06-05-2025
Flamenco dressmakers out of fashion as big retailers cut in
The profusion of brilliant colours and designs of flounced flamenco dresses worn at Seville's annual feria have dazzled visitors for more than a century.
The style has inspired designers at Yves Saint Laurent and Dolce & Gabbana, not to mention Madonna. But as the week-long event began on Tuesday, experts raised fears that the growing availability of cheap flamenco dresses posed a threat to the city's seamstresses.
'For some time now, with the boom of the feria, everyone wants to wear flamenco dresses, and certain low-cost companies have started to bring out their own versions,' said Pilar Larrondo, the creator of Wappissima, a social media platform dedicated to flamenco fashion.
A dress by designer Yolanda Rivas was shown at the International Flamenco Fashion Week in Seville last year
CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
'If a small firm from Seville makes a collection of 30 dresses to survive
