Arena Martínez: "I want to take this relationship between art and fashion to another level"

Full name: Arena Martinez

Age: 28 years old

Studies: International Business and Fashion Master in Saint Martins

Hobbies: Traveling and playing the violin

Pets?: My daughter Tobyta

I live in…:Chueca, Madrid

---

When you grow up among colors, frames, brushes and a lot of art, you have many ballots to develop a creative talent that multiplies if it also runs through your veins. That is what has happened to Arena Martínez, a multidisciplinary artist who, at 28, already has her own space in the art world. Since she was little, Arena has been in contact with art because her father is Papartus (Paco Celorrio), a renowned painter from whom she confesses that she has learned everything. For a few years now, Arena has merged art with fashion, its two passions, creating a collection in which color floods everything. Garments with their own personality, designed to not go unnoticed and created under the slow fashion concept, with which we have seen influencers and artists such as Frani García-Miró (@driftingnomad), Milena Smit, Nuria Roca or Vanesa Martín. A way of bringing art to the street, which is now being transferred to the automotive world, as it has been in charge of turning the new Toyota Yaris Cross Electric Hybrid into a museum piece.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

In your case, art comes from your cradle, what is it like growing up next to a artist like your father, Papartus?

That's lucky. I think growing up with an artist makes you develop your most creative side. Since I was little, her studio was my park and the brushes and paint cans were my toys. With him as a child I painted, created and developed my imagination a lot and I think that is very important for a child.

What is the most important thing you have learned from him and what has been the best professional advice he has given you?

Throughout my life I have learned many things from him, I would say that understanding and loving art is one of the most important things he has taught me and the truth is that I continue to learn with him every day. The truth is that I am lucky because my father supports me a lot and gives me a lot of professional advice, but one thing that he always tells me and that throughout my life I have learned is completely true is that the improbable is possible and that if you don't plan you are planning to fail.

Did you always want to pursue art?

I always had a very strong bond with art. The first time I went to sleep at a friend's house, when I came home I told my father very surprised that it was a very strange house because there were no paintings. I always knew that I wanted to do something related to art, I wasn't very clear in what way, so since I could I started doing internships and small jobs within the world of art, such as auction houses or galleries, until I realized that what I wanted was to dedicate myself to something that would allow me to live my two passions, art and fashion.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

How would you define your style?

Bold, groundbreaking and different. Certainly recognizable.

Today your professional life takes place between fashion and art: what is the relationship between the two for you?

Art and fashion have been living a love story for decades, I think they are two worlds that go hand in hand, two creative worlds that walk together. Throughout history, many designers have been inspired by artists to create their collections and I wanted to take this relationship between art and fashion to another level by creating a brand that was inspired by this, the mix between these two sectors.

Why did you decide to create a brand that would bring the art of numerous creators “into the closet”?

I decided to do it for two reasons. The first is that I felt the need to unite my two passions and the second is that my father had decided to stop exhibiting (but not painting) for ten years and every time I went to his studio he had the need for that work to come out of the picture. study and people saw it. That's when I thought, why not take the works out into the street and give them visibility. It was that initial idea with my father's work that made me think that it would be a good idea to carry out with different artists in the long run. The first collection was made in collaboration with my father. There I tested the idea to see if I liked it, and throughout these four years I have been collaborating with other artists.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

You launched the firm in 2017, how do you value these years?

It has been four wonderful years, complicated because starting your own business is not easy, especially in a world like fashion and art. I am very clear that it has been the best invested time of my life and that I have learned a lot, no, a lot. Without a doubt, the most intense master of my life. These have been years of many emotions, effort, work and I am very happy with all the people I have met along this path and everything I am achieving. You also have to keep in mind that when a pandemic appeared that stopped the world for a short time but also made me learn, survive that situation and come out of it stronger than ever.

Your universe is full of colour. What does color mean in your life?

I live surrounded by color, the art that surrounds me is usually very colorful and happy. It gives me happiness, inspires me and puts me in a good mood, which is why I tend to always be the colorful brand.

Now you have turned the Toyota Yaris Cross Electric Hybrid into a 3D canvas, how did you live this experience? What inspired you?

My new Yaris Cross is actually a 3D ceramic and I'll explain why. Both my brand and all my collections have always carried an idea behind "taking art to the street" but I would never have imagined doing it on four wheels, so for me it has been an incredible opportunity. Due to the confinement, instead of To make clothes for the house or for sports, I decided to make a ceramic collection in collaboration with my father, which was super fun and special. It was beautiful, but each ceramic found its home and never went out. When Toyota offered me to wrap the new Yaris Cross, after much thought I realized that this was an incredible opportunity to bring that collaboration to the street, so I was inspired by that ceramic collaboration. It was clear from the beginning that I wanted it to be a daring, fun but elegant car and it was not easy, I did a thousand tests but the truth is that I am very happy with the result and I have learned a lot with this project. It has been a wonderful experience and I am very grateful to a brand like Toyota for having opted for me. It has been a project in which I have been super comfortable both with the Toyota team and with Valyty, they have given me a lot of freedom to develop my creativity and I will always be grateful.

If we opened your closet… would we find black clothes? Who are your favorite designers?

A lot!! I really like going in black, oddly enough! But I don't think it goes without saying that it's certainly not a black wardrobe, you can find all the colors in the world but yes, a lot of black. My favorite designers are John Galliano and Alexander McQueen but the truth is that I've been a big fan of Jacquemus lately.

To finish, which artists would you like to collaborate with in your next collections?

I have many in mind but it is secret and some are closed. Lately I am incorporating my own art into my garments and I will always continue to collaborate with Papartus, since I have the studio near my showroom and it is my favorite space in the world.