The Tamesis
The world has finally caught up with Tíscar Espadas.
This month, the Madrid-based designer’s eponymous label was announced as a shortlist for the 2026 LVMH Prize, but her signature designs have been building momentum for some time. The 32-year-old Spaniard graduated from the Royal College of Art and worked under Henrik Vibskov before launching his own label in 2019 and winning the Spanish Vogue Fashion Fund in 2024.
The designer and her partner Kevin Kohler hosted an intimate showroom in Paris this season to showcase the brand’s delightful, carefully edited collections of unique shapes designed to be worn by both men and women. Until now, the pair have primarily used a limited number of natural and organic fabrics, launching a collection each year in spring and a smaller capsule collection in autumn, but have now transitioned to a seasonal model. “We were so excited to find the fabric and it started opening, opening, opening! Eventually it became a real collection,” Espadas said during a walkthrough.
They had been thinking about the snowy landscapes of Kohler’s native Swiss countryside and designed the collection based on characters and holidays, enlivened by the brand’s unique sense of fantasy. Bold silhouettes and loose cuts come in rusty and earthy tones, covered in soft muslins, cross-stitched cottons and crisp, chunky denim. There was a practical element: long scarves had pockets sewn into them, while knitted leggings and gloves were designed to protect wrists and ankles from the cold.
Pattern making is fun. Wide shorts and a gray scoop-neck sweater have side slits, while a baggy hooded shirt features a drawstring that turns the neckline into ruffles when pulled. There were balloon pants that curved at the calf, a sexy chocolate-colored corduroy suit, and a burgundy oilskin vest with slits sewn through which a cotton tie could be threaded. A companion hat signed by Espadas also appears. “When I’m sketching looks, I always feel like they need something without the hat,” she says. “A hat says it all.”
The brand’s anachronistic aesthetic is so unique that translating it to real life without making it too close to clothing can be a challenge. “You have to think of it as far away from the image,” Kohler said, adding that he likes when people pair the clothes with more casual items like hoodies. In an era when commerce is king, there’s something intoxicating about a brand that’s so uncompromising and eclectic, and Espadas’ ability to infuse a sense of freedom into fabrics feels radical. The designer said it best: “It’s a dialogue between humans and fantasy. But it’s always just for fun.”
