Manel Torres
Spanish fashion designer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manel Torres is a Spanish fashion designer and inventor of the spray-on fabric Fabrican.[1]
Early life and education
Torres was born in the Catalan region near Barcelona, Spain. He studied fashion design at the Escuela de Artes y Técnicas de la Moda (EATM) in Barcelona and the Winchester School of Art in the United Kingdom before pursuing postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art, where he earned a Master's degree in Womenswear Design.[citation needed]
After a brief stint in the fashion industry in India, he returned to London to undertake a PhD at the Royal College of Art, in collaboration with Imperial College London[1]. There, his doctoral research focused on developing innovative textile materials and accelerating traditional garment production methods, which ultimately led to the invention of spray-on fabric technology.
Career
In 2003, Torres founded Fabrican Ltd, a research and innovation company utilising his patented spray-on fabric technology.[2]
Torres has delivered TEDx talks in London[3][4] and Vienna[5] discussing this intersection of science and fashion.
Torres and Fabrican gained international attention when the material was showcased at the "Science in Style" show during London Fashion Week in 2010[6] featuring spray-on dresses inspired by Victorian crinolines and iconic architecture[7].
In 2022, Torres sprayed a dress directly onto supermodel Bella Hadid as she stood on stage in her underwear at Paris Fashion Week for the finale of the Coperni Spring 2023 show, creating a viral moment shared worldwide.[8][9]
Torres continues to work on research and development for Fabrican's spray-on fabric and is an influence in discussions on sustainable fashion, rapid manufacturing and the future of wearable materials.[10]
