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PROFILE

The fur and leather designer Elena Benarroch opened her first store in Monte Esquinza Street in Madrid in 1979. She initially concentrated on researching raw material and taking the possibilities furs offered to extremes. It was not until the following year that Benarroch held her first fashion show in Madrid.

The Elena Benarroch store opened in 1981, at 16, Zubarán Street. A year later the designer had the opportunity to represent Spain at the Frankfurt International Fair, where she took part in the Emba mink gala event. That same year the firm Bottega combined its collection with those of the designer, displaying them at the Zubarán Street store.

In 1984 Elena Benarroch presented her creations in Tokyo for the first time ever. That year she was also awarded Spain's Golden Needle Fashion Award. One of the features of these collections is her move towards the use of whole minks, in order to offer a lighter and younger look. She combines geometric designs and the various tones of the fur. During these years she continued to receive numerous prizes and awards. In 1985 she received the American Legend international award for the best collection of the year, and which marked the start of the sale of her garments on the American market through the firm Maximiliam. In 1986 Elena Benarroch finally opened her first store in New York, in Madison Avenue. That same year she presented her collection in Frankfurt and opened the Cibeles Fashion Show. Her collection was the first in the first edition of the Madrid International Fashion Week.

She continued to be showered with awards. In 1987 she received the Cambio 16 magazine's design award. She then opened a new store at 24, Monte Esquinza Street. Her collections begin to include prints on muskrat, ermine, mink and kalgan lamb. A short time after, the firms Andrea Pfister and Etro also move into the store at 16, Zubarán Street, turning it into the only luxury accessories store of its kind in Spain. She also created a mink collection for men, presented by Miguel Bosé.

1989 is year marked by various successes, and the firm is featured on the cover of the American version of Vogue. The following year Elena Benarroch broke away from the idea of the traditional catalogue, creating instead a video for the presentation of her 1990/91 collection, in collaboration with Juan Gatti and Javier Vallhonrat. That season she also received the Telva Gold T Award together with Prada and Versace, and set up her American offices in the town house that once belonged to Andy Warhol.

Elena Benarroch makes regular ventures into other areas apart from the fashion sector. In 1993 for instance, she was commissioned to create a fur collection to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Barbie doll, and in 1995 she designed a coat for Carne trémula (Live Flesh), a Pedro Almodovar film. In 1997 she also presented her own jewellery collection, and started to work with Jil Sander on the German fashion designer's first menswear collection. That same year she was the only businesswoman to be featured in Javier del Castillo's book "El sueño español" (The Spanish Dream). In 1999 Elena Benarroch celebrated her 20th anniversary in the business, selecting her daughter Yaël as the model featured in her catalogue and the inspiration for a collection as youthful as she is.