Víctor Bustamante played with fabric scraps since he was a child, but destiny had other plans for him: to become an elite figure skater on ice. After being crowned national champion and touring the world on his skates, he has found fashion again with Alternativx, his genderless tailoring firm.
«I’ve always had trouble finding men’s clothing for my build, I’m very petite. I was embarrassed to look for clothes in the women’s section, until I realized that it made no sense to feel that way,» Victor Bustamante, whose firm, Alternativx, seduces celebrities and red carpets with less than a year of life, tells Efe in an interview.
Bustamante opened his store in November 2021 and the first day Blas Cantó wore one of his suits, with which he attended the Dial Awards; actors Yanny Prado and Thiago Correa opted to wear the same suit model in different colors during one of their events, while Miguel Ángel Olivares wore another for the Malaga Festival.
They are not the only ones, and the public of the firm Alternativx and its genderless tailoring ranges from the influential Andy Mc Dougall to Pascual Fernandez or even Cristina Cifuentes, who supported the young creator in his space, designed to place works of art and installations that surround the garments and designs of the Barcelona native.
Víctor Bustamante (Barcelona, 1994) used to play with fabrics that his mother bought, but when he was 9 years old and at his town’s festivities, he saw a man skating on ice. «I asked my mother if we boys could skate, I was fascinated and they signed me up for classes at school,» explains the four-time Spanish champion.
What started as a hobby ended up getting him, at the age of 13, on several podiums in the Spanish championships, until he reached the top division. «The Madrid national team told me to train there when I was 14, so I left Barcelona and joined a high performance school, where I combined studies and training,» he says.
Several European and international competitions in addition to psychologists, personal trainers and physiotherapists then marked an adolescence devoted to sport. «It was very sacrificing, I decided to stop so I could study and train in areas that were not just sports,» he recalls.
After studying marketing, protocol and event organization, she completed a master’s degree in fashion. «The communications director at Corte Inglés told me why I didn’t design,» she says of the beginning of her career in the service of a type of fashion: that which doesn’t understand gender. «The garments should have different styles, but not genders», she claims.
The proposal comes to life in minimalist pieces that make up a closet that gives a twist to traditional garments. «They are versatile, but with a modern touch,» he says about his outfits, dotted with original carabiners, chains, zippers and metallic touches that make up the hallmark of his proposal.
It’s not easy for the same pattern to suit both men and women. According to the Barcelona-born designer, the secret lies in taking care of the shoulder pads and working with clean lines and straight cuts. «The choice of fabrics, which give a good drape to the garment, is also essential,» he specifies.
«Not only fashion should be genderless, but also toys, professions and a lot of areas that should be free of stigmas,» says Bustamante, for whom the essential thing in fashion is «to be comfortable in a garment, regardless of gender».
Her first collection, unnamed and inspired by a painting by Dalí, brought together 25 pieces whose chromatic range was taken from one of his paintings. «We work trying to avoid generating surpluses, as long as production permits,» she explains, just days before launching her second line, which also has no name and is inspired by the colors of the Mediterranean.
In a space that tries to «offer a cultural and artistic experience», the young creator welcomes different artistic corners in his store. «Brands should bet on offering concepts and messages. Fashion is art and the shopping experience should be something that enriches,» he argues.
