Barcelona-based designer Juan Antonio Ávalos got noticed in 2007 with his FDmoda degree show that received the third prize for best collection -working for Antonio Miró at that time. After a stay at Bernhard Wilhelm's and Thomas Engel Hart's ateliers in Paris, Juan Antonio Ávalos found himself at the head of an eponymous clothing line in 2009. In only three seasons, his name has appeared everywhere thanks to his eccentric hyper-modern street hand. An array of bright sunny colors, embellished yokes, atypical textures and shiny nylon all played their part in the climactic moments of each one of his fashion shows. Entitled "Tropical knights", this season's collection was inspired by surfers and medieval warriors. But Juan Antonio Ávalos also added "Lords of Dogtown" as another source of inspiration : imagine a knight on the beach with a margarita ! The front row received swords made out of balloons, which were highly sought-after mementos through the day. As soon as the music started booming, models bobbed down the runway in their colorful prints with balloons coming out of their bike helmets. Highlights included pink plaid shorts, and windbreakers with colorful patterns resembling heraldic coats of arms and shoulder details that were a nod to armor. There was some stellar knitwear as well and a bomber jacket that at stress points lightened in color (the color actually changes when the fabrics gets stretched). Also, the wet-look synthetic jersey jackets and silver tracksuit were standouts. Juan Antonio Ávalos has also worked with brands such as Nike, Converse and Superga and with photographers such as Björn Tagemose and Daniel Riera. He was the winner of “Best menswear collection 080 Barcelona Fashion Week July 2010" for this collection. Enjoy !
