We had the pleasure of talking with Daniel and David Megias Warburton, founders of Warburton @warburton, the Spanish brand that has attracted so many people for its peculiar mixture of Spanish and British cultures, and for its incredible and disruptive designs. The brothers talk with us about their personal stories, how the brand started, the creative process they follow, and their next projects.
Vanity Teen: To start with, I’d like to know more about the designers behind Warburton, Daniel Megias Warburton, and David Megias Warburton. Could you tell me a little bit about your personal story and how your love for fashion originated?
Warburton: We were born in a family with a mixture of two cultures, the Spanish and the British, which from an early age allowed us to have a slightly broader perspective on certain aspects that have later been fundamental in working on the DNA of our brand. At home we have always had design and art in general very much in mind, our father used to be an illustrator, my grandmother a painter, our grandfather was a photographer, so since we were little we have shown a lot of interest in design and fashion has been our way of developing our curiosities.
VT: How and why did you decide to start a brand together? What is it like to build a brand between brothers?
W: Initially, it was born out of the need to be able to wear what we saw being worn in the UK, so we tried to develop our own designs and learn from the process because none of us had experience. In our case, it is quite simple. We are very different people and the roles within the brand are very well defined, we both design, and then Daniel is in charge of the management and organization of the brand and I, David, am in charge of public relations. We don’t always agree on all the decisions that have to be made, but hey, we get along quite well.
VT: I guess having British and Spanish roots is what motivated you to create your brand, a bit like bringing London streetwear to Spain. How would you define your own brand with such a special mix of cultures?
W: If we reduce all the concepts to the simplest ones that could define the brand, we normally tend to say that we are “pearls” and “balaclavas”, I think that defines us quite a lot in the most basic way. We are that mix between sophisticated and disruptive, and from that initial concept, we can start our conversation by going to any place we feel curious to go. On the Spanish side we can say that we have brought out the most sophisticated side of the brand, “the pearls” (art, architecture, interior design), and on the British side, the most disruptive part of the brand, “the balaclavas” (the grimme, the weather, the rain, the cold) The mixture of both cultures has resulted in what is now WARBURTON.
VT: Your designs are really unique, with coherence and a very marked aesthetic. How did you find your own style in terms of aesthetics with a predominance of dark tones and the combination with prints and patterns?
W: It is something in which we spend a lot of time working, we need people to perceive exactly what we are as a brand, from the designs of the garments themselves to how we present it through the visuals, the sounds we use, etc. We want to create that world of Warburton through all the systems that can be used to define the brand. Our style and aesthetics are born from who we are, from that mixture of cultures. Once we have that clear, we dedicate ourselves to gaining inspiration about concepts that can generate more curiosity and start our conversation taking that concept as a starting point to start the design process. Until now, interior design and classical art have been concepts in which we have delved a lot to design.
VT: What inspires you to create? What is your creative process when you come up with new collections and how do you do it between two creatives?
W: Before designing any collection, we put on the table different concepts that can attract more attention when it comes to later developing them in the pieces. We choose from among all the ones we like the most and starting from that base, Daniel develops his designs, I design mine, and later we put them in common and we go on choosing and modifying until we see the collection.
VT: What is the reason for hiding the faces of your models? Do you do it for pure aesthetics or does it have a functional purpose?
W: It all started because at first it was just the two of us modeling the pieces and we didn’t feel comfortable showing our faces, so we decided to cover them up. From that moment on, it became part of our DNA and really defines us as creators too. We’re both introverts and very comfortable just working behind closed doors so it’s another action that represents who we are.
VT: Your designs have been worn by great celebrities such as Young Thug, Lunay, Manu Rios, Aron Piper, and many others. How does it feel when you see such important personalities wearing your creations? How is that feeling?
W: It’s surreal when they contact you saying they’re fans of the brand and would like to wear one of your looks or even request a custom one. We feel very lucky every time we get the opportunity to develop parts for them, it’s something we used to dream of when we started.
VT: I’m sure you haven’t stopped creating. What will we see this year from Warburton and how do you see the future of the brand?
W: Well, we are currently finishing our first bag which we will launch over the next few weeks. On the other hand, we are already setting a date for the launch of our first sneakers, a project on which we have been working for more than a year and finally we have the summer launch in collaboration with an artist with whom we have been in conversation for some time, which makes us really happy. It will be a collection in which we are going to leave our comfort zone. On a commercial level, right now we are looking at starting to work with retailers and being able to offer other points of sale where people can go to try on our clothes.