Teresa Helbig is a clear example of how a great crisis ---in this case, a pandemic of global dimensions--- can become a great opportunity. Although as soon as the lockdown began, the designer confesses that she was "totally in shock" trying to assimilate the situation, she soon reacted and took advantage of the forced break to bring to life a project she had always dreamed of. Creating a collection for girls with the intention ---no less--- of dressing the future leaders of the world.
"Today's little ones come with great strength. I see them as empathetic, generous, mischievous, and very capable of making everyone fall at their feet. Dressing them was a Helbig dream that we had in the pipeline, and the lockdown made it a reality. We used the fabrics we had on hand because it was impossible to buy new ones, and since we had time to do it well, with dedication, we launched and Petite Helbig was born," says the designer, who finds her source of inspiration in her daughter Zinash. Her mini-muse.
A mini-collection with her daughter Zinash as a model
The seven-year-old girl she adopted in Ethiopia when she was a few months old with her partner (Chema Paré, in charge of brand management since its inception) is a true beauty, ---"the kid is extremely intelligent, curious, sensitive, and with a lot of personality"---, who moves naturally among fabrics and threads. When she couldn't even speak, she even named a dress with a silk chiffon skirt covered in sequins and a braided bodice using the traditional basketry technique. "She saw it and said 'Wow!' And that's what we named it," Teresa recalls. Since she was little, Zinash has worn homemade clothes, so it was no trouble for her to become the star of a catalog, "which we made very naturally at a friend's country house, playing with other girls…".
Helbig has created a small production of 40 luxury designs for girls aged four to 12 that are sold online and in some ephemeral stores that will be located in Barcelona, Madrid, and London. They closely resemble the high-quality, detail-rich, romantic yet rebellious designs she creates for their mothers. It is an authentic mini me collection, as miniature pieces with the same DNA as those for adult clients are called. From elegant cotton poplin shirts to fantasy velvet plumeti dresses, including tartan wool pinafores and even sequined jacket suits. All with a retro scent, but absolutely contemporary.
"There is a space for this business. We detected that our clients were excited to dress their daughters in their same style for special occasions," says the creator now that the project has been launched. "I feel that everything is starting to move again. It seems like there's light at the end of the tunnel; even my mother has already been called to get vaccinated, and it gave me a huge surge of joy," she explains to The New Barcelona Post in the year that the brand she created almost by chance turns 25. "How time flies!"
A success story that was born casually in 1996
Her mother, the dressmaker Teresa Blasco, has been a fundamental pillar in her workshop since she helped her sew her first collection, when in 1996 a friend, who owned a store, fell in love with the feather dress she had designed herself, and suggested she create a dozen pieces in her style. Helbig got the numbers confused and doubled the production. The error ended up costing her savings at a delicate time when she was already a separated mother with a child, Pol. She had so many party dresses at home that she wore them all the time and ended up causing a sensation in the neighborhood. This is how she began to build her own clientele. The girls would try on her designs at her house in a not-very-large mirror that the two Teresas would move up and down so they could see themselves full-length.
Today, they do it in a beautiful showroom of black marbles and golden counterpoints on Mallorca street, where politicians, actresses, presenters... have passed through. Most of them, powerful professional women, looking for a wedding or party dress adapted to their body and tastes with that special Helbig touch that dazzles with elegance. A cosmopolitan sophistication halfway between romanticism and provocation "so they never go unnoticed," says the designer, who is tremendously eager to recover social life.
Without a fashion show and without seeing the Iberia uniforms produced
She makes plans with the hope that we will soon end the pandemic ---"although it has already been seen how unpredictable everything is"--- because "we want to celebrate the anniversary in a big way. If something this situation has taught me is that you should not miss the opportunity to celebrate anything, we must live in the moment," says this kind and restless woman, a Catalan with a German grandfather, who carries the culture of effort in her blood. She lives surrounded by glamour but considers herself a fashion worker. "We make wonderful pieces although our life is work. By day, on Sunday, at night, at all hours... We are doing well, but we are small and that forces us never to lose perspective," she says now that her workshop is waking up from the lethargy it entered last year. They didn't even do their usual fashion show "because it made no sense to dedicate so much effort and money to get so little compensation. It was much more stimulating to concentrate on creating Petite Helbig, on sowing for the future."
"We make wonderful pieces although our life is work. By day, on Sunday, at night, at all hours... We are doing well, but we are small and that forces us never to lose perspective," defends Helbig.Teresa also could not see the clothes she made for Iberia staff implemented, which were presented on the runway in February last year, "although now they are already being produced." She has been the first woman to design uniforms for the airline's 6,500 employees, which previously wore proposals by Adolfo Domínguez, Elio Berhanyer, and Manuel Pertegaz.It is her first experience making menswear. Her style combines comfort and elegance with a retro touch. She doesn't forget the iconic pencil skirt, but there are also unisex coats and feminine dresses that have a practical hidden zipper to gain an extra size, something necessary on long trips, when the body changes its shape due to the difference in atmospheric conditions.
Haute couture brides do not completely stop
Helbig was not spared from the partial temporary employment regulation file (ERTE), although part of the team never completely stopped working. In addition to creating Petite Helbig, they also sewed for brides who did not want to give up their wedding, although they did greatly reduce the format, and gave more importance to the bride's dress than to that of the mother, sisters, and guests (another important source of business). Others bought it thinking of celebrating the wedding in 2021, when wedding ceremonies are estimated to increase by 33%. Her timeless designs work in her favor because they never go out of style. "A Helbig can last you a lifetime and you can even pass it on to the next generation," says the designer, who did have to adjust some details. For example, including some outerwear pieces when the wedding went from being celebrated in spring to being in the middle of winter.
Her workshop is made up of five dressmakers, six cutters, two pattern makers, a production coordinator, and external communication, graphic design staff… A "passionate and perfectionist" team —with her beloved mother as "boss"—, that brings to life collections that have been seducing celebrities for years from our environment such as Úrsula Corberó, Macarena Gómez (whom she also dressed at her wedding to the dandy Aldo Comas), Inma Cuesta or Amaia, who wore one of her designs at Eurovision. It is the so-called Helbig Gang.
From Halle Berry to Zendaya: Hollywood at her feet
For about three years now, her work has also captivated Hollywood celebrities like Emily Blunt, Amanda Kerr, Saoirse Ronan (she chose a pink dress made with chains, which took hours of sewing), Priyanka Chopra (twice), Halle Berry (whom they adore and who has worn the house's designs on three occasions), Gwen Stefani (she wore a design that sophisticated her image on Ellen Degeneres' show), Olivia Wilde (who is now debuting as a film director), Angela Basset (who wore a suit of colorful sequined rhombuses at one of the Oscar parties in 2018) and even Zendaya herself chose her to go to a fashion show: "I love her and I love the series Euphoria," says Helbig, who always seeks inspiration in the world of cinema, art, travel... She has created collections based on the work of Truman Capote, colonial China, Andy Warhol, classic cinema Cannes or the Prado museum.
How is this impact achieved in the mecca of cinema?
How does a small firm manage to share coveted red carpets with Dior or Armani? "It's clear that to access the top celebrities, you either have a lot of money or they like what you do. There's no other way," replies the designer, who unhesitatingly includes herself in the second scenario. The key is to please the stylists of the famous, who are always looking for original, high-quality pieces for their clients.
One day someone asked them for some dresses for Rosario Dawson, and suddenly they saw her at a premiere wearing one of them. The result of these appearances is so important at a media level that it positions the brand and increases sales. From then on, they started working with a showroom in the United States and reached more well-known faces, always women with a spirit close to the Helbig philosophy, "although success is always a surprise. You never really know what's going to happen, stylists choose you but you don't know if the celebrity will end up wearing your design or if at the last minute they won't feel like it."
The experience of opening a pop up in Los Angeles
With the door to Hollywood open, in November 2019 they decided to take another step towards internationalization. "We go at our own pace, little by little, and we thought it was time to go in person to Los Angeles." They didn't have the budget to do a fashion show, nor did their exquisite handmade clothes fit into a fashion fair, so they held a trunk show, a presentation where the creator explained her work, and the clothing pieces remained for 15 days in a pop-up store. The initiative worked wonderfully on all levels, even inspirationally. "We were staying at the emblematic Chateau Marmont hotel, and I, being a great mythomaniac, imagined Bette Davis sitting on a sofa… We also had breakfast at the table next to Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, when Batman was being made," Helbig recounts, excited by the atmosphere of a city "full of people eager to undertake, with exceptional light and climate, which I really want to get to know more deeply."
"We were staying at the emblematic Chateau Marmont hotel, and I, being a great mythomaniac, imagined Bette Davis sitting on a sofa… We also had breakfast at the table next to Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, when Batman was being made," Helbig recountsHer latest bridal collection (which she presented in her showroomwith mannequins), and perhaps some more in the future, draw directly from this experience, which I hoped to deepen when the health crisis and the frustrating confinement arrived.Right in January, Eva Longoria had chosen a very low-cut golden design to appear at the PGA Awards that caused a sensation.We will resume this path, for sure," says the designer who always looks to the future positively.
"Our way of working in small format has a future"
At this moment, Helbig is already planning an in-person fashion show for autumn at MBFW Madrid hoping that everything will be resolved. It will be another way to celebrate 25 years, showing her creations in a showcase that has also opened an interesting business avenue for her in Madrid. "We have more and more clients that we attend to in our showroom in the capital," she says.
"I believe that this moment of pause has been very good for all of us to reflect. We cannot have so many fashion shows and so many collections a year, even capsule collections, because people don't need so many things," she explains. She admits that she herself, by introducing Petite Helbig, will end up making five collections a year, but "our way of working in small format has shown that it has a future, we have always done what we call prêt-à-couture, producing consciously, and now this crisis has proven us right." Slow fashion gains points. Helbig's idea of fashion involves carefully crafted and artisanal dresses, personalized attention to clients, and original design with a perfect finish that values sustainability and personalized recycling. "I believe that the new generation coming will value things and be more responsible with clothing consumption. It's clear that if you buy a t-shirt for three euros, someone is having a hard time on the other side," reflects a bold creator, a pioneer in making fashion films, who also has five own fragrances with the Carner brand.
Will euphoria return like in the 1920s?
For those girls of today, "who will be the new Kamala Harris, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Diana Vreeland, Michelle Obama or Meryl Streep and who will lead a global world without barriers, where race or origin does not matter," she has prepared Petite Helbig, a luxury prêt-à-porter that, in an increasingly digitized world, will be sold online. Perhaps it will reach Kate Middleton's daughter, Beyoncé's, or Madonna's little ones! Helbig also sells some of her essential pieces online on her website, such as a knitted sweater, a white blouse, or a handbag "because our clients have been asking us for them for a long time and this also opens up the possibility for those outside of Spain to buy from us."
"I want to think that from this pandemic we are going to emerge with a desire to live, in full effervescence," says the creator. Like in the 20s of the last century? "Why not?" she replies."I want to think that from this pandemic we are going to emerge with a desire to live, in full effervescence," says the creator. Like in the 20s of the last century? "Why not?" she replies, perhaps remembering that a few years ago the jazz era already inspired an acclaimed collection. Anna Ortiz married Andrés Iniesta in one of her designs with clear referencesflapperand even Queen Letizia caused a sensation (and even controversy among the most conservative sectors) in 2017 by wearing one of her mini-dresses of that style to attend a journalism awards ceremony. Designs that, surely, will remain alive for decades.