Miren Arzalluz, director of the Paris Fashion Museum, wins the Felicidad Duce Award

The Bilbao-born curator Miren Arzalluz, the first non-French director of the Palais Galliera, the Paris Fashion Museum, is the winner of the latest edition of our Felicidad Duce Award. The jury decided to honor her with the award for her contribution to the sector and her international significance.

"Being able to create frameworks for dissemination and reflection with a critical eye on the history and sociology of fashion is vital for valuing the discipline. Miren Arzalluz's contribution in this respect, first as an expert on Balenciaga and currently at the helm of one of the most important fashion museums, is undeniable," explains Estel Vilaseca, head of our Fashion Area and a member of the jury along with:

• Charo Mora - Journalist, teacher, curator, researcher, and fashion consultant, who served as jury president.
• Coro Saldaña - CEO of Sight Group, Fashion Digital Business Executive, Advisory Board Member, Keynote Speaker, Start-Up Mentor, and Metaverse & Digital Beings Expert.
• Martín Torres - Co-founder and editor of Superflua publishing house.
• Lucia Alcaina - Trend Forecaster & Cultural Theorist, Innovation Strategist, Fashion Designer, Creative Director, and Branding & Storytelling Specialist.
• Carlos Marán - Senior Fashion Editor & Coordinator of HERDES MAGAZINE and BLEND Showroom & Communication.
• Marc Albornà - Technician in Design Promotion at Barcelona Activa.
• Marta Marín - Doctor in Aesthetics and consultant.

About Miren Arzalluz

Born in Bilbao in 1978, she graduated in History from the University of Deusto and then moved to London to study two master's degrees, one in Comparative Politics and another in Costume History. She also holds a diploma of advanced studies and research proficiency in History, and is a doctoral candidate in the Leisure, Culture, and Communication for Human Development program. She is the author of the book La forja del maestro (The Making of the Master), which addresses the phenomenon of Cristóbal Balenciaga in the history of fashion.

She was the head of collection and exhibitions at the Cristóbal Balenciaga Foundation, a position she held for seven years before embarking on a new professional adventure in Paris as an associate professor at the Groupe EAC and an independent curator and researcher. In 2016, she returned to the Basque Country to become the new director of the Basque Etxepare Institute, and a year later, she became the director of the Paris Fashion Museum. Under her management, highly successful exhibitions such as Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto (2020-2021) and Azzedine Alaïa, couturier and collector were carried out.

Image of the Alaïa exhibition (copyright: Gauthier Deblonde)

Miren Arzalluz follows in the footsteps of other great fashion names such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Teresa Helbig, and Pablo Coppola in the Felicidad Duce Award honors list. The award ceremony will take place next Friday, February 2, on our campus.

*Copyright cover image: James Weston.