Throughout the month of September, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada He has traveled to Buenos Aires, New York, Paris, Malaga, Seville, Valencia, Alicante… And without forgetting the parade that took place within Madrid Fashion Weekwhich has been one of the most applauded of his career. Furthermore, the designer has just published Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada by Javier Salas. “It is a book with 135 photographs that show my vital and professional change,” explains the artist. He does so before telling us about his next projects and reviewing his intense tour around the world throughout the month, including the meeting with the Argentine president, Javier Milei, at his residence.
© Tadeo Jones— What a way to start the course.
— This book compiles my best photos. They are all by Javier Salas, from one he did for me during the La Movida era to the ones from the reports for ¡HOLA! You don’t know how beautiful it turned out. Plus, I have thousands of projects. I’m going to release another book: the continuation of my memoirs.
—What are you going to tell?
– You’ll see. Before, I will open the new store, which will be in the next few weeks, and I will have my figure in the Madrid Wax Museum. In addition, I am going to travel to Mexico, where I will do five shows, and to Quito (Ecuador), for another show. I have a lot of trouble.
—And the move to your new house?
— I don’t even want to think about it… It’s going to be soon, I’m “agathizing” the house and it’s going very quickly.
© agatharuizdlprada— Meanwhile, traveling non-stop: New York, Argentina…
— Now I’ve just been in Paris. I have two there and one of them, which is the first one I bought there in zone I, I don’t know whether to rent it or sell it directly. I’m in this collecting stage… Why do I want two houses there? To pay VAT and more taxes? I’m already fed up.
— Tell us how the last show in New York went
– Marvelous. It was in Washington Heights, which is on 175th Street, past all of Harlem. It was the best area in New York, but it got worse over the years. Now they are refloating everything and the theater where the parade took place, the United Palace, which is from the beginning of the last century, has turned out wonderful. There they organized the 15 years of Fashion Designers of Latin America and they called me to parade, because I have like a family there in New York.
© Getty Images—How was it in Argentina?
— It has been the best trip of my life, a wonder: meeting people, receiving gifts, all the plans… I hadn’t gone for a long time and I had all the plans every day. As soon as I arrived, the first night, I had dinner in a spectacular house. I invited the mayor, Jorge Macri, who is Macri’s cousin – Mauricio Macri, former president of Argentina – and he is super attractive. He came with his wife, María Belén (Ludueña), who is a very cute journalist. We had a lot of conversation about psychoanalysis.
—You traveled to Buenos Aires for an exhibition, right?
—I thought I was going to do a parade in Buenos Aires. But on July 31 they called us to exhibit and we held an exhibition of drawings and fabrics at the La Recoleta Cultural Center, which is something I have wanted to do for twenty years. Since I became good friends with the mayor’s wife the first night, she opened my exhibition the next day “agathized.” About four hundred people came and many Argentine friends… For example, (the interior designer) Luis Galliusi. Then, there were more than 30 journalists… Imagine crossing the pond and being received that way.
© Tadeo Jones—Like a Hollywood star.
— In that same presentation, they gave me the title of Illustrious Guest of the City of Buenos Aires and they also named me First World Fashion Ambassador. An amazing reception. Then, I told the mayor that I loved the series “The Manager” and that I wanted to see the portal that appears in the series. They called (Guillermo) Francella – the protagonist – and he sent me a message. Charming.
— You also met the president of Argentina, Javier Milei.
— I told a friend who lives there that I would love to meet Milei. First, he took me to the most important political program in the country and I did a great program with Goodrich and all the politicians. The nets were put up… And that night, Milei called me.
© agatharuizdlprada—Is that when you met?
— Before, I presented my memoirs and Yuyito (González) came, who is a star and a journalist who has been with Milei for a month and a half. At the end of the presentation, Yuyito and I went in his car to the Quinta Presidencial de Olivos, where the president of Argentina resides. There are 35 hectares in the middle of the city… Imagine.
— Like La Moncloa, in Spain.
— Yuyito told me that was how he knew Olivos, but I answered that I had been with the then first lady (Fabiola Yañez) last year, the wife of former president Alberto Fernández. On television, they went crazy when they took my photo with Fabiola in Olivos and I found out that she had reported her husband –Fernández– for mistreatment. In Argentina they don’t talk about anything else and, of course, I became the fashionable woman (laughs).
—When did you meet Milei?
—When we arrived in Olivos, after the presentation of my book. He was in a tracksuit and I spent two hours. I would have stayed longer, because Milei is very nice.
—What did you talk to him about?
—He is a very attractive man, with an overflowing personality. Talk to Tesla, Zuckerberg, Bolsonaro… Another level. He has set up a ministry with a Harvard professor to remove laws. Every day they remove two or three. Then, we talked about the Pope… About everything. It was incredible.
© Tadeo Jones—You have said that it has been the most interesting conversation of your life.
—Yes, because he is an unusual man. Politicians are boring, but Milei is a great character and had me captivated. The next day, his wife interviewed me; in the afternoon, that of the mayor of Buenos Aires and, later, I had another interview. Crazy. Then, all the time with my photo with Fabiola. I walked down the street as if I were Evita. Between one thing and another, the trip to Argentina was a lot of fun.
—With everything so politicized, aren’t you afraid of taking a stand and the consequences?ace?
– I’m not afraid. We can’t all be so scared to death. But, hey, I was also on another trip with Pepe Mújica. When you get the opportunity to meet the guy who is changing Argentina and who has created this libertarian movement, which I love… Now all the journalists and the entire left have jumped on me, but you have to be brave. I am very against single thinking
