We start 2017 by recalling a festive look by the Barcelona designer Juan Pedro López which we found particularly captivating by virtue of its bold combination of colours and fabrics which create a sensual see-through effect due to super-imposed layers.
This elegant design formed part of the collection “Part XIV” corresponding with the Autumn-Winter season 2013/2014 presented on the parade 080 Barcelona Fashion. According to its designer the inspiration for the look is to be found in the sculptures of Gabo and Pevsner. It is an original design based on those volume and transparencies which envelop the silhouette of a woman. Juan Pedro López uses materials of organza and silk to create this effect of appearances and reflections, where feminine curves are exhalted in garments which fluctuate with the movement of every step.
An ethereal and delicate design which is not at all conventional and which is perfect for these festive days.
Here you will find some of our organza and satin fabrics to inspire you with new designs.
A fashion platform in Rec.0 Experimental Stores
We applaud initiatives which bring the fashion industry together in its broadest vision: large fashion-houses are coming together with independent design and young talents in one and the same space, where each one has his or her plot of terrain – and his or her public. And if it is an ephemeral format, then so much the better, because it creates a much more memorable phenomenon in time without exhausting the formula which gives it balance.
This is one of the reasons why we value the initiative Rec.0 Experimental Stores, a retail experiment dating back to 2009 which takes place in the industrial district of the Rec in Igualada. For two months in the year the old tanning factories in the area are home to distinctive pop-up stores of brands and designers in a unique concentration of special sales and concurrent too for just four days with other cultural and gastronomic activities.
The new edition, which runs from the 9th until the 12th of November, sees the participation of more than 80 brands of clothing for men, women and children distributed among four large areas within the district. There the consumer can go about discovering at his own pace what the temporary shops have to offer by following an unusual route through all the tanneries. Apart from the high quality brands such as Adidas, Levis, Mango or Lacoste which raise high expectations in the general public one can also find designers linked to 080 Barcelona Fashion such as Miriam Ponsa, JosepAbril, Txell Miras or Sita Murt. These designers share the same space with others of smaller format who likewise parade on the Catalan cat-walk, such as Carlota Oms, Rita Row, Chausseurs, SSIC and Paul or Paul Esteve. Those are some of the names to be found in this edition on the new space 080. Also present are small brands by young designers outstanding in their originality, yet without abandoning the commerciality of their designs. To name just a few examples : Colmillo de Morsa, Costalamel or Dutch Delight. Rec.0 thus aims to create a platform of brands and emerging designers which is swelled by each new edition.
In addition to their own sales from previous seasons and the opportunity offered to the public to get to know at first hand the designers who are directly involved in the buying process, the initiative also seeks to offer the visitor other gastronomic experiences -food-trucks, cooking competitions – and cultural experiences – concerts, workshops, activities for kids. All of these make of Eec.0 an authentic leisure experience to be shared with family or friends. In the last edition, held in June, more than 100,000 people passed through the district. They must have had a reason…
One to one with… Ángel Vilda
Dry, transgressor and visceral. Since 2010, Ángel Vilda channels his irony in Brain & Beast, his alter ego in design. An original band that is full of attitude, impossible combinations and high dosis of boldness. Garments that create visual games, structured lines, loud colours and iconography that feeds from contemporary culture with high dosis of humour. If it is kitsch, all the better. This Barcelona born designer came to visit us to buy fabrics for his new collection that he will be presenting in January in the 080 Barcelona Fashion catwalk. We took the chance to pick his brains…
What have you got prepared for the new Winter 2017 collection? What fabrics have you chosen?
This time, I have chosen the newest and oldest fabrics that Gratacós has on offer. The majority of the fabrics have been selected based on colours and prints because the collection is inspired in the ‘Play Back’ concept and fashion at the end of the 70’s. I want to do a representation of what it should be, but isn’t. A sort of virtual reality.
“I have chose the newest and oldest fabrics Gratacós has on offer”
What patterns do you have in mind?
An absolute mix. From traditional Japanese patterns, patterns for traditional clothes, pyjama type garments with dressing gowns you would wear at home, sport clothes….All together and with no direction. One of the basic premises of my new collection is it will be like that just because.
It’s very Brain & Beast…
Always! This proposal is also inspired in icons of the time such as the singer Nico in ‘The Velvet Underground’, films such as `The Invisible Man`, the beginnings of David Lynch…There will be dreamlike references where you will not know if it is a dream or a nightmare. The novelty of this collection is that it will not be produced on an industrial level.
Why not?
Because as from now I have decided to work only on demand and I will not sell to shops or retails points any longer.
Why this change in direction?
I want to dedicate more time to each garment so that it is unique and special. Everything will be handmade: prints, embroidery….all because I want the client to notice the handicraft work gone into their custom made garment.
“I want to dedicate more time in looking after each garment so that it is unique”
Exclusivity, customization….the marketing trends are going in this direction
But in this case I have taken this decision because I feel like doing it, I’m looking forward to it.
How do you evaluate this stage being on your own as the only designer of the brand?
Very well. Brain & Beast is selling more than ever. The brand started out as a get together with friends where we had fun designing, but with time we each have developed our own interests and now it is different.
¿How do you define yourself as a designer?
As a designer and that’s it. I don’t like it when designers consider themselves to be something important like a doctor or scientist. We make clothes and that’s it, if someone does not like it, then they don’t have to buy it. Easy as that.
“We make clothes and that’s it. If someone does not like it then they don’t have to buy it”
It is a question of not glorifying the creative work….
Exactly. I also find it funny when people call themselves creative director instead of designer. Lately there are new words for everything. It’s not even a big deal because if you analyse the scenario in Spain I don’t think there are designer brands powerful enough on an international level. We are a collage of mini brands. Brain & Beast is aware of its limitations and to be honest, I don’t care.
Are you sure?
I am pleased that Brain & Beast is a tiny part of the sector. My inspiration is to wake up in the morning and do what I like and make a living out of it. I crack up when I see brands that boast about selling in Japan when it is very easy to sell there. If you can’t sell in that country it means you are not very good. In any case, what I mean is that in the industry of fashion there is a lot of facades. I also find it funny these reports about promising young design talents. No-one will ever get anywhere.
“I am pleased that Brain & Beast is a tiny part of the sector”
A very pessimistic point of view….
Not at all. In Spain there isn’t a market for design, there are no retail points to commercialize, the multibrand shops are closing and being replaced by cheap chain stores… Either you spring into action or go to another country.
A few years ago, the guru Diane Pernet visited Barcelona and was fascinated by your designs. How did you do it?
I think the key is to be a pest- he laughs- and it is also true that I have been in the design world for a long time. Independently of whether there is talent or not, I think perseverance is the key. Another key aspect of Brain & Beast is that it is a 100% independent brand. No-one has never paid us anything, no help, no sponsors, no capitalist shareholders…When we have been successful in a collection we have bought the fabrics in Gratacós and when not, we have been to the Encants market and no quarms.
The Gratacós questionnaire…
An essential garment… Something that you can take off easily
A fetiche fabric… A multicolour brocade
A colour you could not live without… Red
A designer you admire… Brain & Beast
Your preferred space in Barcelona… My house
A word of advice for those starting out… Get a grip
Your ‘leitmotiv’…Everything is shit but once you have accepted it, that’s it.
Striped mikado
Striped fabrics are one of the trends this season in their most colourful and eyecatching version regardless of the thickness of the stripes and the tones used. Creativity above all.
The Spring-Summer 2016 Brain & Beast collection presented last year at the 080 Barcelona Fashion maintains the spirit of the Barcelona born brand created by Ángel Vilda. Peculiar guessing games with styles inspired in contemporary culture. Amongst the multitude of looks that are included in the ‘Decalogue, part X Insomia’ collection, the mikado striped skirts stand out by adding a theatrical tone to the already dramatic outfits. On the catwalk, it is known that the show is priority, more than the attention to design details.
These original skirts come in various forms: poppy, pencil or asymmetric cut and are elaborated with Gratacós fabrics. Plain mikados cut in multicolour strips to create this graphic print.
Actually, Brain&Beast is one of our regular customers and year after year renews their trust in us.
Gratacós has different coloured mikados to create new combinations, as explosive as your imagination will permit. You can find them here.
The talent of Pedro Covelo
Pedro Covelo is part of this new generation of male designers that know and recognize the needs of the current man; those that look for design, comfort and renovation with contemporary ideas that are a little daring but do not lose their functionality.
The young designer was born in Vigo and during his childhood he took various music, theatre and dance lessons. In the end, Pedro Covelo chose fashion design and moved to Barcelona to study in FD MODA- LCI Barcelona. “It was something more arbitrary that came into my life and I used it as a form of expression” assured the Galicia born creator.
2014 represents the beginning of his career when he won the MODAFAD prize to Best Young Designer in Barcelona following his final degree project. If this was not enough, that very same year they gave him a similar prize in Galicia and he was finalist in the MMOD competition in Murcia.
Despite being so young, Pedro Covelo has already participated at 080 Barcelona Fashion and Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek Madrid. He seduced everybody with his third collection “Un sapo llamado Mike” (a frog called Mike) inspired in the North American Westerns, an interesting proposal of rich fabrics and well defined cuts. “I define myself for doing something sincere and very my own” explained Pedro regarding his way of working. “I like classic tailoring by pattern, I go for innovation in fabrics, prints and embroidery. For me, it is very important to favour handicraft work.”
A juvenile collection that maintains the essence of the designer in a wild Western American surrounding. Silk shirts, ribbons at the neck, Bohemian style trousers and coats created with patchwork. All the garments use a surprising mix of fabrics and prints. Some of them are ours, for example the floral prints and the original orange crepe fabric that Pedro used to print the faces of the presidents of the United States. We are mutually thankful for his trust in us. “Gratacos is part of my family in fashion and has been a big support for me” said the young designer.
Pedro Covelo is settled in Barcelona and continues his work in the design world. The journey however is not always smooth. “It is not an easy job and when you are young more so because it is difficult to survive with the little help they give us” he explained. Despite the possible obstacles, Pedro calls for a steady hand to work in what he most enjoys, fashion creation. And the first steps have been taken.
Good luck!
080 Barcelona Fashion is back with a vengeance
080 Barcelona Fashion is back. From the 27th June to the 1st July, this Catalan catwalk show will exhibit the Spring-Summer 2017 collections of around 30 native brands. These include textile brands, dedicated designers and new talents. The objective of this event is to consolidate Cataluña as a benchmark for design in all its variations – creation, production, training and promotion and thus contribute to the internationalization of the sector.
The catwalk shows of this 18th edition will take place in Catalonia`s National Physical Education Institute based in the Olympic Ring on Montjuic. It is here where the training and culture values of sport that define the Catalan capital are reflected. This edition aims to “get Catalan fashion into shape” in a more festive environment and in a more participatory way.
As specialists in fashion, Gratacós have always worked side by side with designers, offering them their premises for enquiries, consulting and commercialization of fabrics that will be used to make the garments of the new season. In this edition of the Catalan catwalk show, Brain & Beast and Samuel Alarcón are two of the brands that have confided their trust in us.
Brain & Beast
This transgressive brand was created by Ángel Vilda in Barcelona in 2010. From the very beginning, his collections do not leave anyone indifferent. Messages, guessing games, juxtapositions of fabrics….Each season his garments emphasize the pop culture with agender silhouettes where sophistication goes hand in hand with comfort together with high dosis of humour.
Samuel Alarcón
This new design talent started out in the 080 Barcelona Fashion after receiving the Creativity Award at the Modafad show – the platform for the young up and coming. He set the bar high. Born in the Canary Islands but now based in Barcelona, Samuel Alarcón specializes in tricot, which he uses to experiment and innovate to achieve some surprising results. He participates again in the Catalan catwalk show with his collection ‘Etimología del Yo’.
Gratacós will attend both shows to support the designers who have confided in us. We are very much looking forward to seeing their new collections. Good luck!
Attend the 080 Barcelona Fashion show with Gratacós!
Do you love fashion and would love to attend the fashion shows in the upcoming edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion? If so, Gratacós is giving away 5 double passes to attend Modafad – the fashion show for young creators. Want to take part?
To participate you just need to visit our Facebook site. You have until Thursday 25th June for a chance to win!