Self-educated Spanish couturier Manuel Piña played a key role in the revitalization of Spanish fashion. He started his career in the textile sector in the 1970s, achieving great success with his knitted garments which perfectly fitted the market needs of the moment. Aware of his creative gift and of his ability to fulfill the wishes of Spanish women, who were by then starting their comparatively late emancipation process, Manuel Piña entered the world of design in the early 1980s. He created his first catwalk collections in the same period in which the Spanish prêt-à-porter industry was taking shape. Just days before the general elections of 1982, Manuel Piña broke new ground with a spectacular collection which he presented under the circus dome of the Ciudad de los Muchachos. From that moment to the end of his career in 1990, his clothes, which merged tradition, handicraft and avant-garde design, never failed to mesmerize women who were yearning for modernity. Powerful and sensuous, “Piña women” became leading characters of the cultural movement known as “Movida madrileña” and perfect symbols of the brave new times.

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