The SS26 show by Juan VG wasn’t just an aesthetic refresh; it was a manifesto for change, rooted in memory but set firmly in the now.
Juan Valentín-Gamazo began his journey when he was a teenager refusing the uniformity of mass-market garments. He started cutting, customizing and up-cycling his father’s old clothes and his own — long before sustainability became a buzzword.
Today, JUAN VG stands for gender-fluid, fearless designs that pick up where most drop the conversation: materials that have a story, feel and history. His philosophy: “Don’t wait for the change, make it yourself.”
Titled “Jaleo”, his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at 080 Barcelona Fashion explored the everyday of what he calls the “new pijo” — the posh, the classic, the elite aesthetic he knew in his hometown of Valladolid, reworked with grit, humour and second-hand soul.
Tailored blazers, moccasins, polos, and school-uniform echoes collide with ripped denim, crochet inserts, hand-painted motifs and reinvented “luxury” fabrics. The backstage buzz: models waiting in hoodies made from old jackets, ties repurposed into tops, vests turned into outerwear — each piece a visual wink to transformation. In a climate of fast drops and viral gimmicks, JUAN VG’s show reminds us of something deeper. This is about reclaiming what was cast aside — garments, identities, style codes. It’s about building new narratives from discarded ones. His up-cycling isn’t a technique of choice; it’s a refusal of disposal, a push for meaning.
In the bustle before the lights hit, Angela Ibáñez’s camera caught the moments that mattered at 080 Barcelona Fashion:
Photography by Ángela Ibañez for VEIN MAGAZINE
