Teenage Dream

Adolescence is a convulsive time, a maelstrom full of unknown feelings, premature adrenaline, and a great need for independence that leads to a flood of contradictory thoughts and a constant search for oneself. Teenage Dream talks about all this. This Spanish brand can bring you back to that room painted in bright color combinations, adorned with posters and photos of artists sporting punk-inspired hairstyles and indefensible choreographies. Here, the only thing you were looking for was to spend time dreaming about the handsome guy on the football team while looping your 10 downloaded songs on the iPod.

Today, we will talk about all this with Juan Carlos Bernal Sevilla, Founder and Creative Director of the Teenage Dream brand. Juan, 24 years old, was born in Cartagena, Murcia. He is the eldest of four siblings who inspired him to create this daydreaming project. It started in 2021 as his Bachelor’s Fashion Degree Final Project at the EASD of València and continued during his studies for a master's degree in Fashion Management and Communication at IED Madrid. The designer, who learned to paint before he could walk and sees the beach as his first stage for a life full of creations, draws all the calm and strength from it to make projects as impressive as Teen8dream. The brand, which currently has three collections: Class of 2021, t-eenage shirts, and Class of 2023, presents itself as a fantasy world. Here, shapes seem to be made for TV cartoons, and glitter, baggy trousers, bows, and laces come to life.

What references do you look to, and how do they translate into your collections?
To tell you the truth, I don't have any artistic references solid enough to mention. Teenage Dream was born from a feeling of lack and even loss of adolescence due to time. Being the eldest brother of a large family, I have gone through the same stages of life several times through what I later realized is my biggest reference: my sisters. Carmen, Regina, and Lucía have been and are the vitality that feeds this project. The aesthetic and artistic tastes and concerns of each at different times of their lives have allowed me to have a much more global vision, nourished by all kinds of references in all areas. In the collections, this translates into what I like to think of as a feminine writing of characters and characteristics, as well as the importance of elements of pop culture that we have been brought up with since we were children.

What has been the hardest thing for you to leave behind in order to fit into such a difficult world as fashion?
Self-demand, without a doubt! I've always been a bit absent-minded and never had enough concentration to pay attention to what other people are doing. But the fashion world leaves you with no choice but to be in constant contact with other people's work. This is great because you stay informed and are always up to date, but there is a part of it that I hate, and that is the timing. The times in the fashion world are very tight, so it's easy to get lost and believe that you have to keep up with the rhythm set by different brands. Autumn/Winter, Spring/Summer, Pre-Fall, Cruise, Resort, the drops... You think you're out of time and that you owe for duty, leaving behind the essence of what you started with. I'm still trying to change that today. I want to go back to experimenting and playing in the same way I started without having the giant behind me harassing me, and I think I'm slowly getting there.

Currently, Teenage Dream has three collections, very different from each other. How would you connect their journey if there is any connection? And on the other hand, is there a new collection coming soon?
The idea of a collection is something I'm still thinking about today. I don't see the collections as a set of clothes and accessories that combine with each other but as a group of characters that try to express their personality through the clothes they wear. I like to play with the figures, to create different personalities that fit together in the same world. I am also lucky to have the support of one of my best friends, Francesc Planes, who has a photographic vision very similar to mine. Through color, light, and planes, we have managed to homogenize the different collections. Today I could tell you that I have several collections to drop soon, and tomorrow I could tell you that I've thrown everything away and started again because I've had a better idea. It's difficult to anticipate that with me, I couldn't tell you myself. In fact, most of the time, my closest friends are the ones who have forced me to close stages and move on to the next thing. On the other hand, I can tell you that I am almost ready to come out of the oven with a very small project that I am very excited about and that will make the followers of the brand feel more connected and understand the Teenage Dream universe a little bit more.

We've seen that people from the Spanish scene have worn Teenage Dream items. What kind of artists would you like to collaborate with, and how do you feel about collaborations?
Right now, I'm a bit disheartened with the industry. We live in an ecosystem where celebrities and their teams feed off the different designers on the scene without it being a reciprocal or lasting exchange, not to mention the economic scenario. That's why, at the moment, I'm trying to move away from short-lived collaborations and trying to maintain relationships over time. To see mutual admiration and a good appreciation of the work for me is fundamental. That's why I would tell you that I would love to design the wardrobe for a film, something that would remain engraved in time, or dress Addison Rae. I would forgive her for a non-reciprocal exchange.