Only Wear Love or the art of becoming in fashion

By Charlene Figueras 

Taking part in Málaga Fashion Week was a proud moment for me, both as the designer behind OWL – Only Wear Love and as the founder of the Gibraltar Fashion Collective. It was an opportunity to share my work, meet fellow creatives, and take Gibraltar’s creativity to a new audience. 

My collection grew from my Maisons Renaissance theme, The Art of Becoming, inspired by watching my daughter grow. I explored that idea through flower and petal shapes and natural forms, working in a palette of red, black and white. 

Re-using and repurposing are central to my creative process, and a zebra-print coat I bought from the Clubhouse charity shop became a key starting point for the collection.  

I cut it apart and opened out the fabric, transforming it into a corset, accessories and accents across many of my pieces. Its distinctive print became a connecting thread throughout the designs. 

It was lovely to give something pre-loved a new life on the runway. 

One moment that will stay with me came towards the end of our runway presentation. My models had walked ahead of me and lined up, and as I walked towards them, I could see the collection together in front of me.  

Seeing those ideas brought to life, after all the preparation that had gone into each piece, was deeply moving. 

Attending as a group of designers from Gibraltar alongside Dorcas Hammond made the occasion even more meaningful. There was a real sense of excitement as we encouraged one another and celebrated each other’s work. 

The collaboration between the Gibraltar Fashion Collective and Dorcas Fashion Academy was an important part of this journey. It showed how working together can open doors for designers to share their creativity beyond Gibraltar. 

Having my family and friends there meant a great deal. Behind every piece that reaches the runway are many hours of work, and sharing that moment with the people closest to me made it especially memorable 

 I also truly appreciated the presence of the Minister for Culture, Christian Santos, and his encouragement of Gibraltar’s creative talent. 

A heartfelt thank you goes to our sponsors, Visit Gibraltar, El Martillo, Arrise and Henpris, for their generosity and for helping make this opportunity possible. 

I enjoyed the experience enormously, and it has strengthened my wish to help others take that same step. 

As the founder of the Gibraltar Fashion Collective, I would love to continue working alongside Dorcas to help more designers participate in Málaga Fashion Week and explore other opportunities. I hope to share what I have learned, support them along the way and document their journeys. 

I came away feeling grateful, inspired and proud of what we had shared as Gibraltarian designers. I hope this is the beginning of many more opportunities for us to grow together. 

Follow us on social media and look out for our upcoming recruitment announcement for the next cycle. We would love to welcome more creatives ready to join us for the next challenge.