IFEMA MADRID announces Asier Labarga as the new director of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid
Asier Labarga's appointment as the new head of the event, the leading platform for the promotion of Spanish fashion, comes after the recent appointment of Valentina Suárez-Zuloaga as creative director. The new team will work to enhance talent, support the fashion industry, promote international expansion, and focus on craftsmanship, and sustainability as key areas of its strategic plan.
IFEMA MADRID has appointed Asier Labarga as the new director of Spain's leading fashion showcase, reaffirming the commitment to the professionalisation of the event and the commercial development of Spain’s fashion industry. The aim is to nurture emerging talent and Spanish fashion’s uniqueness with a strong emphasis on internationalisation and sustainability.
With more than fifteen years of experience at IFEMA MADRID as a manager and director of professional trade fairs, Asier Labarga has worked on projects linked to lifestyle and the creative industries. Over the past five years, he has focused on the entertainment sector, spearheading the launch of IFEMA MADRID LIVE, a new line of business dedicated to leisure and live shows. This initiative has established the fairgrounds as a new benchmark venue for entertainment in Madrid. Labarga will continue in this role while also taking on the new challenge of leading MBFWMadrid.
“It is a challenge that I accept with the utmost responsibility. At IFEMA MADRID, we are working to enhance this platform and reposition it in the international circuit, with a continuous focus on agility and adaptation to the challenges of the fashion industry, particularly in the signature design area, in order to serve as a showcase for creative excellence and a driving force for the Spanish fashion industry. We are in the midst of a transformation that began with the signing of Valentina Suárez-Zuloaga as creative director, which is giving us first-hand insight into the pulse of the fashion sector and is a strong motivation to continue working shoulder-to-shoulder to achieve our set goals," said the new head of fashion week Asier Labarga.
Asier Labarga has taken over from Ana Rodríguez who, over the past four editions, has played a role in strengthening the image of the event, enhancing its professional profile and driving its digitalisation. She will continue to be involved in professional projects at IFEMA MADRID.