As I sit in my Tuscan villa next to a crackling fire.  I look at my upcycling 600-year-old silk curtains. They are now used to keep out the draft in this very cold villa. These curtains were once entertainers to a very rich aristocratic Italian family. Every time I look at them all torn and no longer loved. I do wonder why we don’t use curtains for recreating fashion items?

For warmth purposes, I have bought a new life into these insufflated curtains.

Imagine a 600-year-old fabric that has survived two wars and much more. The quality is second to none. But the stories behind my two curtains is why I am loving what designer Arturo Obegero has done to his velvet theatre curtains.

Bringing fantasy to overcome the grim reality of inequalities, political and economic uncertainty, and the pandemic is the essential message of the collection.

Designers need to upcycle fabrics for fashion and homeware for 2021 alot more.

Velvet Tale And Drama Of Theatre Curtains

This is a tale of drama and emotions. for menswear this week in Paris. Arturo Obegero entered the official Paris Fashion Week calendar for the Autumn-Winter 2021 season, nine months following the launch of his eponymous label. Arturo Obegero’s sustainable mission by adding upcycling to the label’s values.

He is presenting a collection acting as a personal message to the fashion world and a tribute to performers.

PURO TEATRO is the culmination of the designer’s emotional state, and the feelings he’s been willing to express.

“The world has become the biggest stage, and everyone performs for attention and validation. I feel that we are in the most beautiful cage called life, a velvet prison.”

Where would you wear such a collection? The band called KISS comes to mind.

II Was Made For Lovin’ You

Arturo Obegero PURO TEATRO Paris

A new life is insufflated into old velvet curtains collected from theatres around the world, from Sydney to London. They have been the silent witnesses to amazing performances, to the rigour and dedication of stage artists.

Now they will live lives of their own while also carrying the stories, cheers, and tears of the crowds forever embedded in their cotton fibres.

Red Rose

Arturo Obegero’s favourite flower, the red rose, is once more a key element of the collection.

The designer is fascinated by the age-old tradition of throwing roses at performers at the end of a successful spectacle.

Arturo Obegero red rose velvet

Cristóbal Balenciaga Candy Wraps

This season, the performer becomes the rose as the blood-red Saura bodysuit and the Cristóbal top merge. Together they symbolise the ambition that can sometimes blind us.

The Dulce balloon top references Obegero’s fashion hero, Cristóbal Balenciaga, as well as candy wrappers. The belt choking the neck aggravates the garment by adding perversity to the notion of sugar-coating.

Upcycling velvet curtains Arturo Obegero Paris winter 2021

Marga Scarf

The Prussian blue Marga scarf is exaggerated to resemble an elegant velvet snake wrapped around the wearer’s neck and upper body.

The backless Volker top in blood-red moiré is the exclamation point to the collection. The bows nod to classic haute couture gowns. Pushing forward a fashion cliché, they bring femininity while restraining the face and hands of the wearer.

Arturo Obegero P Marga Scarf Red Velvet PURO TEATRO