The Brandery 2012 showed Barcelona's urban trends

Barcelona (CNA).- One of the main driving forces behind the transformation of Barcelona into one of the most trendy cities in Europe is, of course, the fashion industry. Throughout the final week of January, the Catalan capital played host to a wide range of important events, such as Asvoff (the fashion film awards), 080 Barcelona and, last but not least, The Brandery. The Brandery is an urban fashion trade show which holds two editions every year, one in summer and the other in winter. The Brandery winter edition was held from the 27th through to the 29th of January 2012 at the Fira de Barcelona (Barcelona's Trade Fair), at the Montjuïc venue.

Brandery  vibes

Magazines such as Marie Claire, Elle or Cosmopolitan drape over huge tables, big names line up to present to the Fashion industry their products for 2012, dresses, shoes and jewellery fill the enclosure with endless textures, shades and colours, artists paint graffitis on plain walls, make-up artists swarm over girls and hairdressers get to work creating a huge fashion-driven buzz at the Fira Hall 8.

Senses came alive throughout the show: the stands and the catwalks were a joy to the eye; the contrasting textures of the garments made touch a delight; taste buds were satisfied by the Brandery restaurant and a bar to chill out while freshening up and the volume was cranked up as people talked endlessly as music was played through the speakers.

The winter edition

This was the sixth edition of the The Brandery. The first show came to Barcelona four years ago with the aim of mixing urban and contemporary fashion and business, but also to bring trends to a wider audience. This year the slogan for the winter edition was Love Your Way, referring to the idea that fashion could act as a creative platform not only as a springboard for business. This year art, music, photography, sculpture, graffiti and painting were the main channels to express fashion.

For the first time, The Brandery opened to the public during the weekend. Although the trade show had two sectors, Tradeshow and Brandtown, people who love clothes could have a walk in Brandtown, where there were stands of international famous brands, like Replay, Superdry and Custo Barcelona, and so on. The Tradeshow, which concentrated on brands, was only open to industry professionals.

Fashion activities

The Brandery, not only offered fashion, but also other activities, such as catwalks, concerts, exhibitions and workshops. This proposal was featured for the first time during this winter edition. The Italian brand Replay had an area within the show that was called the Denim Campus, where they organised a workshop directed at every visitor. The workshop consisted in customising your own pair of jeans: from choosing the bottoms to the final details –shades and pattern designs.

Have you ever dreamed about being a model? The Brandery gave you the chance to be a model for a day. In the Modelling Experience space, instructors, hairdressers, make-up artists and stylists transformed girls into models, but only for a few hours. Local fashion school Escola Superior de Disseny offered a workshop to work with recycled materials, and the Catalan Fashion Institute provided one to create patterns for shoes.

Catwalks and concerts

Talks with fashion professionals and spaces where cool hunters talked about winter new tendencies were also part of this winter’s Brandery. Famous brands filled the Brandery fashion catwalk showing their collections for the autumn/winter collection 2012-2013. Custo Barcelona, Replay, Superdry or Ian Mosh, paraded with due glamour on a catwalk that was open to professionals, buyers and the general public.

Music was the icing on the cake. Bands like Fangoria, 2manydjs, Dorian and the Zombie kids provided the soundtrack for the Brandery winter edition.

The international platform exhibited 135 brands, 30% of them from France, Portugal, Italy and the United Kingdom. The full list was made up of 160 buyers that included Love Therapy (Fiorucci) and Cisalfa (Italian) among others.