Basta X Pringa Studio
Behind the Scenes of //primuscode.exe// at Madrid Fashion Week
by Iker Veiga





Video by Iker Veiga

All images courtesy of Iker Veiga for Basta Magazine, Sara Mateos, Silvia Murias, José Castillo, Gabriela Sánchez, and Madrid Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (by Estrop-Barcelona @estrop_barcelona)
//primuscode.exe// marks Pringa Studio’s debut at Madrid Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Last March 22, the firm presented its latest collection on the event’s EGO runway. Alongside other emerging designers such as Bonet and Eaftimos, Pringa filled the emerging-arts-centered space with innovative designs, furthering the spirit of experimentation that defines each season of the fashion convention. This is who we are; this is what we want to wear.

Pringa, the project of creative director and designer Sara Mateos, celebrates the dance floor as a space of union — one that acquires spiritual depth through collective inhabitation. Drawing influence from rave culture and the techno and electronic music scene in which she has long been immersed, Sara creates looks inspired by audio equipment, combining motherboards, circuit materials, leather, and biomaterials to construct a second skin that interrogates the merging of the human with the electronic. Through her staging, backdropped by a performance and live mixing delivered by Lola María Sánchez, the viewer is encouraged to surrender to the pulse of techno music. Perhaps the ultimate aspiration of //primuscode.exe// is precisely this: to become one with each other and to find freedom in the prosthetic and the artificial. The same elements that allow ravers to construct liberated versions of themselves, and to feel vulnerable together.

On March 21 and 22, I joined Sara and her team to document their process: to observe their preparations for the runway and record how the collection took shape, not only over the months leading up to the show, but also through the last-minute decisions that ultimately defined it. From fittings and styling sessions with models, to touch-ups and garment adjustments, this visual coverage traces and celebrates Pringa’s work at the beginning of what promises to be a long career.


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Throughout my Master’s (well, fuck, actually, around February and March last year) I started working on a project called Furry Rave, which explored furry culture, and the body and music. It basically became the practical and conceptual foundation for //primuscode.exe//. Then it evolved, moving away from that iconography but bringing back some of those early designs and pieces. That’s really how this all started.

- Sara Mateos, Creative Direction





     



   

 

   


Working with Pringa has been such a nourishing experience. Sara and I have known each other for years through our separate projects as designer and stylist, but we had never actually worked together like this before. When Sara asked me to do her photoshoot in November to apply to present her project at MBFW, it was an absolute YES!!! And when the runway show got confirmed, that’s when our duo officially became a thing.

This has allowed us to build a creative partnership completely from scratch. It’s been really beautiful because it was such a new experience for both of us. A fashion show is such an adrenaline-filled project — we always said it felt like we were giving birth together, a clothing baby hahaha.

- Silvia Murias, Stylist and Creative Consultant

      
   


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How I built my team… that’s actually something I’m usually very clear about in all my projects. I already had Lola from the beginning. Silvia and I already knew each other, and I also wanted my workspace to be made up of women and queer people. That’s what interests me most. If my stylist can be a queer woman, then even better. Same with María Lara. Honestly, Ignasi is probably one of the very few guys who’s helped me with something, you know what I mean? I always prioritize the community around me.

- Sara Mateos,  Creative Direction


     

 


From the very beginning, I was aware of how important the styling would be because of the complexity of the project. Since the designs were more conceptual and the fabrics less conventional, I wanted to create something that would elevate the collection while also communicating Sara’s storytelling and everything that exists behind it. On top of that, the priority was making sure everything was tied together by a consistent aesthetic thread, because there’s nothing more important than coherence in a runway show.
 
- Silvia Murias, Stylist and Creative Consultant


       



  


The GLASSHES project emerged as a way of creating a dialogue between the body and technology, which made the collaboration with Pringa feel both natural and organic. We designed three pairs of glasses intended to integrate seamlessly into the universe of the collection. Each piece incorporated an artificial blinking system, with all its components (the Arduino, cables, battery, and servo motor) left completely exposed.

-  María Lara, GLASSHES  and MUAH






 

 



             

   


For me, there were two fundamental pillars within the collection: music and technology. I was really drawn to the strong visual power that exists within those worlds. We had several meetings to define what the aesthetic priorities were going to be. Ivan Lamark and New Rock were the first brands we began collaborating with. At the same time, Sara was designing the capsule jewelry collection with Fatale Days, while Maria Lara was creating the GLASSHES… Ana even made us a headpiece!! All of these amazing creators and brands were essential in bringing the styling to life.

- Silvia Murias, Stylist and Creative Consultant


   

 


//III

   


Iker, I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember a single thing from backstage. I guess last minute changes are really important, but I couldn’t tell you anything in-depth about the half hour before a runway show. If there hadn’t been complications, the process probably would’ve felt calmer and more rewarding. But in our case, I was so deep in the moment—making sure everything worked out and solving whatever problems came up—that I remember none of it.

- Sara Mateos, Creative Direction


       


 


   


I’d say the styling highlights were speaker-shaped jewelry, headphones, silver, insane heels, and sooo much cable. So much research, so much overthinking, and so much help from an incredible team. Endless thanks to Manu, Bruno, Ignasi, and Jose <3

- Silvia Murias, Stylist and Creative Consultant


   


//IV

 

       


My involvement in the runway show actually came long before the collection itself. Sara showed me what live coding was, and I started looking into it because I like working with sound. And as for the performance side of it, it felt like a really safe space to me. Everything was very carefully planned out, but there was still plenty of room for improvisation, which let me feel free. In the end, with last-minute changes and even the acting choices of some of the models, I had to adapt constantly, always paying attention to the way they walked. From the very beginning up until the show itself, the changes were mostly about fixing errors and fine-tuning things. We always kept a very clear vision of what we wanted to communicate and how I wanted to feel on stage. 

- Lola María Sánchez, Talent and Live Coding


 


 


During the show, one of the models activated the glasses on the runway, revealing how they functioned in real time. The result was a hybrid piece sitting somewhere between an accessory, a prosthesis, and a living device. The fragility of both the blinking mechanism and of the elements composing it became an essential part of our proposal.

- María Lara, GLASSHES and MUAH


 


For the past five months we’ve all been talking every single day, at all hours… whether it was sending each other updates or sharing new ideas. We’ve made such a great team. Like any journey, there have been a few bumps along the way, but I definitely feel incredibly lucky to have felt seen and heard at every moment, with my opinion always being valued.

I’ll always be grateful to Sara for choosing me and giving me this opportunity. Being part of Pringa and its first (obviously not last) runway show makes me feel #BLESSED

- Silvia Murias, Stylist and Creative Consultant


     


I feel really good about how the project turned out. There are things that didn’t end up happening the way I expected, but whatever. Everything still turned out gorgeous. Everything found its own way of working, and whatever could’ve been different are details the audience never even notices. They just stay in my head. I REALLY love how everything came together. Honestly.

What the future holds for Pringa… well, we’ll see, right? We’ll see, won’t we, baby?

- Sara Mateos, Creative Direction

//CREDITS

CCreative Direction: Sara Mateos @pringastudio @coexara
Styling & Creative Consultant: Silvia Murias @silzzler
Styling Assistants: Bruno Ortega @besortega & Manuel Pérez @manuprzzz
Music: Live Coding by Lola María Sanchez @lola.solalola, Intro by Karlitos Hermoso @karlitoshermoso
Production Assistance : Ignasi Barrachina @ignasibarrachina & Sofia Belkameh @sofia_belkameh

MUAH: María Lara @marialarasolutions
Talents: Meritxell de Soto @meritxelldesoto, Lola María Sanchez @lola.solalola, Paola Montaña @fukcnormal
Movement Direction: Magui Prieto @magui_mpm

Backstage BTS Content: María Balboa @mariamevoy____ Iker Veiga @duastwin for Basta Magazine @basta.magazine & José Castillo @j._.cast

Shoes: @newrock
“GLASSHES”: María Lara @marialarasolutions
Electronics: Marcos Piedrabuena @cedarcreeks_
3D print: @caront3d
Jewelry: Pringa x Fatale @fatale.days & Iván Lamark @ivanlamark
Headpieces: Ana Bocanegra @anabocanegr.a
Latex Sleeves: @tankofcorpses

Runway Sitting: Gabriela Sanchez @gabiisancheezz

Special thanks to @vargottt, @josemoyagomezz, @joaquinlepore, @adrianzhou, @ied_madrid