Abraham Ortuño presents his final 'pre-Camper' collection in Paris

Madrid – Abraham Ortuño emerged as a prominent Spanish figure at the latest edition of Paris Fashion Week. The Paris-based, Alicante-born designer presented the final collection for his eponymous house, Abra, on Monday. The event drew heightened interest following last week’s confirmation of Ortuño’s appointment as the new global creative director of the Camper group.

Ortuño’s career followed an unconventional path, beginning with a move from Elche to Barcelona. While training in pattern cutting, he worked as a sales assistant and styling collaborator. This period concluded when he met David Delfín; acting as Delfín’s model and protégé, Ortuño moved to Madrid to prepare a debut collection. Although the range was never commercialised, the experience preceded a return to Elche to complete his technical training.

Upon finishing his studies, Ortuño returned to Barcelona to collaborate with accessories designer Elena Cardona, whom he identifies as his primary mentor. His professional trajectory accelerated in 2011 at Pedro García, eventually leading him to the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) in Paris in 2014. Within a year, he joined Jacquemus, applying his expertise in Spanish leatherwork and footwear to establish the brand’s accessory categories, notably through the “Les Ronds Carrés” shoes and “Le Haricot” bag.

While at Jacquemus, Ortuño also designed footwear for Rombaut before joining Givenchy in 2015 as a junior menswear footwear designer. Following two years there, he held various design roles at Kenzo, Ami Paris, Rabanne, Coperni, and Sandro. In 2019, he formally established Abra as a fashion house, building on accessory models first sold in 2016. A significant milestone followed with a 2021 show in Madrid. Throughout this period, Ortuño maintained a high-profile consultancy career, working with Loewe, Ecco Leather, Bally, and JW Anderson, alongside a recent tenure as head of footwear design at Jacquemus.

Final collection, “pre-Camper”

Ortuño’s appointment as global creative director of Camper marks a definitive shift. He will now oversee product development and communication for both Camper and Camperlab. This new chapter necessitates the end of his current external collaborations and his role at Abra. While no official statement has been released regarding the brand’s future, it is expected that Abra will be placed on hold as Ortuño focuses on his responsibilities at Camper.

The presentation on March 9 served as a final showing for Abra within the official Paris Fashion Week calendar. Since his runway debut in September 2024, Ortuño has been a fixture of the womenswear schedule. The autumn/winter 2026/2027 collection offered a look into the creative codes likely to inform his tenure at Camper. The aesthetic was playful and structured, utilising a palette of browns and blacks punctuated by turquoise, lavender, and gold. Materials such as nappa leather, tulle, and velvet dominated the garments and accessories, echoing the manga-influenced sensibilities central to his work.

Ortuño cited his niece and nephew as primary inspirations for this collection, which he described to Schön! Magazine as “fun, chaotic and very Parisian.” The industry now waits to see how these creative impulses translate to his new role. Ortuño is scheduled to debut his first collections for Camper and Camperlab in early 2027 for the autumn/winter 2027/2028 season.