080 Barcelona Fashion week kicks off with a focus on entrepreneurs

Barcelona (CNA).- 080 Barcelona Fashion aims to turn Barcelona and Catalonia into a benchmark for creativity, innovation and both design generation and projection in the fashion industry. Thus, from this Monday until Friday the 5^th of February, newcomer designers such as CarlotaOms and Pau Esteve to consolidated firms, such as Custo Barcelona and Sita Murt, amongst others, will present their offerings at Barcelona’s Casa Llotja de Mar.Besides the fashion shows, the 17^th edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion will also host many other parallel activities such as an ‘Ideas Contest’ which aims to facilitate entrepreneurs’ entry into the fashion industry and round tables to bring together different points of view on fashion. One of the highlights of this edition is the presence of Manolo Blahnik, the shoe designer and global icon, who will present his book ‘Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions’. The event will also pay tribute to designer Pedro Rodríguez.

The opening catwalk featured the previous edition’s National Award to Emerging Designer winner CarlotaOms, born from the collaboration of two young Catalan designers, Elisabet Carlota and Elisenda Oms. The firm aims to “break the stereotypes and carry out a design which has no gender” with “daily clothes, which complete the customers’ personality and help them to build their own identity” explained 080 Barcelona Fashion week organisers.

The newcomers’ offerings will combine with consolidated and international flagships of Catalan fashion such as Custo Barcelona, TCN, Sita Murt and TCN.

The fair will also hold an exhibition of twenty pop-up stores at ‘Fashion Market’ which will be open to the general public throughout the week.

More than just catwalks

Besides the fashion shows, 080 Barcelona Fashion will also host many parallel activities bringing together different points of view on fashion. One of the highlights of this edition is the presence of Manolo Blahnik, the shoe designer and global icon, who will present his book ‘Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions’ on Friday the 5^th of February. Moreover, to analyse the business side of the sector, the Barcelona Fashion Summit will take place and on Tuesday the 2^nd it will be the turn of the opening of the ‘Pedro Rodríguez: Costura en el armario’ exhibition which will display a selection of breath-taking designs from this master of haute couture in Spain.
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On the other hand, 080 Barcelona Fashion is also keeping its strong commitment to bring fashion to the general public with different initiatives like the ‘Open Area’, to which everyone can have access. This zone will host the 080 Fashion Market, a point of reference for discovering new names in fashion and accessories. The stands of the sponsors will also be here along with the exhibition of the thesis designs of the nine Catalan design schools and the NEO2 Photoshoot Exhibition.

Finally, the official channel, 080 TV Channel, will be offering a non-stop schedule via internet and their website to share all that is going on at the Casa Llotja de Mar and which will feature live streaming of the 31 fashion shows at this year’s edition.

Officials attended the opening ceremony

The opening session was inaugurated by the new Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont. The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, and the Catalan Minister for Business and Enterprise Jordi Baiget also attended the opening ceremony. Alongside them were present designers, sponsors and personalities from Catalonia’s economic, social and cultural sectors.