From Gratacós we closely follow the Spanish catwalks because we like to appreciate the creativity of designers in the form of impressive seasonal garments and how, sometimes, one of our fabrics sneaks into the looks of their magnificent collections. After the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid in September, the last appointment with fashion was held by 080 Barcelona Fashion last month, in a new exhibition of fashion and power.

The Catalan catwalk once again opted for the digital format, presenting for the third time in a row, fashion short films previously recorded and edited by 22 designers who participated in the last edition. This time, the film set of the audiovisual pieces took place in a space that broke with the modernist legacy of recent editions: Xavier Corberó’s residential and architectural complex located in Esplugues de Llobregat. A wonderful sculptural work of concrete and glass of a rationalist character with dreamlike buildings that recall the metaphysical painting of Giorgio de Chirico or the mathematical art of Escher.

Next, we explain in detail some of the collections that surprised us the most with designers who maintain creative discourses linked to uniqueness, craftsmanship, sustainability or proximity.

Avellaneda

Avellaneda turned the XC space of the Xavier Corberó architectural complex into a glamorous party displaying beauty, youth and good taste in clothing. In the new collection, the Barcelona designer Juan Avellaneda was inspired by the city and the individuals who inhabit it and share secrets, passions, ephemeral romances, eternal promises and moments of fun. This urban jungle consisted of a sophisticated collection of cocktail looks with traces of safari style: a revision of the zebra animal print , sequined jackets and baggy pants in earth tones. These innovative pieces coexisted with their signature flagships: tuxedos, dresses with sensual openings, silks, ruffles and sequins reign in clothes with daring patterns in a unique proposal that mixes exoticism with its usual elegance. The neutral bases, the pairing of black and white, red and fuchsia gave colour to this festive collection that plays with the classic codes of good dress.

Eiko Ai

Eiko Ai brings a new value in women’s fashion by combining concepts such as sophistication and sensuality in the clothes that she creates in a casual style for everything to wear. Always with that point of magic that invites clients to dream through the designs. On this occasion, the firm led by Glò Lladó has presented in 080, a collection that represents a fantastic trip to the mountains that allows us to discover the nymphs of the forest. These creatures of evocative power, inspiring myth and legend, have been dressed in two-piece combinations with bras – a hallmark of Eiko Ai-, oversized bomber jackets, trench coats with sparkly fabrics and sheer dresses with surprising cuts that insinuate without showing excessively. All this adorned with sequins, velvets, satins, lace and iridescent materials that create sensual transparencies on the models’ bodies. The silhouettes have a minimalist point inspired by the 90s and the lingerie looks blend with the festive in this exciting proposal tinged with deep green, silver and lavender that attracts at first glance.

Moisés Nieto

The designer from Úbeda (Jaén) made his debut on the Catalan catwalk displaying his credentials: contemporary design combined with the passion for craftsmanship and the trade that characterizes his elegant style from restraint. In the new collection for next season, Moisés Nieto takes a trip back in time to reconnect with his childhood in Andalusia. From the summers of the 90s, the designer chooses elements rescued from memory that serve to shape a proposal that speaks of everyday life: the crochet of the doilies, the nets of the curtains, the lace or the plants of the patio are a representation of the memories that take us to the eternal hot summers of the south. The sustainable brand shapes its particular vision in roomy midi dresses and pleated silk skirts. Light garments made with organic cotton or silk fabrics and mixed with artisan techniques such as knitting, crochet and macramé. It is worth noting the textures displayed that play with different weights and structures to create volume in women’s garments that add unexpected details. As in previous collections, the designer approaches craftsmanship and values ​​sustainability, two aspects that have become the most visible hallmarks of the Spanish firm.

Y_Como

Finally, highlight the new work of Cristina and Yolanda Pérez from Yolancris in the new brand, Y_Como, which once again surprises with a new collection based on research and the creative process. The summer proposal presented at 080 Barcelona Fashion is inspired by the painting ‘The Garden of Delights’ by Bosco. Specifically in the panel that refers to Paradiso with a free interpretation, but full of visual references that refer to the work focused on creation. In the first scene of the fashion film , set in the architectural garden of Xavier Corberó, the models that embody the characters in the painting appear: there is the owl that represents the evil that contemplates falling into temptation, the figures of Adam and Eve , and followed by exotic animals that are represented by models of baroque aesthetics that show spectacular golden robes with floral embroidery. Also featured are other black sexy dresses, garments with lots of floral and patchwork denim, fabric star creative signature ready-to-wear bulky clothes that give a rebellious streak this sensuous YComo proposal.

Is black a colour? There is still debate in which it represents the darkest shade, the result of the absence or complete absorption of visible light. Black is a colour without tone, a neutral base like white – its opposite – and gray. It lacks tonality and luminosity because it absorbs light without reflecting any of its component rays. Historically, the colour black has been used to represent darkness, mourning, solemnity, and authority, but it has also been linked to elegance, the unconscious, and individualism. Especially in the last century, the most revolutionary of all. Black symbolizes chaos. Now, it returns to the fore as the primary colour and absorbs the rest of the opponents, but first let’s investigate a little in the imaginary of a colour without colour.

From prehistoric origins: Art, the underworld and death.

Black was one of the first colours used in art. It was used by Paleolithic artists in cave paintings with drawings of bulls and other animals made with charcoal and later, pigments of more intense tones were made with manganese oxide or animal bones. In ancient times, the Egyptians gave positive associations to black: it was the colour that represented fertility (the soil flooding from the Nile was black). It also represented the god Anubis, guardian of the underworld, who took the form of a black jackal and offered protection against evil to the dead. For Classical Greece, black was also the colour of the “other world”, separated from the land of the living by the Acheron river, whose waters were black. The Greeks often used this colour in pottery with black figures set against other red figures. Interestingly, in the social hierarchy of ancient Rome, black was used by artisans. It wasn’t a deep, rich tone because the vegetable dyes they used to make black weren’t solid or long-lasting, so they often faded to grays or browns. Black was also the Roman colour of death and mourning. In the 2nd century BC, Roman magistrates began to wear a dark robe for funeral ceremonies. In Roman poetry, death was called the black hour.

From the darkness of the Middle Ages to the Renaissance

In the Middle Ages, black was associated with evil and darkness. It was the colour of magic, witchcraft, and the dark arts. In fact, the devil in medieval paintings was depicted in human form, but with black wings, skin, and hair. Europe also dressed in black during the bubonic plague episodes as a sign of mourning. In the fashion of the time, black did not have the prestige of red, the colour of nobility and was worn by Benedictine monks as a sign of humility and penance. Despite this, black could also symbolize power as the secret in the medieval world. The emblem of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany was a black eagle. Also the black knight in the poetry of the Middle Ages was an enigmatic figure, without identity.

In the Renaissance, the connotations of the colour black began to change. High-quality black dyes were introduced to the market, allowing garments of deep, rich black to be produced. It was at this time that magistrates and government officials dressed in their black robes, as a sign of the importance and seriousness of their positions. As only the nobility could wear bright colours like red or royal blue, the burgeoning middle class like bankers and merchants began to adapt black in their robes and dresses to distinguish themselves socially.

The colour of the Spanish court during the Golden Age

Black was a fashionable colour in the Spain of the Golden Age. It became the emblem colour of the Spanish Habsburgs, Carlos V and his son, Felipe II, who saw it as a symbol of power, dignity, and humility. and temperance. A world power such as Spain after the discovery of America, dictated the fashion and transferred the taste in the dress of the Spanish court to the rest of Europe. The black was austere and sober, but also rich in nuances and made one better appreciate the complexity of the fabrics used. The brighter and more solid it was, the more social status the person who wore it had.

In Baroque painting there was also a resurgence of the colour black in the treatment of light and shadow in the works of Caravaggio and Rembrant or in the paintings of Velázquez, and later Goya . Who does not remember his famous black paintings? Later, when the Netherlands became a new world power, they determined a new fashion: clothing and rigid ruffles were loosened, but the colours did not return because among the Dutch the Reformation had triumphed, and the colour of the protestants was also black.

Black in the contemporary era

In the 18th century, during the European Age of Enlightenment, black lost its popularity as a fashionable colour. Paris became the capital of fashion, and pastel blue, green, yellow and white became the colours of the nobility and upper classes. After the French Revolution, black re-established itself as the dominant colour. The Industrial Revolution is also characterized by black, largely fueled by coal and later by oil. Charles Dickens and other writers of the time described the dark streets and smoky skies of London, and they were vividly illustrated in the engravings of the French artist Gustave Doré . Black was also the colour of romantic literature. The tone of melancholy, romanticism and nostalgia for the past. Stormy castles, rainy nights, secret meetings at midnight … black had a fantastic component and was adopted by the poets of the time.

The black of impressionist artists

Impressionism did not recognize black as a colour. This pictorial trend, which began in France around 1870, was very popular and, even today, the viewer considers impressionist paintings as the culmination of pictorial beauty. Édouard Manet used the colour black for its strength and dramatic effect. Manet’s portrait of painter Berthe Morisot was a study in black that perfectly captured her spirit of independence. Black gave the painting power and immediacy. Henri Matisse quoted the French impressionist Pissarro as saying: “Manet is stronger than all of us: he made light with black.” Another famous painter: Pierre-Auguste Renoir used luminous blacks, especially in his portraits. When someone told him that black was not a colour, Renoir replied, “What makes you think that? Black is the king of colours ”. Vincent van Gogh used black lines to shape many of the objects in his paintings. In the 20th century, the colour black also experienced a new splendor. The Russian painter Kasimir Malevich , created the ‘Black Square’ in 1915 and it is considered the first purely abstract painting. For Henri Matisse , black was a prized colour. “When I didn’t know what colour to leave, I put black,” he said in 1945.

A symbol of individualism

Black clothing concentrates on the face, considered the center of individuality, the impression that a person produces. Not surprisingly, in the 1950s, black was used as a symbol of individuality and intellectual and social rebellion, the colour of those who did not accept established norms and values. The philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre always wore black. Singer Juliette Greco, who embodied existentialism in more popular attitudes, was famous for her black shaded eyes, black corduroy pants, and chin-length black turtleneck. Black also became popular as a differentiating colour among all groups that did not feel like an integral part of the mass and did not participate in the values ​​of adaptation. Rebels without a cause invariably wore black leather jackets. Then came the reign of rock’n’roll , punk fashion, and the goth subculture with a kind of Victorian-inspired funeral fashion.

The favorite colour of 20th century fashion

Black is the colour of elegance because it means giving up austerity and the desire to attract attention. Who wears black, renounces even colour. For this reason, wearing black symbolizes being successful without risk. This is especially evident in the more conservative men’s fashion: the elegant suits, the tailcoat and the tux, are always black. Black was also considered the colour that the artists wore so that the character did not overshadow the work: whoever wears black does not need to be interesting with other colours, personality is enough.

One of the big names in fashion who revolutionized 20th century women’s fashion was Coco Chanel. The French designer simplified women’s wardrobe with her great masterpiece: the little black dress . The short dress that until today has been ideal for all formal occasions. “A woman needs three things: a black dress, a black sweater and, on her arm, the man she loves,” she said. Black was also the favorite colour of Cristóbal Balenciaga, who wanted to rescue the splendor that it had centuries ago and bring it back to fashion. It also had power in Christian Dior who stated that the colour black “could be worn at any time, at any age and for any occasion.” For his part, the designer Gianni Versace considered that black: “It is the quintessence of simplicity and elegance”, and the French designer Yves Saint Laurent said: “black is the link that unites art and fashion”. In all the history between cinema and fashion, one of the most famous black dresses of the last century was designed by Hubert de Givenchy and worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.

Designers also wear black

We have seen it. Black has captivated the fashion industry with its understated elegance and chromatic harmony in which fabrics and textures also play a fundamental role. In fact, many of the industry assistants who sat in the front row called them black crows because of the clothing they used to always wear. Beyond a trend of the moment to reclaim its throne in the winter of 2021 with monochromatic looks, wearing black from head to toe has always been a wise option that does not have to be boring or monotonous. The catwalks have once again spoken for themselves with proposals that give this timeless “uniform” a twist . Alberta Ferretti, Fendi, Isabel Marant, Versace, Chanel, Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana review the seasonal looks that are full of rigorous black.

Beyond sophistication, mystery, elegance or individualism, this colour in turn has also been adapted by famous contemporary designers who have made it their preferred colour to display for the gallery. Of course, each one is true to its style. It is impossible not to imagine Carolina Herrera without her black knee-length skirt; to Tom Ford without his perfect black suit or Karl Lagerfeld without his iconic black glasses . In its more casual versions, for example, Alexander Wang with a black T-shirt and jeans or Yohji Yamamoto who made black an emblem of Japanese design stand out. “Black is modest and arrogant at the same time. Black is lazy and easy, but also mysterious”. Of the colour without colour par excellence, he also immortalized a phrase to The New York Times newspaper: “I don’t mess with you, so don’t bother me.” And he applies his mantra to the last consequences both in his designs and when dressing himself. Consistency, first and foremost.

Sorry, this entry is only available in European Spanish.

Little by little, it seems that we return to a certain normality. And an indicator of this is our physical participation in Première Vision Paris. This fair that takes place twice a year is one of the most specialized and influential in the world for manufacturers of fabrics.  Exhibitors present all the new collections coming one year ahead. This year, Gratacós is present again to kick off one of our most special proposals: Autumn- Winter 2022/2023. We say that it is “special” because the pandemic is representing a year of great challenges for the company to maintain creativity, production and sales , without overlooking innovation and sustainability that characterizes our business.

Broadly speaking, the new collection is a solid and choral proposal, which shows our desire to work and continue advancing through the generation of ideas, the creation of creative products and the investigation of new trends. A proposal based on the strength of colour, print and designs with great visual presence. We play with contrasting tones, unique prints and add an extra touch of fantasy because we believe that it is more necessary than ever. To do this, we mix flowers of different shapes and styles with geometric motifs , handicrafts, surprising textures,  simplified neo Pucci motifs and neo William Morris with spacious backgrounds. All this to create a surprising game of harmonies, colour, light and tone that we believe will leave no-one indifferent.

The hug as the backbone

“We feel like going out and showing our joy, energy and positivity,” assures Rosa Pujol, creative director of Gratacós. Under this first premise, the Fall- Winter 22/23 collection has been structured, even more than usual on quality, fantasy and luxury. Show to surprise others and to surprise ourselves, is a maximum requirement now in capital letters.

And in this desire to show the fanciful side of fashion, the mother concept that underpins the entire proposal for next winter intervenes: the hug. The symbol of the union of affection and of brotherhood among people, most evident in unstable times like we are experiencing. To hug is to embrace with arms, reach out, understand, restrain, and even include. The creeper plants also hug the logs and facades of houses. And we liked that concept that unites and creates a feeling of sympathy. Aesthetic and visual. In fact, it is a collection designed to embrace multiple markets and different occasions through versatile and surprising items.

“We feel like going out and showing our joy, energy and positivity”.

Rosa Pujol,Gratacós creative director

Embrace materials

The Autumn- Winter 2022/2023 collection embraces craftsmanship. The thick yarns, the obvious braiding and the hand-made finishes. It is also a season where texture communicates by itself through complex folds, 3D effects, opaque transparencies that hint without showing, and precious embossing that surprise by their lines and shapes.

This season, the creative team also aims to stimulate new sensibilities by bringing together two fabrics that a priori are not compatible with each other to create daring aesthetics in the same outfit. It is about daring through complementary items that together create compatible chromatic harmonies. Another characteristic of the season is the commitment to the brightness that the night jump gives to establish itself during the day through surprising fabrics that seek a subtle and fantasy point of light that is 100% wearable. Simple, but sophisticated.

Embrace colour

Colour, more than matter, is light and is developed conscientiously this season to achieve very attractive results. A luminosity  that makes us look better on the street. The collection works from the primary tones, through graphic prints , to the palette of metallics such as gold (solar energy) and silver (lunar energy) , mixed together.

As usual, in Première Vision Paris, three colour ranges will be presented. The first corresponds to a luminous band governed especially by radiant yellows and warm browns. The second card is the middle card with vibrant tones that go from oranges to blues and greens, to finish with fuchsias. Finally, the last letter corresponds to the neutrals and the duller tones, considered more masculine. A very interesting range that offers a great possibility of combinations as it is versatile and timeless.

Embrace nature

The Autumn- Winter 2022-2023 collection tries to strengthen the ties between man and closest nature through fabrics that refer to the beauty of plants. Garden inspiration returns through fabrics with plant motifs and country landscapes. As the writer and gardener, Jamaica Kincaid would say : “Gardens are spaces to connect us”. From Gratacós , the natural is also revalued with a commitment to the origin of the products and the raw material.

Finally, flowers also take over the collection in a particularly flowery winter. The flower is the protagonist of many of the fabrics with a variety of shapes, colors, sizes and arrangements.

Embrace geometry

Geometric motifs are very present in this coming season with fabrics that give a twist to the classics to attract the attention of the new generation of consumers: checks, polka dots, houndstooth or diamonds that are creatively combined to give new unexpected geometries.

In parallel, surprising combinations also arrive to generate all kinds of fantasies. The most extreme: combining two fabrics with graphic motifs that can be combined in the same outfit. Finally, although it is not an animal print season, in the next winter collection a fanciful item appears timidly such as a giraffe design Jacquard.

It was to be expected! Within its cyclical nature, fashion evokes fantasy after having spent almost two years stuck in comfort and austerity, two values influenced by the global pandemic. Remember that fashion is always a reflection of society. Thus, the reign of tracksuits, sweatshirts, pyjamas and slippers (whether they are at home or not), seems to be coming to an end with new inspirations that are postulated totally antagonistic: More luxury, more ornamentation and of course, more shine in festive garments and collections that cry out to escape from reality.

Of the three maxims, we want to focus on shiny fabrics as one of the trends that is going strong this Fall- Winter 21/22 season that we will premiere in September. Beyond the sequins that have had huge success as from now on and arrive in their most ostentatious version ( sequins on sequins in pants, jackets and voluminous dresses ), we want to talk about satin fabrics, one of the great bets of the new collections that we have seen in garments, shoes and bags and whose subtlety and sumptuousness continues to inspire us when it comes to making our fabrics.

It is curious how satin is one of the few fabrics that knows no limits in the wardrobe: it serves us both for winter and summer, or between seasons. Beyond its timelessness, its versatility also stands out because it admits infinite possibilities, making it an indispensable fabric in anyone’s wardrobe. Satin has a nice drape thanks to its fluidity and soft sheen. It is a silky fabric capable of transforming a style and allowing it to navigate between formal and casual. On the catwalk, we have seen it in a variety of garments and accessories for a long time, especially in slip dresses (inspired by lingerie nightgowns), romantic tops and blouses, light and flowing skirts, and even handbags.

A brief history of satin

Satin originated in China more than 2,000 years ago and come from silk. In fact, its name derives from Zaitun, a Chinese port famous for exporting satin. Although it was popular and highly desired in Greco-Roman culture, the consumption of silk satin spread in Europe in the Middle Ages towards the 12th and 13th centuries. Italy was the main exporting and consumer port. Satin captivated for its richness, fluidity and splendor, it was cheaper than silk, and was one of the fabrics most used in clothing for the privileged classes.  It was also used in textiles to decorate grand castles and palaces. Satin was not popularized en masse, until the 19th century, after the Industrial Revolution and advances in the production and marketing process. This fabric also spread to other areas such as underwear. Then, satin became an affordable and versatile fabric, that could emulate the softness, richness and elegance of silk.

During the 20th century, satin conquered the sexiest and most chic clothing of the old Hollywood  actresses.  It was seen through lingerie dresses that were a scandal in their time for their daring. Some examples: the actress and sex symbol, Mae West wore in 1937 a satin dress adorned with flowers on the shoulder that marked her curves or could not go unnoticed. Also iconic was the tight white dress that sculpted Marilyn Monroe’s silhouette in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ (1954) or the strapless outfit with lace motifs worn by Elizabeth Taylor in the movie ‘ Butterfield 8’ .

Decades later, the development of synthetic fabrics made satin even more affordable, bringing it into mainstream fashion. Since then, satin has transcended beyond a seasonal trend and has become a regular and staple fabric in everyday wardrobe.

Satin is not always silk

Although it may seem like it, satin is not always silk. It is actually a type of weft and not a fibre. In satin fabric, at least four weft threads are woven over one warp thread. Traditionally, satin has a shiny side and a duller side and can be made from different fibers, such as nylon, rayon, polyester, and even used silk. So it can be natural or artificial. In any case, it is a fabric that is characterized by its shine and softness. This makes it a star fabric for multiple applications, from fashion outfits to home décor.  

Discover the new silk satins in our Gratacós space or in the online store. Click here  

Sorry, this entry is only available in European Spanish.

This summer the Spanish fashion industry received sad news that made evident once again the  ups and downs that the sector is going through in an unstable time. Delpozo, one of the made in Spain firms with the greatest international projection, announced that it was closing its doors. After more than 47 years of history, the heir to the homonymous brand Jesús del Pozo has had to face liquidation due to the impossibility of reaching a sale agreement that could rescue them. A decision that puts an end to one of the most iconic brands in the country that has dressed countless models, movie personalities and even royals with their dream designs.

Madrid origins

Jesús del Pozo was founded in 1974 in Madrid and was part of the so-called “fifth commotion”, corresponding to the eighties, and to the generation of the nineties that was made up of designers such as Montesinos, Alvarado, Manuel Piña, Sybilla, Victorio & Lucchino , Amaya Arzuaga, Lydia Delgado or Hannibal Laguna. A firm defender of conceptual design, he began, like other colleagues such as Adolfo Dominguez or Antonio Miró, to design for men. It didn’t take long for the firm to also launch into feminine design and create dresses for independent women with sculptural garments with a childish air. “I avoid the flourishes, I prefer everything that is direct and simple, the feeling attracts me. I’m looking for the essential”, the Madrid-based creator used to argue.

Since its beginnings, Jesús del Pozo was a firm defender of the industrialization of the sector. He released his first perfume, opened new avenues of business and opened a new golden era for the economy of the firm. On a personal level, the creativity of Jesús del Pozo was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 1988, the Cristóbal Balenciaga National Award in 1989 and the Golden Needle in 1981. The designer was also one of the promoters of ACME – Association of Fashion Creators of Spain – and served as president of the association until 2004.

The architectural romanticism of Josep Font

The designer died in 2011 and a year later the Perfumes and Design Group took control of the brand, reformulated its guidelines and passed on the creative management to the Catalan couturier Josep Font. The company changed its name to Delpozo, got back to the catwalk shows and opened stores in the capitals of the world. From 2012 to 2018, Josep Font was able to renew the identity of the Delpozo woman, respecting the foundation of Jesús del Pozo (good taste without excesses) and introducing his own language inspired by the forms of nature. Voluminous pieces, architectural designs, ethereal fabrics and colours that varied between pastel and saturated tones in bewitching colour combinations. Such were the creations under the legacy of the Catalan designer passionate about fashion, architecture and crafts.

Under his legacy, there was a second period of splendor for the brand that was accompanied by an internationalization strategy with shows in New York and London sponsored by fashion icons such as Olivia Palermo and Lauren Santo Domingo. Delpozo’s dresses also populated the most photographed red carpets at festivals, premieres and even the annual Met Gala. At this time, Font was in charge of dressing Zendaya Coleman, Kerry Washington, Margot Robbie, among many other Hollywood actresses. He also dressed the then first lady of the United States, Melania Trump and Queen Letizia in one of the most applauded looks of recent years.

New changes and decline

In 2018, Josep Font left the creative direction of the brand, leaving a successful legacy as a standard-bearer of the brand’s prêt -à-couture. German creator Lutz Huelle took the reins in the wake of his predecessor and sought to expand new clientele in a fast-paced and difficult market for artisan brands. For this, a reduction in prices was made to make fashion more accessible to new generations of consumers. Even so, the firm, little by little, was adrift: they did not get commercial agreements or purchase commitments due to the losses and they stopped producing collections a year later. In the midst of a pandemic, the firm has forever dismissed its romantic and fantasy-filled universe, leaving a void in the Spanish fashion industry. A dream of almost half a century that will be difficult to forget.

Yellow is pure contradiction. A dual colour that glows as the lightest of all vivid colors and symbolizes optimism, happiness and abundance. On its dark reverse side, yellow is also the shade that has traditionally been associated with anger, jealousy, and envy. A tone that is loved and hated in equal measure, adored by young people and precisely represents the new generation of consumers: GenZ Yellow. Yellow is in turn one of the colours that is marking this 2021, according to Pantone. We analyze some anecdotes and curiosities of this rabidly trending colour.

The colour of fun, kindness and joy

Yellow is traditionally associated with the sun and as it is linked to the main astro, it is an encouraging and serene color. Optimists have a bright mood and yellow represents their state. Yellow in itself is fun in, it’s radiant like a broad smile. Not surprisingly, smileys or smiley emojis are naturally yellow. Could you imagine them in another colour?

This colour radiates light and is the main color of kindness. “For yellow to be friendly, it needs to always have orange and red at its side, which instill and represent ideas of joy and wealth,” wrote the painter Eugène Delacroix. This is also the chromatic chord that is linked to the joy of living, of activity and of energy.

Illumination is yellow

Sunlight is also perceived as yellow, although it does not actually have any colour. That is why colour is linked to light and illumination. As a light and luminous color that it is, yellow is related to white. Bright and light are qualities of the same character, and yellow is the lightest and lightest of vivid colours. It has a light effect that because it seems to come from above. Therefore, the colour of light is, figuratively speaking, the colour of mental enlightenment. In the Islamic world, golden yellow is the symbolic colour of wisdom and in ancient European symbolism it was linked to the tone of understanding, belonging to the world of reason and ideas. Spiritually, God has been represented symbolically as a yellow triangle, often with an eye within that geometry. A symbol of the omniscience and omnipresence of the all-seeing Being that leads to clarity and enlightenment.

Psychologically, yellow is also linked to spontaneity and creativity as it is a colour that sharpens perception and invites reflection. Yellow are also Van Gogh‘s paintings that he painted with corm yellow, a very poisonous pigment that contains lead and sulfur, some of his most famous paintings such as ‘The sunflowers”

The colour of beautiful men and women

Since ancient times, yellow hair was related to the Sun with its brilliant reflections that seemed to be bathed in gold. Hence, the word blonde or blonde came out to designate a person with golden hair as the star king. The ancient Greeks represented their solar gods as Helios or Apollo of yellow color with statuesque bodies and blond hair, abundant and wavy. Faced with such beauty, all mortals wanted to be blonde. For this reason, they soaked their hair with a bleaching ointment that was manufactured in Athens, they sat for hours in the sun and waited until the hair turned blonde. The blonde symbolized the beautiful and the divine.

Yellow also represent fertility and maturity, idealized in summer fields with golden tones, and sensual love as it is the most frequent colour in flowers. Precisely, most of the flowers are of this colour: mimosa, sunflowers, forsythias, crocuses, primroses, physalis …

The dark side of yellow

Not all that glisters is gold, and yellow, as the most dual tonality of the colour palette, also hides its own contradictions. The warning of a hazard is yellow. This has a simple explanation: it is the lightest color and due to its optimal effect seen from afar and irritating seen from close up, it is the internationally adopted tone for signs indicating the presence of toxic, explosive or radioactive substances that show black signs on a background yellow. In fact, black writing on a yellow background is best read from afar.

Yellow is also the colour of everything you dislike: from envy (dislike for the posessions of others) to jealousy (dislike for the existence of others). Greed is also yellow, which, like envy, are capital sins, and are related to facets of selfishness. According to ancient belief, irritability and anger are linked to bile (yellow with greenish flecks), and when someone got angry they said that their skin turned yellow.

One more curiosity. In English, yellow means coward. The French call false laughter “yellow laughter”, and in France and Russia, “a yellow house” is a madhouse. What a dark reverse!

The colour of Generation Z

Pantone decided in 2021 that one of the colours that would mark the year would be Illuminating yellow. A bright and cheerful topne that generates liveliness and effervescence, and that, according to the authority of colour, symbolizes hope and positivity, values ​​that connect with the future. And the future is marked by the new generation of young people: the effervescent Gen-Z, born between 1994 and 2008. Celebrities such as Zendaya, Gigi Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Kylie Jenner, Millie Bobby Brown, amongst many others, have taken yellow as their flag of style, and the fashion industry continues to use these tones to attract the attention of young, new consumers.

On the catwalks, yellow also does not go unnoticed this summer. From its most candy to the most acidic side, this colour has become one of the season’s stars in collections from firms such as Prada, Versace, Balmain or Etro that have not hesitated to combine it with golds, earth tones and the unbeatable neutrals. : black and white.

Therefore, yellow right now is the colour of the moment: of what flourishes in the fashion industry and is linked to the joy and dynamism of the carefree generation of young people. In less than a decade we have gone from millennial pink to GenZ Yellow.

Who was Pedro Rovira? Why has his work been hidden for decades if it was one of the great Spanish tailors? Coinciding with the centenary of the birth of the dressmaker Pere Rovira i Planas (1921-1978), the Badalona Museum pays tribute to one of their illustrious sons with a wide retrospective that recovers the figure and contemporary spirit of the Badalona born couturier’s legacy .

In an illustrated monograph recently presented in parallel to the exhibition, Lorenzo Caprile assures in his prologue that Pedro Rovira “was in the middle of it all, but he stayed halfway”, referring to his premature death that prevented him from becoming a legend. The designer managed to develop his own identity throughout his career and was able to embrace two opposing currents: he began working with more classic Haute Couture through exclusive collections and later took a turn towards democratic fashion with more versatile and plural series productions that brought design closer to the new generations of consumers, beyond the bourgeois elites. On a historical level, his legacy also coincides in a time of transition: from the end of the dictatorship to the beginning of a new democracy with new customs, needs and ways of conceiving fashion.

From the oven to the needle

Pedro Rovira’s family owned a bakery in Badalona, ​​but since childhood he had a great passion for sewing, making dresses for his friends’ dolls or painting figurines. A hobby his father did not like. He began studying medicine, but quickly abandoned the career for another job related to the needle: Celso Roldós, from Badalona, ​​a tailor officer at the prestigious Santa Eulalia house in Barcelona, ​​taught him the trade. Very soon Rovira would fulfill his wish to travel to Paris in search of new opportunities. He had high ambitions and he wanted to perfect his technique. In the French capital he became friends with Cristóbal Balenciaga, who would influence him greatly in his early days. In Paris he soaked up two years of trends through the fashion shows of the leading dressmakers of the time. When he returned in 1948, he founded his own haute couture workshop in Barcelona, ​​in the Gracia neighborhood, although he continued to live in Badalona. 

Boom and internationalization

Pedro Rovira’s fame spread like wildfire in the 1950s. The designer’s savoir faire, thanks to his Parisian background, together with his personal magnetism, quickly led to the recognition of the Catalan bourgeoisie with the support of several high-ranking ladies society who were assiduous to their refined designs. Later, when the Balenciaga atelier closed in 1968, some of the Basque dressmaker’s clients such as the Marchioness of Torroella de Mongrí, María del Carmen Ferrer-Cajigal and her daughter Carmen de Robert would also knock on Rovira’s door. In fact, Pedro Rovira was adept at dressing several generations of women from the same family with versatile and flexible designs that were adapted to every occasion. For Rovira, fashion was a servitude.

At the end of the 1950s, Pedro Rovira’s fame spread throughout Europe with shows in Frankfurt, Stockholm, Milan and Venice, and in 1964 his designs reached New York, seducing the North American public. On those trips he was accompanied by the most illustrious models of the moment who acted as ambassadors of his style: María del Carmen Aznar, Carmen Paré and Isabel Martín were the most common. Later, with the boom in ready-to-wear collections, he would work with the model and businesswoman Francina Díaz, the actress Teresa Gimpera and some sporadic ones like Nati Abascal, photographed by Antoni Bernad. International success continued in the sixties and seventies with criticism in their pockets and Rovira’s designs appeared on the pages of prestigious magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire. After being acclaimed internationally and gaining recognition from specialized critics, in 1964, finally Rovira was admitted to the Cooperative of Haute Couture, which brought together the most elite fashion designers of the country as Pedro Rodriguez, Asuncion Bastida, Manuel Pertegaz, Santa Eulalia and the Floating Dam, considered the Big Five of Spanish Fashion. Carmen Mir also joined the cooperative the same year as Rovira.

The year 1968 was historical for Pedro Rovira. In full expansion of the brand, the designer decided to launch the first collection of democratic fashion with different lines for all ages, occasions and moments. That was a remarkable breakthrough in the history of Spanish fashion because despite some attempts by other designers, serialized proposals have never been launched with designer garments at more affordable prices. Pedro Rovira’s ready-to-wear designs were daring but very wearable. They combined fantasy brought to the street through geometric fabrics, graphic prints and vibrant colors for a cosmopolitan and contemporary woman who embraced the society of change in Spain.

An unexpected end

In the early seventies the brand had two boutiques in Madrid and throughout the country. Just when the firm was experiencing its greatest splendor, there was a setback that condemned it to a sudden fall and later oblivion: the designer’s precipitous death from a heart attack in 1978. He was only 57 years old. The firm that bore his name still worked for a time, since it had achieved a lot of diffusion and presence in the market, but without the claim and the great creative power of Rovira, the brand had to close in 1980.

An extensive legacy

After a first tribute at the Madrid Costume Museum by the Fundació Antoni de Montpalau, the Barcelona Museum has displayed all of Pedro Rovira’s work in a large retrospective exhibition dedicated to the couturier to commemorate the centenary of his birth. This exhibition, open from 4th June 4 to 18th October 2021, represents a broad and complete review of the work of the Badalona born couturier: it occupies two floors of the museum and is arranged chronologically following the production of Rovira from the early 1950s to the last collections from 1978. Some eighty dresses and more than one hundred drawings come from the Col·lecció Antonio de Montpalau, collaborator of the initiative, and pieces from the Badalona Museum collection and from the Rovira heirs are also exhibited. The tribute is completed by a documentary that rescues the memory of his legacy and a widely illustrated monograph. An extensive tribute to resuscitate the great figure of Pedro Rovira from oblivion and place it where it deserves in the history of Spanish fashion.

The history of women’s intimate fashion is curious because it is not only linked to the trends of each era, but also to the rebellions of women and the strength of some female icons such as the dancers Isadora Ducan and Irene Castle, the writer Simone de Beauvoir or the pop diva, Madonna, who broke ground in her time, breaking some conventions and marked taboos. It is also remarkable, as in recent decades, the conception of what is intimate and what is not, is conspicuous by its absence because fashion evolves and transforms, merging concepts and adapting pieces that were once created to remain hidden behind the outer layers of the visible clothing.

From Egyptian to French. A brief historial view

Intimate clothing was born to cover a basic need: hygiene and shelter for the female parts. Then, over the centuries, they became garments to mold and correct the female figure. It is estimated that they were the Egyptians of high society, who began to use some type of lingerie. Back then it was linen and cotton tunics glued to the body with a sort of petticoat that began below the chest and ended below the ankles as part of their daily dress. In ancient times, to lift the breasts, – the anatomical part that symbolized femininity, motherhood and pleasure, women accepted many sacrifices. For this reason, in Crete the bra was invented almost four thousand years ago. Also in Ancient Greece, the zoster was born, a girdle that single women used to enhance the bust. Married used another piece to hold the breast, called apodesmo, and used to be fabric with bright colors and decorated with care. In Rome, a band wrapped around the chest was used to give the female figure the harmony and shape that was considered beautiful at the time. During the Middle Ages, the brial and the camisole imprisoned the chest at a time when only maidens were allowed to show off the bust. As for panties, the garment was not conceived as part of the undergarment until the Renaissance. Finally, corsets emerged in the Middle Ages and had ups and downs in their use until the end of the 19th century. The famous corset was not only an intimate garment to maintain hygiene, but was also used to style and seduce.

France is considered the inventor country of underwear, similar to what we know today, and the popularization of its use. Towards the year 1830 there was a shift towards the use of underwear that coincided with the growing trend towards a public morality that during the Victorian era would reach its peak. The appearance of new materials and thinner and lighter fabrics, which were appropriate for use in certain areas of the body, also influenced. From 1860, the design of women’s underwear began, and in 1880, silk became the preferred fabric for such uses. Later, wool (in colder areas) and cotton were also used, fabrics that allowed the skin to breathe. Its use also extended to petticoats, nightgowns and panties. It took until the end of the 19th century for women’s lingerie to acquire a definitely sexy air with the appearance of the first silk stockings and garters. Although its use was reserved exclusively for the privacy of the bedrooms and for the so-called “women of bad life”.

The 20th century was the century of the bra that ended up burying the corset as a garment to shape the chest and the introduction of cups in bras, showing that there were women with different sizes and bust sizes. In the 1950s, conical pointed cup bras were introduced, which immortalized the pin-up aesthetic models and later, Madonna in the transgressive 80s. Corsets were introduced as streetwear thanks to the influence of the cinema and the Golden Years of Hollywood. Finally, in 1990 was the boom of the wonderbra, a bra that enhanced the breast without the need for cosmetic surgery.

From indoors to outdoors. The lingerie is displayed without shame

As we have just mentioned, lingerie was born in France at the end of the 19th century to liberate women from the corsets of the time. The actresses of the film industry of the last century were in charge of giving it that glamorous touch by displaying their most intimate clothes in lavish film shoots. Garments such as nightgowns, tunics and kimonos made in beautiful light satin and silk fabrics, jumped from the bed to the stage, along with voluptuous lingerie sets that evoked sensual games of transparencies through tulle and lace, which went beyond the bedroom. Intimate fashion was under the spotlight ready to be consumed for a new generation of female consumers.

From the end of the last century to the present, we have experienced an authentic explosion of lingerie fashion that conquers en masse a new terrain until now forbidden: the street. They are not pieces of lingerie as such, but an adaptation that large firms create of these models to be exhibited in public. Thus, in the 90s, the boom in silk slip dresses or nightgowns with thin straps and lace motifs were immortatilized by the it girls of the time such as Kate Moss, Winona Ryder or Jennifer Anniston . Then came the outer bras or crop tops popularized by American rap and hip hop singers who shamelessly showed a foot above (or below) the navel. They were also the first to bet on showing off panties or thong straps underneath their low-rise sweatpants. Garments that create sensual games of transparencies are also experiencing their best moment, through plumeti tulle and lace in romantic Victorian-inspired outfits. Other parts such as two piece satin pyjamas and oriental kimonos have settled in our closet over the last decade as being completely normal, providing that elegant touch, but suggestive in the daily styles.

Regardless of style and trends, what is clear is that lingerie has been claiming its space for a long time and the catwalks attest to this exhibitionist trend that, at the moment, does not know its end.