Street seller fashion takes to the runway

Many who’ve traveled to Barcelona will tell you how ubiquitous the city’s street vendors are. But there’s much more to the story: not only do they have their own union, but they also produce their own clothing line, recently introduced to the world in a fashion show.

The brand is called Top Manta. Under the mantra ‘Legal clothes made by illegal people’ and in collaboration with the media platform PlayGround Do,  the People’s Union of Barcelona Street Sellers launched the first fashion show for its nascent brand.

Festive with a message

The event was festive but with a message: ‘Nobody is Illegal,’ lasting all throughout Friday at the Montoya space in Barcelona. More than just a fashion display, it had a varied schedule including opportunities for dialogue between fashion designers and activists, talks, and creative sessions.