BEWARE: This first part is about the first three seasons of this show. Now, at season 6, there's nothing left of this show's format.
This is a show that anyone who likes fashion, haute couture, sewing, dress making or just plain clothes shopping would like. But do not think this is a copy of "Project Runway".
"Maestros de la Costura" is a new take on an English BBC programme called "The Great British Sewing Bee" where 'amateur sewers take on challenges as they compete to be named Britain's best home sewer'. The big difference is that "Maestros de la Costura" is single handedly revitalizing the Spanish clothing and fashion market. Where Sewing Bee just gave the winner a piece of paper saying you are the best amateur seamstress in Britain, Maestros de la Costura gives the winner money, a certified fashion course and the means to make and sell their own fashion collection throughout Spain. Also the whole show is an unashamed showcase for Spain's ateliers and clothes companies in every flavour there are.
Lorenzo Caprile, María Escoté and Alejandro Gómez Palomo are the judges, each of them a very well established Spanish fashion designer and dress maker, so the judging almost always seems fair (think "Forged in Fire" rather than "Ink Master"). Also in each episode one of the judges takes the test with the contestants at the same time, which is always very enlightening.
The contestants are well chosen to cover the basic Spanish demographics, and maximize the drama and antics, but also the production always chooses at least 3 people who really can sew that feel worthy of the first prize. Every week the contestants are taken to an established clothing company or fashion atelier somewhere in Spain to take a group test as sewers, and every week a contestant goes home; but also every week the contestants take courses on sewing and fashion, to keep getting better skills. At the end of the show, the best four contestants end up with certified sewing courses also.
The show is a showcase for Spain's clothing companies and Spain´s tourist attractions related to fashion; but is a wonderful and very entertaining showcase, well worth the 3 hour episodes that comprises every season of the show.
EDIT 1 (Season 4):
After watching the whole fourth season, and the first 4 episodes of the fifth, I had to lower the rating. I'm sorry but 8/10 is what you get.
EDIT 2 (Season 5):
After watching episode 7 from season 5, I think this is turning into 'Ink Master' and loosing it's uniqueness. Suddenly is more important to make confrontations that to sew. And the amount of useless advertising is getting ridiculous. So 7/10 it is.
EDIT 3 (2024): After the disaster that was the ending of season 5 (it was obvious that certain catalonian contestant was going to win from the get go, so what was the point of a whole season?), the fact that there wasn't any season in 2023 (we all thought that this was cancelled, and we were really OK with that), and the first episode of season 6 (february 2024) that only serves to show that RTVE (Radio Televisión Española) does not understand why season 5 got the worst ratings of all seasons (until now, season 6 still can get the trophy) because they are doing all the wrong things again, I have decided to award just 6 stars to this wreck.
Do yourself a favour and stop watching this show at season 3.
Dear RTVE: The problem are the contestants. NONE OF THEM CAN SEW. And this is suppose to be a SEWING COMPETITION. Please stop casting stupid people with Instagram falacies! And PLEASE stop casting Chinese "fashion design students" that can't SEW!!!
