Artistry, craft and style at 080 Barcelona Fashion

The Hindu festival of Holi, the art of braiding and even a journey through space and time. 

These are just some of the inspirations for the designers of the latest looks on display at 080 Barcelona Fashion this week. 

The four-day event brought together fashion labels and fashion lovers in the majestic surroundings of Sant Pau art nouveau site from Tuesday to Friday. Here's our latest Filling the Sink episode with all you need to know about Barcelona fashion week.

 

A total of 24 brands and designers showcased the latest trends at the 33rd edition of Catalonia's leading fashion platform.  

Barcelona knitwear brand Escorpion kicked things off with 'Re-connection', a collection to shine on winter evenings, and, with nods to the past and the future, "a journey through space and time."

Spanish brand Hoss Intropia's spring-summer 2024 collection is called 'Holi', inspired by the Hindu spring festival of the same name.  

"Holi is pure excitement," Hoss Intropia's design director Alejandra Valero tells Catalan News backstage ahead of their show.

"A lot of artistry, a lot of crafted garments, a lot of texture, handmade prints, natural dyes. Holi is the festival of colors in India, joie de vivre, and all the garments are very well crafted, and well thought out for this festival." 

The designer wants the items in the collection to become an expression of "happiness and vitality" for those who wear them.   

The art of braiding  

Fabric is the starting point for Catalan label Simorra, the canvas on which its designs are created. 

Founded in Barcelona in 1978, Simorra's mission is to create high-quality clothing for women, perfectly designed, and made to last.  

Eva Dimas is Simorra's head of brand, and her family, experts in fabrics, joined forces with designer and founder Javier Simorra around 20 years ago. 

"Every year we choose really nice concepts that we express through our fabrics. We develop fabrics thinking of them being able to express and to explain stories," Eva tells Catalan News, surrounded by ironing boards, sewing machines and rail upon rail of beautiful clothing. 

"I think this collection will be really surprising because we are doing a collection in a premium beachwear style, so you will see very nice looks."  

The latest collection highlights the art of braiding, an act of concentration and meditation. 

"The idea is to be inspired by the fact of how women braid in community, and take all this inspiration into our fabrics, being able to express the need of society to be in community."  

Timeless fashion 

Another Barcelona brand is The Label Edition, focused on ethical, honest and timeless fashion. 

Its new collection 'Unfolding' features bold volumes and shapes in leather, denim and corduroy.  

In just four years, it has established itself as a highly desired brand among actors and influencers. 

But it's not just on the catwalk where visitors can enjoy the latest looks. 

"I think the Europeans in general know how to dress way more than the people in the US," Trisha from Michigan tells Catalan News. 

Her friend Santiago has brought her along to see Lola Casademunt's latest collection.  

She's excited, but says in Barcelona she doesn't need fashion shows to get her fashion fix. 

"I love to see everyone walking down the street, whether it's going to work, grabbing a coffee, the women here especially, they go all out, it's amazing."