On a bougainvillea-covered street corner in Ibiza Town stands the island’s most legendary fashion store.
Vicente Ganesha is catnip to anyone with an interest in style – its clientele includes Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Dua Lipa, all of whom regularly snap up the shop’s vintage treasures sourced from around the world. Its owner, Alicante-born Vicente Hernández Zaragoza, is an Ibizan institution, who arrived in 1973 to stay for a summer but decided to stay forever. “I was drawn to the climate, the philosophy of life and the sense of freedom,” he tells us. “It was a magical time. People would walk around without shoes. We would eat olives for free. There were no iPhones, just people meeting and conversing. It was about beauty and enjoying life – just eating and going to the beach. It was romantic”.
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Prior to opening his vintage store in 1991, Zaragoza ran a multi-brand shop called The End, named after the famed song by The Doors. When that business collapsed, he changed tact – deciding to focus on vintage instead. His range dates back to the 40s up to the 90s, after which point he thinks fashion “is finished”. You’ll find rare pieces from Karl Lagerfeld’s tenure at Chloé, alongside Yves Saint Laurent, as well as special items without big brand names. “From vintage, we learn the principles of fashion. It’s interesting that the people who really like my shop know a lot about fashion – they are passionate about it,” he says. “Vintage is a cultural transmission”.
Pieces are sourced in the unlikeliest of places, from markets in Argentina to house clear-out sales. Wherever he is, Zaragoza has a clear idea of what he’s looking for. “There must be a level of perfection. I look always for detailing, interesting colours or materials – perhaps it’s a placement of the pocket. I look for energy in whatever I buy, and individuality. I want the people who buy anything from my shop to bring a sense of love or their own energy to the clothes”.
From the exterior, you wouldn’t know that inside is a trove of rare and desirable vintage. Outside the front of the shop, Zaragoza keeps rails of his own eponymous line – bohemian kaftans, pareos and floor-sweeping dresses, all made using Indian block-printed fabrics found in Rajasthan. The pareos, that come in rainbow shades, have become an It piece, worn by Camille Rowe, Dua Lipa and Gilda Ambrosio. “I don’t want my pieces to look the same as everywhere else,” he says. “I like to be individual”.
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He is pragmatic about the store’s celebrity following, which looks to be growing at a rapid rate, and is unphazed by regular visits from Kate Moss and Jade Jagger. Feminine silhouettes, colourful prints and chiffon dresses are, in his mind, the reasons the great and good of the fashion world flock to the shop. “We sell nice things,” he shrugs. “The more normal you are with these people, the more normal they are with you. I don’t tell people I sell vintage unless they ask. This is for people who are curious enough to come inside or to ask me about it”.
Now in his late 70s, Zaragoza shows no signs of retiring. “I love my work,” he tells us. “It’s not only about profit for me – I have everything I need to live. I don’t ever want to lose the communication with the customers. They make me feel younger and help me to understand life”.
Ibiza has changed hugely since Zaragoza first arrived 40 years ago. The rise of cheap flights and globalisation have put it on the map in a way that he could never have imagined. “It is harder for young people to start businesses now, and the style is less individual,” he says. “Street style and Instagram destroyed fashion a bit because everyone has started to dress the same”. He pauses, before continuing. “But creative people still come. I love being here out of season in the winter, but I also like June and September – I find those two months very beautiful. I just smell the trees. I listen to the birds and I think, ‘wow, this is nice.’ I hope one day, we can think clearly about life, and how little time we have to understand the beauty, and how we must respect everything”.
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
Lead image: Vicente Ganesha
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