The Ibiza Parade is part of the legend of the island, for years the girls and boys of each party has marched through Ibiza town and down the busy beaches, promoting the forthcoming party, Charlotte Kennedy was so taken with the Enter girls that she decided to catch up with them as they got ready for their weekly walk around the island…
The club parade in Ibiza has been one of the reasons I have long proclaimed Ibiza’s magic. From a fashion and style perspective the girls that march in the streets of Ibiza for the fiestas are not too far away from the girls that march on the runways of London, Paris, Milan and New York. With such breathtaking beauty, each girl is hand picked for her unique look and then adorned in flamboyant costume. The costumes are all inspired by the particular party theme, creating a strong and powerful look. These costumes are created with such technical precision and flair; I cannot help but draw parallels to the Parisian couture gowns. The girls create a spectacle, a show, they create a dream, untouchable pillars of beauty, a fixture of your imagination. The parties seek perfection and these girls are nothing less than that and help in creating a beautiful fantasy. Ibiza is a unique place of escapism and beauty, a place where your dreams are realized…
The first time I saw the Enter billboard, it made me stop in my tracks for a moment, a large, simple black dot with the word Enter below. It was the strongest, most stylish and engaging billboard I had seen on the streets of Ibiza. Less is most definitely more. Richie Hawtins first solo residency on the white isle has certainly made its mark, a large, black, round mark. Welcome to Enter…
“ENTER. will be a point of entry into new experiences: from new music and DJs through to technology and the Sake we introduce people to.” – Richie Hawtin
The girls that walk for Enter are, in my eyes, styled to perfection. Simple black costumes made up of bikinis and floor length one shoulder gowns, with their hair wrapped up in thick elastic, creating extended pony tails that tower above the masses. Painted black eyebrows, in a Madonna Vogue ensemble, these girls look like they are ready for the Ibiza Vogue close-up. Carrying their simple placards marching through Salinas, the Enter parade captures the audience’s gaze immediately, making a strong, simple and stylish statement. The Enter costumes are totally on trend, and would not look out of place in London fashion week this season. It is an exciting time for Ibiza fashion; the Enter parade is another reason why Ibiza has been placed at the forefront of world fashion and style.
When learning of Hawtin’s principles of music, Sake, technology and experience, I was instantly intrigued with his second principle ‘Sake’ – an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice. Hawtin is himself a dedicated fan of Japanese culture and a trained Sake sommelier. His party is the only place in Ibiza to don a Sake bar! The Japanese are renowned for their unique sense of style, I am personally a huge fan of many Japanese designers; Kawakubo, Miyake and Yamamoto, all key players of the fashion world, taking clothing and style to the next level. Understanding Hawtin’s interest in Japanese culture, I was able to understand his ever so stylish vision for Enter.
I spoke to Enter parade chica Kate Cross on inspiration, style and marching through Salinas…
I love the simplicity of Enter, Can you explain the concept behind it?
I think simplicity is the key, for example the entire Enter campaign is based on the simple black dot, there are so many billboards here all cluttered with brightly coloured posters overloaded with information and yet I find our simple approach stands out the most and transmits all the information and without words! People who see any type any of black dot now automatically associate it with Enter which is amazing PR. As for the concept behind it, Richie says the party is based on the following principles ‘Music, Sake, Technology and Experience’ all of which have never been presented in Ibiza this way before, which in turn makes me people appreciate the clubbing experience on a whole new level.
Where does Enter take its inspiration for the parade?
Richie’s interest in the Japanese culture definitely reflects on the parade, Japanese women are considered extremely poised, elegant and are enchanting. Our parade is a silent one, we are all in black, there are sharp lines shown through our hair, make up and costumes all of which are designed to differentiate us from the many other beach parades which are saturated with sexuality, noise and colour.
Explain your typical day as an Enter Chica?
We arrive at Space at 1pm and from there have our hair and make-up done, by the time all the girls are ready and have all of the merchandise prepared we are then collected by drivers and taken to Salinas beach at around 3pm. We parade the beach for about an hour stopping and pausing for photographs outside of each beach bar. We are collected again and taken to Playa D’en Bossa, starting at Nassau parading down to Plastik, where we are treated to a cocktail! Then finally back to Space to get changed, finishing at about 6pm.
How did you become an Enter parade girl?
I had a private casting with Ben Turner’s PA Sophie Painter and Richie’s production manager Eva Planas, they told me there and then so I was super pleased!
How important do you think the parade is in relation to promoting the Enter party?
Paramount. Ibiza is the only place in the world where you try before you buy in relation to your night out! The parade is kind of a preview of the concept of the party and what to expect! Moreover, Enter has a worldwide reputation so it’s our responsibility to make sure it is upheld.
Richie Hawtin has created some great parties – on Salinas with his iPad for example – what’s been your favorite?
Every parade is an experience and exciting, I’m really lucky because all the girls are brilliant and we are all good friends and I’ve always felt the people you work with make your job. None of the parades feel like work to me because I enjoy them so much, but yes the party on Salinas was amazing because of the energy and atmosphere Richie created by doing something innovative. It was the mid-august boost everyone needed!
What kind of reaction do you get from your Ibiza public as An Enter girl?
It’s actually been really over whelming, the impact the party has created means that even on our days off, out of uniform/costume all of the Enter team have been recognized and individually approached and probed on the party and of course people desperate to be on the list! This is obviously an extremely positive reaction and goes to show the success of the party! It’s made my summer and I genuinely feel privileged to be working for what I think is the best party on the island this year!
