Juana Ruiz and Garbiñe Urdampilleta combined forces and names to create the prestigious fashion firm Jota Mas Ge, which translates as J plus G. They started out at the Leku-Eder Fashion Design School in Biscay, where they received awards for Design and Patterns.
After working for a series of other firms, they took the decision in 1987 to break free and create their own company. In 1992, they got their first opportunity to share a catwalk and shortly afterwards made their début at Espacio Cibeles. Their collection later met with great enthusiasm in 1997 at the Bilbao-Guggenheim Fashion Event where Jota Mas Ge appeared alongside top designers like Paco Rabanne and Carolina Herrera.
Their designs have graced catwalks and top Spanish and international trade fairs the world over. Pure London, Prêt-a-Porter in Paris, Fashion Coterie in New York and Shanghai Fashion in China are just some of the venues on a very long list, not forgetting their regular appearances on the Gaudí Catwalk. Their collections are always greeted with critical acclaim in the trade press. Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle, Collezionni in Italy, Essence in America and Gap in Japan are some of the titles in which they have featured.
Jota Mas Ge is the flagship label of Venturmoda S.A., whose shareholders include the Talde venture capital group. Jota más Ge has four of its own shops in Madrid, Bilbao, Seville and Pamplona, and two outlets stores in Madrid and Vizcaya. The brand also operates in the Designers area in nine branches of El Corte Inglés and sells at more than 600 multi-brand retail points: 500 in Spain and 150 in countries including Portugal, Ireland, Benelux, Italy, Greece, Russia and a number of Arab countries.
In the designers’ own words, Jota Mas Ge is for “a confident, feminine, practical woman who wants to be attractive at all times, without forgoing comfort ".
