With his transgressive and innovative signature, Leandro Cano welcomed us to 'The Dance of the Excluded' at the Paris Haute Couture Week.
About The Designer: Leandro Cano
His Andalusian origins are deep in Leandro Cano's DNA, in his dramatical, voluminous, expressive creations. Art and fashion are one thing in his label; networking to represent the Andalusian taste and artisanal skills are part of his mission. From his first prize in 2012 with the collection 'Buffet', Leandro gained many national and international prestigious awards having the big chance to produce the 'Anima' collection with master designer Marc Jacobs.
The Dance Of The Excluded: The Concept
In Hispania, the land of rabbits, Leandro Cano transported us to an invented space-time that has its roots in medieval Southern Spain. In his A/W 2022/23 'El Baile de los Excluidos' collection, or 'The Dance of the Excluded', castles and borders are the common thread and scenario, but they are nothing more than a metaphor for the convulsive and agitated times in which we live. Hence, Leandro Cano's latest couture collection is an artistic analysis of the current society – sometimes advanced, sometimes with a mentality older than the Middle Ages.
With CANO: 'The Dance of the Excluded', the designer from Jaén delved deeper into the fictional medieval society, in which those who did not belong to ‘normality’ were excluded, making an introspective journey.
About The Collection: The Dance Of The Excluded
This collection marks the 10th anniversary in the industry for the Andalusian designer. His story led Leandro to the creation of 10 models and 1 extra outfit, one look per year, plus one that includes all the others. The models are 11 archetypes which represent different and unique characters, all of them being part of the designer’s personal journey. In his latest collection, we find a reinterpretation of the most iconic pieces of his 10-year career via the symbolic language of these garments.
The most prominent materials in the collection are cotton twill, quilted fabrics, jacquards woven with garment prints, fabrics made on handlooms, leather-based suits, tailoring wool, gold embroidery, and crochet made with metal chains. Leandro Cano is not new in using essential but powerful red, here with blue and gold as the predominant colours of 'The Dance of the Excluded'.
The artisanal techniques used are equally researched and full of meaning: gold embroidery on gold and wool stands out, manipulation of fabric made on handlooms with Spanish merino sheep wool, crochet, crochet with mohair, work with embossed leather, elaboration of ceramic fajalauza (a traditional Andalusian ceramic) and hand-painted garments
Leandro Cano's models made the space their own, appearing imponent like pieces of a chess game with the power of a religious representation
Explore Fashions Finest, the house of international designers, and find more from international shows on our Instagram page. Do you want to receive the latest always in your inbox? Sign to our Friday newsletter.
