NOW MADRID - THE CHRISTMAS CITY
VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM · LONDON
FASHION WAS THE INVITATION.
By this point, Spanish fashion had already begun to establish a presence within the international fashion system.
But London offered another opportunity.
Instead of presenting Spanish fashion as an industry alone, the project used fashion as a gateway to present Madrid itself.
Fashion, design, gastronomy, shopping and the experience of the city came together to give an international audience another reason to discover Madrid.
NOW MADRID
THE CHRISTMAS CITY
The project was presented at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, one of the world's leading institutions for art and design.
The exhibition brought Madrid's Christmas illumination, designed by leading Spanish fashion designers, into the museum alongside pieces from their Spring/Summer 2009 collections.
Fashion became part of the visual language of the city.
Madrid was no longer being presented simply as the home of Spanish designers.
It was being presented as a destination.
FROM FASHION
TO CITY EXPERIENCE.
The project connected different aspects of Madrid's identity.
Fashion.
Design.
Food.
Shopping.
Culture.
The objective was to create an experience capable of reaching beyond the traditional fashion audience and communicating Madrid through its creativity, people and way of life.
The exhibition was therefore more than a fashion presentation.
It was a way of experiencing Madrid before arriving in Madrid.
THE EXHIBITION
The Christmas illumination became the central visual expression of the project.
Leading Spanish fashion designers created their own interpretations of Madrid's Christmas identity through light, with the installations presented inside the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Their collections appeared alongside the illumination, creating a direct connection between fashion, design and the city.
This was what made the project particularly interesting.
The designers were no longer simply representing Spanish fashion.
They were also becoming part of the way Madrid presented itself internationally.
BUILDING THE PLATFORM
TACTICA coordinated, organised and managed the London presentation, working with the different partners and institutions involved in the project.
Our work included institutional relations and lobbying, PR and communications, guest management and event coordination.
The project built on relationships developed through the wider ACME international programme, including those with the British Fashion Council and London institutions, helping connect the Madrid initiative with the London fashion and cultural ecosystem.
More than 400 guests and leading figures attended the event at the Victoria & Albert Museum, giving the project significant international visibility.
THE CITY BECAME THE STORY.
What had started with the international positioning of Spanish designers had evolved into something broader.
Fashion could create access.
Design could create attention.
Culture could create relevance.
And together, they could offer a different way of presenting a city internationally.
Now Madrid was not simply presenting Spanish fashion in London.
Spanish creativity had become part of the way Madrid itself was being presented.
FROM NATIONAL TALENT
TO INTERNATIONAL CITY POSITIONING.
Now Madrid showed how the relationships and international platforms developed around Spanish fashion could extend into a wider territory.
The Victoria & Albert Museum provided the setting.
Spanish designers provided the creative language.
Madrid was the destination.
And TACTICA coordinated and managed its London activation.