Custo’s cubism and Toni Francesc’s green design hit the runways at New York Fashion Week

New York (ACN).- Catalan fashion is taking New York by storm during the Spring-Summer Collection of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Clothing brand Custo Barcelona is wowing crowds with its new collection full of funky patterns and cool colours such as turquoise, beige and caramel. The new collection combines functionality and elegance developed for daily wear. This Tuesday the Badalona designer Toni Francesc will present his collection for the 3rd time at New York Fashion Week. Unlike Custo, Francesc takes on a more austere approach to the presentation of his collection.

Some 900 people attended the Custo Barcelona runway show at New York’s Lincoln Center. Custo Barcelona’s Spring-Summer 2011 collection is inspired by movement and the geometric pieces of American sculptor and artist Alexander Calder.  Functionality is an important element to the new collection designed for daily wear, creating a sense of harmony in these exclusive pieces.

The architectural, geometric pieces combine fluid texture and volume with multi-coloured graphic patterns and figurative shapes. Geometric patterns are also protagonists in the collection through the mixing together of different types of fabrics to create a voluminous made of colours and combinations.

Austerity and environmentalism

Catalan designer Toni Francesc went through a radical shift this year. His February collection entitled ‘Artificial Life’ had very good reception. It was dominated by metallic dresses symbolizing the dehumanization of society. ‘Artificial Life’ aimed at criticising the various new systems in our lives. Francesc is bringing solutions to these critiques with his Spring-Summer collection. Entitled ‘Urban Forest’, the collection proposes topics such as the use of alternative energies, recycling and environmental awareness.

“We have to bring the forest to the city, not go out and look for it. We have to bring the forest inside”, said the Badalona-based designer. New York exemplifies this integration between asphalt and nature. The famous Central Park located in the core of the city is the best example of this.

The collection has a “smoother, less dense” air to it. Soft beiges and greys are the collection’s primary colours, accented by light colours such as turquoise, bluish-greens, corals and yellows.

After impressing crowds in 2009 with his use of video installation on the runway, this year Francesc decided to leave the runway bare to focus the attention on the pieces and models. With a more austere presentation, the designer only hopes that his presence at New York Fashion Week will “be a continuous thing”. “I would love to have stores, but we have to take it slow”, he said.