J.J. Corpas/ fashion can be unique and exclusive

I am Jorge Jimenez Corpas but more known as J.J. Corpas and I was born in Andalucía in 1972 in Granada. And at a very early age, I discover ‘Pictorial Art’. I establish myself in Santa Fe and I start to use the dripping technique, finding my own style and growing as an artist through multidisciplinary development of ‘Spontaneous Painting’ using recycled materials. My art studio is right now in Santa strong in Granada.”

Where are you from?

“I am from Granada City but now live in Santa Fe, a town in the province of Granada.”

What’s your educational background?

“I have never gone to any art school or been taught, no one has taught me anything about art or

painting, I am self-taught.”

What are your general professional and non-professional interests?

“My general interests professionally are that art is wearable and at the same time sustainable, by

customizing and recycling garments. And my non-professionally interests are that people should

be conscious that sustainable fashion can be unique and exclusive.”

What does fashion mean to you?

“An item that is very personal where I express my art, which is art in movement.”

How would you define your city’s fashion?

“To be honest very good, there are well-known designers, both male, and female that are strongly

supporting the fashion in Granada.”

When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know, I started to paint my own clothes and every time I was wearing them

more and more people were wondering about it and they asked me if I could paint and customize

their clothes and so that’s how it all started.”

What was the first article of clothing you ever designed?

“It was a blazer jacket of mine that I painted for an exhibition that I had.”

How does designing jewelry differ from designing clothes?

“In nothing really, because there are also fashion designs that are truly jewels.”

How long does it usually take you to construct a piece?

“When I am in complete creative action normally a day or two, depending on how long it takes for

the paint to dry.”

Who is one of your favorite local models to work with?

“I usually work with a lot of people as my pieces are very diverse and I don’t have a favorite

model in particular but rather many special ones.”

Describe the general process you go through to design and realize a piece of clothing.

“As the vast majority are customized pieces, every item is different, it’s not the same to paint a

bag as it is to paint a pair of trousers, a jacket, or a big piece of fabric, that is where creativity

comes in and decides.”

What are some of your accomplishments as a designer?

“I have been invited to have my pieces shown in various fashion shows as a guest of honor, I

have also dressed various public figures and celebrities in cinema and entertainment.”

Who are some of your favorite designers?

“There are many very good ones, but as I’m an actual artist I get inspired by artists like Jackson

Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Vasily Kandinsky, to me, are the masters of painting and design.”

Where can readers buy your clothes/jewelry?

“They can buy it through social media, Facebook – J. J. Corpas / Instagram – j.j.corpas or by email at

jorge@jjcorpas.com”

How long have you worked as a designer?

“Since 2017 I have expressed my art in fashion.”

How do you select your models?

“My wife Rafaela Callejón is in charge of this area, she is the one that runs this part, I only

dedicate myself to creating, so in reality J. J. Corpas is a team.”

What are some of your favorite clothing stores/catalogs/websites?

“I love markets, second-hand and vintage shops, a lot of our pieces are antique or used.”

Where do you buy your fabrics and other sewing materials?

“When I get an order to paint a big piece of fabric for a dress or any other item, for example, I

usually go to my local shops where I live.”

What do you believe makes a quality article of clothing?

“A high-quality fabric and especially a great design that is personally adapted to each person.”

Do you consider yourself an artist?

“Yes, of course.”

What matters to you most as a fashion designer?

“The sustainability and recycling of fashion and that art are walking in the street.”

What’s your favorite part about conceptualizing a design?

“Everything. Because I enjoy a lot when I paint, choosing colors, choosing items, and most of all

the realization and completion, that is when I most enjoy.”

How do you prepare for a fashion shoot or show?

“In reality, we don’t do anything special. We choose the items that we want to show between my

wife Rafaela and me, as when we prepare an exhibition of paintings, but in this case an exhibition

in movement.”

Do you prefer sketching designs or actually constructing them?

“As it’s customized I like to design on the pieces that are already made.”

Tell me about the process of sketching a design.

“As I am not a designer I don’t sketch, I simply use the items already made as an object for my

painting.”

What kind of paper and pencil/pen do you use?

“I use all materials that are recycled.”

What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?

“To fight for their dreams and to not be afraid of their own creativity.”

What do you like best about designing clothes?

“That I can express my art.”

What do you dislike about designing clothes?

“In reality, I like everything about my job.”

How would you define your personal style?

“Daring, avant-garde, colorful, and with a lot of personalities.”

How would you define the style your line exemplifies?

“Urban, daring, and unique.”

What are some of your fashion goals?

“That my art will expand and that art will be out on the street.”

Where do you get your inspiration?

“From the great masters of painting.” What are some of your favorite fashion websites, magazines, or books?

“I don’t have anyone in particular, I simply surf the internet.”

What other experience do you have in the fashion industry (stylist, retail, marketing, etc.)?

“Well to be honest very varied, as my pieces being all exclusive, they are selected for various

usage like video clips, filming, photo shoots, adverts, etc…”

What are your favorite colors to work with and why?

“I work with the whole color chart and I find all of them attractive.”

What are your favorite fabrics to work with and why?

“All of them but especially leather, because I think that it’s a material that painted on it looks

spectacular.”

What are your favorite patterns/ prints to work with and why?

“I don’t have one in particular as my art is spontaneous, but I always prefer to work with the plain

fabric without a pattern.”

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

“On Facebook at J. J. Corpas and here is the link to my Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/j.j.corpas/ And on Instagram at @j.j.corpas and also by hashtag

#jjcorpas and here is the link to my Instagram:

https://instagram.com/j.j.corpas?utm_medium=copy_link”

Reedition of the interwiev 04.06.2022 Stockholm