080 Barcelona Fashion Week kicks off with Mango opening the show

Barcelona (ACN).- On Monday evening, the Catalan fashion brand Mango opened the 16^th edition of the 080 Barcelona Fashion Week, showcasing its new autumn/winter collections for men and women. Catalan Business and Employment Minister, Felip Puig, took part in the opening ceremony of the event, which will run from 29 June to 3 July at the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys. In total, 22 designers and 15 brands are participating, in a combination of young talent, world renowned artists and international labels. As this year's show takes place within the walls that hosted the Olympics in 1992, Puig expressed his hopes for the fashion event to recover "all its openness to the outside world, its fair play, its ability to welcome visitors and, at the same time, the commitment to talent and ambition".

On Tuesday morning, the joint creative project Isometric (by designers Joan Ros Garrofé and Jessica Montes Bonito) and Blame Label (by 28-year old Valencia-born designer Pablo Puig) opened the show. Later, Lebor Gabala with 'Urban Folk' and Txell Miras with 'Disarm' took to the catwalk, followed by TCN. During the afternoon, other artists presented their 2016 spring/summer collections. Among them were: Catalan designers Miriam Ponsa and Josep Abril, with Sita Murt (a brand named after the famous designer and business woman from Catalonia who died suddenly in 2014). In the evening, Barcelona-based fashion multinational Desigual showcased its women’s collection for spring-summer 2016, ‘LEARN’. 

A total of 148 buyers - representatives of companies, distributors and online platforms, dealers and showrooms - obtained accreditation in advance, representing a 6.4% increase over the previous edition. Out of the total number, about 30% are international.

Barcelona and Catalonia as a global point of reference for fashion and lifestyle

According to the Catalan Business and Employment Minister, "nowadays Barcelona and Catalonia are a global point of reference when it comes to fashion and lifestyle". In this regard, Puig said, "the combination of planning and engagement, public promotion and private leadership are reviving the fashion and textiles industry". The opening ceremony was also attended by: the Catalan Deputy Minister for Business and Competitiveness, Pere Torres; the General Director for Trade, Josep Maria Recasens; the Manager of Catalonia’s Consortium for Retail, Craftmanship and Fashion (CCAM), Miquel Rodriguez; and Barcelona Second Deputy Mayor, Laia Ortiz.

The 'village' hosting the event includes a Fashion Market with 60 pop-up stores

The 080 Barcelona Fashion Week is held every six months and usually takes place at an iconic location in the Catalan capital. For example, in the past, the event has been hosted at the Born Cultural Centre (located in the Ribera neighbourhood) and the Maritime Museum of Barcelona (in the Drassanes area of the city, close to the sea).

This year the 'village' hosting the event has been reshaped. In this version, it includes a 080 Fashion Market (with nearly 60 pop-up stores from firms and design schools), the stands of the sponsors, food trucks and a complete music programme with 9 international DJs playing between 11 am and 22:30 pm. The entrance to the village is free but an invitation has to be downloaded via the webpage www.080barcelonafashion.cat. Free shuttles connecting Plaça d'Espanya to the Olympic Stadium are available, in addition to the escalators.       

This edition's special guest will be Iris Apfel, an American businesswoman, interior designer and fashion icon. On Friday, a documentary about this 93-year old artist will be shown at Barcelona's Miró Foundation, close to the Olympic Stadium.