080 Barcelona Fashion 2009

Gaudi, Razzmatazz, Vicky Christina Barcelona. Those were the first names that came to mind when jetting off to Spain’s second largest city, Barcelona. Since 2007, the Catalonian capital has been hosting a bi-annual fashion week aka 080 Barcelona Fashion. In the last year, however, the event has expanded far beyond its Spanish borders, attracting a number of new designers from places as diverse as Latvia, Australia, Belgium and the UK (London exports included J Smith Esquire, Aminaka Wilmont and Mark Fast). Here are my highlights from this exciting 3-day, Cava-fuelled stay…

A gothic streak ran through a couple of collections, with the most striking one being that of Txell Miras. The Spanish designer was inspired by the concept of frames and “the limitations surrounding text and its context.” And though the idea initially sounded a bit contrived, the show quickly gained momentum with all-black shirts, dresses and jackets integrated into dramatic rectangular frames.

Mallorca-born Gori de Palma also stuck to a predominantly dark shades, bar the occasional accents of red and indigo denim. Inspired by skinhead style, tuxedo jackets were layered over plaid shirts and tie dye jeans, resulting in high-end androgyny that should satisfy a couple of Swedes out there. That is, unless it has flown off the shelves already.

Ethnic touches – something I naively expected from all Spanish designers - became more evident in the show of Martin Lamothe, the brainchild of Central Saint Martin’s graduate Elena Martin Ortiz. I particularly liked her dusty colour scheme (influence of William Eggleston and films such as Arizona Dream) and the impressive leather moulding technique, which made the sleeves on the dresses look like abstractified horses’ heads.

Latvian duo Mareunrol’s was another star of the week. Previously featured on Dazed Digital, the label is known for its concept-driven presentations, and their A/W show certainly didn’t disappoint. It started with a humorous film reminiscent of Bonnie & Clyde. What followed was a cavalcade of beautifully pleated leather dresses, trench coats and face shields in the form of oversized wigs.

The Barcelona Fashion Award (20,000 euros) went to Japanese designer Seiko Taki, who showed a perfectly unified collection of suits in light-reflective fabrics. Again, the inspiration might have seemed vague (“a woman standing in a large saucer with her back facing the audience”), yet the craftsmanship of Taki’s clothes left me more than assured that her monetary treat was well-deserved.