The history of fashion does not evolve solely through aesthetic changes. Certain garments have also transformed the way we relate to our bodies, to social conventions and to our very own identity. It is on this premise that Isabel Sanchis has built her Spring/Summer 2027 collection, an eclectic range that revisits pieces which, at different times, helped to change the way women dress and express themselves.
At the helm of this new season, Isabel Sanchis and Paula Maiques, creative directors of the Valencian brand, draw on fashion history not out of nostalgia, but as a starting point to explore how certain codes can take on new meanings when brought into the present.
The collection came about almost by chance. “We read an article about the origins of trousers in women’s fashion and found it really interesting, so we started looking into the subject. We remembered Amelia Bloomer, and that’s where it all began,” explain the designers.
Their research led them to garments which, beyond their design, represented changes in the way women dressed. Among these are bloomer trousers, associated with Amelia Bloomer and which have become one of the collection’s main themes.
The bloomers are worn under dresses and are crafted from a variety of materials, ranging from pleated gauze to more structured fabrics. “On the one hand, we liked what these pieces stood for – the fact that they gave women movement and freedom. On the other hand, we love the combination of trousers made from different materials worn under dresses,” say Sanchis and Maiques.
This layering translates into different styles. “They appear in pleated chiffon beneath flowing dresses or in stiffer fabrics with voluminous couture dresses,” they explain.
The historical reference is no coincidence. When bloomers were incorporated into women’s wardrobes, they challenged established conventions and allowed for greater freedom of movement, becoming here a symbol of hard-won freedom.
From the historical corset to 3D printing
This reinterpretation also extends to the corset, one of the most symbolically significant garments in the history of women’s fashion. For Spring/Summer 2027, Isabel Sanchis reworks its traditional construction and presents it fragmented across the body using 3D-printed pieces, introducing a technological element into a silhouette deeply rooted in the tradition of couture.
The collection thus constantly plays on the dialogue between eras. Prints inspired by scarves revive classic codes associated with elegance and personal identity, whilst new textures and constructions translate these references into a contemporary language.
Tradition and experimentation also coexist in the very way the garment is conceived. The brand continues to work with volume and the feminine silhouette as essential elements of its creative language, incorporating contemporary techniques such as three-dimensional effects into a construction closely linked to couture.
A spring of soft colours
The change also extends to the colour palette. This season is dominated by whites, pinks, blues, greens, lilacs and nude shades, rendered in softer, more luminous tones.
“Spring/summer collections tend to be a little lighter, with softer colours,” explain the creative directors. “This year, shades of pink, blue and green dominate, and white features much more prominently.”
Haute couture, however, maintains a more striking colour palette. “It’s true that the haute couture collection calls for more neutral and bold colours, which is why we always use black, maroon or white,” they add.
This combination allows the collection to alternate between lightness and structure, delicacy and boldness. Flowing fabrics sit alongside more architectural pieces, whilst powdery colours provide a counterpoint to blacks and maroons.
‘Break away so you can choose’
All these references revolve around a concept that serves as a statement of intent: ‘Break the mould to be able to choose’.
For Isabel Sanchis and Paula Maiques, the idea ties in directly with the role that clothing has played in challenging certain conventions. “Fashion has, on many occasions, served to break with established conventions and norms, to enable progress and to provide freedom of choice,” they explain.
This reflection is not limited to the past. The designers see a direct continuity between these historical changes and the contemporary way of engaging with fashion.
“Today, the biggest trend is great diversity, and that’s something we love,” they point out. For them, this diversity means “that anyone can wear different styles and, at the same time, the same person can choose different outfits depending on how they feel”.
The collection thus views personal style as a form of autonomy. Clothing ceases to function solely as an aesthetic matter and becomes, instead, a tool for identity, expression and a sense of belonging.
A new chapter
The Spring/Summer 2027 collection launch also coincides with a period of expansion for the Valencian fashion house. In addition to its presence in Valencia, it has opened a new space at Serrano 98, in the heart of Madrid’s Salamanca district, with 360 square metres spread over three floors.
The store brings together the brand’s various lines: ready-to-wear, cocktail and haute couture in the entrance area; fitting rooms on the upper floor; and a more private area dedicated to bespoke tailoring and bridal wear on the lower floor.
Spring/Summer 2027 thus looks to the past without replicating it. It revives garments that once signified a break with convention, alters their materials, proportions and relationship with the body, and brings them back to the present under a concept that the designers summarise clearly: ‘Fashion has, on many occasions, served to break with established conventions and norms, to enable progress and to provide freedom of choice.’
