology on our side, and, moreover, the eyes of the entire world are on our province. We simply need to combine all the ingredients to achieve growth as an industry.

Málaga is in fashion.
Málaga fashion is too.