Where Art Meets Fashion Arena Martinez
Wearable Art · Contemporary Fashion · Madrid
Born into a family of art lovers, shaped by auction houses and art fairs, forged at Central Saint Martins — Arena Martinez created her eponymous label to bring contemporary art to the most intimate dimension: our bodies, our skin.
Arena Martinez was born into a family of art lovers and has been exposed to the contemporary art world for as long as she can remember. She studied in Switzerland and later moved to London, where she focused on International Business while working at key auction houses.
After her degree, she studied fashion management, marketing, and manufacturing at Central Saint Martins while also working for Art Dubai. Having attended so many art fairs and taken part in discussions about collecting, Arena felt it was her time — and her purpose — to create a new way for the world to access contemporary art: wearable, one-of-a-kind pieces of art.
"For me, fashion and art are worlds where creativity is oxygen and talent is water. We merge these spheres together, creating a new platform for these worlds to coexist."
Established in 2017 in Madrid — the label brings contemporary art to another dimension. To our bodies. To our skin.
"Since I can't go outside, I am going inside — and it is working well."— Arena Martinez
I established my brand, "Arena Martinez," in 2017. The label brings contemporary art to another dimension — to our bodies, to our skin. We are based in Madrid and have participated in art fairs such as Artmarbella, Justmad, and JustLx. We opened the MBFWM in July 2019 and had a Google Talk a few months later.
Having lived abroad for many years, I decided to come back to Spain to create my label because it was very important to contribute to my country and to produce quality "Made in Spain." Slow fashion is important because we make sure the work is well done — by people who are paid properly and in good conditions.
I believe fast fashion is killing the industry, and I am very happy with the movement many young Spanish designers are following. We are also lucky to have the platform Es fascinante — they make noise and speak out about the importance of slow fashion and sustainability.
I am definitely a fan of Cultura Inquieta — I always find new interesting things from them. I recommend following them on Instagram; they will for sure surprise you with interesting creatives from around the world.
Since I can't go outside, I am going inside — and it is working well. I am not bored and I am happy. We are busy creating what we hope people find interesting and fun, including interactive content on our blog and Instagram: from art, to fashion, even recipes.
Arena designed 20 bags made of canvas and sent them to 20 different artists, each free to paint whatever they wished. The bags will be auctioned by Christie's — all proceeds going to Juegaterapia, an organisation that specialises in making children with cancer happier by renovating hospitals into joyful, welcoming environments.
The money from this project will specifically go toward building a garden at the Hospital Niño Jesús in Madrid.
"Fashion and art are worlds where creativity is oxygen
and talent is water."
— Arena Martinez · Madrid 2019
