The Color of Melancholy: Carlos Morillo on Nostalgia, Purple and Femininity
Color Explosion is a memory painted in impossible shades soft, vivid, and fleeting.
Each color becomes an emotion, a fragment of youth suspended between fantasy and nostalgia. A quiet reminder that beauty is not only seen, but deeply felt.
COLOR EXPLOSION is one of the twenty editorials in MALVIE MAIN ISSUE 72, the 190-page, perfect-bound November 2026 main issue of MALVIE Magazine.
Order MALVIE MAIN ISSUE 72 in print:
Carlos Morillo: the interview
You describe a quiet sense of nostalgia as the force behind your work. What are you nostalgic for, and how does that feeling find its way into a frame?
Nostalgia is my way of reconnecting with comfort. Without planning it, I always find myself drawn to small, recurring personal details that unconsciously repeat in my frames. That quiet repetition brings me a deep sense of warmth and emotional grounding.
A subtle purple hue lingers in all of your images, like a piece of your soul. When did purple become your signature, and what does it hold for you?
Purple has been my guiding color since I first stepped into design. It acts as an extension of my identity, adding a layer of profound melancholy and depth that perfectly captures who I am and what I want to express.
Color Explosion moves between melancholy and celebration. How did you keep both feelings alive in the same images without one taking over?
It comes down to color play and contrast. The dialogue between the purple background and the styling acts as the core narrative. The models did an exceptional job bridging these emotions, balancing the two contrasting moods seamlessly.
Your work explores the softer side of modern femininity, balancing sweetness with depth. How do you create a space on set where a model can show both at once?
On set, I believe in creative freedom. Once the concept is clear and you work with a professional team, you let the talent flow. My role shifts to guiding the energy and fine-tuning the subtle details that bring the entire vision to life.
You were born in Venezuela and now live in Barcelona. How has moving between these two places shaped the way you see light, color and beauty?
My Venezuelan roots naturally push me to seek and celebrate raw beauty, while Barcelona has given me the conceptual foundation of modern fashion. Together, they taught me how to make a subject look not just beautiful, but deeply compelling.
As your work keeps growing, which part of femininity or which emotion would you most like to explore next, and where do you hope your photography will take you?
Having grown up surrounded by women, I feel my work has only just scratched the surface of how complex and fascinating they truly are. My next step is to explore vulnerability and sensuality on a much deeper, wider scale.
COLOR EXPLOSION credits
Photographer: Carlos Morillo @icarlosmorillo
Model: Alice Mihalache @alicemihalache
Model: Rosa Zuliani (Traffic Models, Fashion Art Wise) @rrrosatron
Makeup Artist: Masiel Villaflor @masielvillaflor
Makeup Artist: Gemma Rodriguez @gemmuaaa
Wardrobe Stylist: Noemi Furrer @noemifurrer
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