'Estepona de Moda' launches its Flamenco runway

'Estepona de moda' is not just a phrase that everyone who lives in or visits the city feels when strolling through its streets or beaches. 'Estepona de Moda' (EdM) is also the name of an initiative that combines the work of young fashion designers with culture, innovation, creativity, color, and the joy of living, having Estepona as its epicenter with fashion shows it organizes outdoors for several years. The project has now taken a further turn, and this weekend the exclusive runway dedicated to Flamenco fashion was celebrated.

Organized by the City Council, the direction of EdM is in the hands of fashion photographers Los Juanchys, Gabriel Cano and Juanchy García, who, along with their partner, stylist and personal shopper, Miguel Toledo, shape this avant-garde and current Estepona fashion runway.

In this first edition of 'Estepona de Moda' Flamenco, La Ganga, a store specializing in flamenco fashion; the Estepona designer of flamenco fashion and reference with his atelier for exclusive designs, Samuel Vélez; the Malaga-born Samuel Reyes, with great freshness in all his creations; Rocío Segovia, from Campo de Gibraltar, who breaks standards every year with her dresses; and the Sevillian Sara Pozo, who received a special mention at the International Flamenco Fashion Week SIMOF 2025. All of them filled the red carpet located on a stretch of the central Terraza street with color, ruffles, and flowers.

"We have fallen in love with all these designers, we love what they do, and we want to continue working with them. We also want to express special thanks to the EdM team working alongside us, Alejandro Fargas, photographer; María José Toledo, backstage director; makeup artist Soledad Mata; the hairdressers from Pecas and the floral decorators Grun. And a special thanks to Macarena Diánez, Councilor for Culture, and the Estepona City Council who always give us wings to make our ideas a reality," explained Los Juanchys to SUR.

The aim of the 'Estepona de Moda' Flamenco runway, according to its directors, is for the people of Estepona and the region to see design and for the design to be accessible. "Because flamenco is design and innovation, including hairstyles, fringes, and shawls, and we want it to be something natural because 'Estepona de Moda' also provides opportunities for everyone involved here, from the models, the staff, and of course, the designers," assured Juanchy García, who is also a native of Estepona and experienced flamenco from a young age at home, not only through the music heard indoors but also through the dresses his mother and grandmother sewed for the fairs and that he still keeps today.

Both are committed to making EDM Flamenco as big as its older sister, EdM, which is held around September. "We want to give opportunities to young people and to show something diverse in our city. We are committed to innovation in everything we do and want everyone to have access to it," added Gabriel Cano.

"When we undertake these types of projects, we want people to understand our world, to value fashion, creativity... because it's not the same to see a flamenco dress in a static photo on social media as to see it in motion on our runway, that fall, that fabric, the ruffles, the seams," García explained. "I want to bring to my city everything that I see on my travels, so that older people who might not have many opportunities to leave here can also see what I see."

The next project they already have underway is the ninth edition of the 'Estepona de Moda' runway in the second half of 2025.