At the end of the year the evaluation lists come out: the best books, the most influential characters, the must-see series, the trends that have marked each season, the new fashionable words that we incorporate into the dictionary… At Gratacós we carry out our particular revival exhibiting the shop windows that have been created at the entrance of our space in Barcelona. In fact, it is nothing new that we bet on creating windows that attract attention. We have always done it and each window represents a new visual letter of presentation because it speaks of who we are and what we do in a creative, spontaneous and current way, using new languages of expression that go beyond fashion.

During this year of return to “neo normality” we have dressed our mannequins with spectacular fabrics from the new season, but we have also had the support of the students of the design schools we collaborate with, the creativity of brands made in Barcelona and some artists linked to Gratacós . All of them have put their grain of sand to build new windows that create that attraction effect to those who come to our physical store. We review them below:

February 2022. Echoes of spring

Winter was short-lived in 2022 and the high temperatures, unusual in February, were unknowingly a foretaste of what would come next and would remain the usual trend throughout 2022, one of the warmest years on record. In the traditionally coldest month of the calendar, we took a look at our shop window betting on the incipient spring that was already rearing its head. The first green shoots, the white and pink flowers of the almond trees and, in general, a new awakening of the flora that we express through taffetas (Picasso) and colour in its softest tones.

March 2022. An arty twist

In March there was an artistic turn towards fashion illustration with the identifiable stroke of Joel Miñana, where his colourful mannequins were the absolute protagonists of the window. Using coloured pencils, markers and geometric lines, Joel interpreted some of the key fabrics of the season in an arty key . This contemporary vision was complemented with cuts from vintage dresses, fabrics from other seasons, and classic drawings that review the history of Gratacós, offering two visions that define our company: tradition with modernity.

April 2022. A book to remember

In the month dedicated to literary culture, we wanted to do our part by paying tribute to a specific book: ‘Nobody knows’ (Planeta, 2022) by Tony Gratacós . A historical thriller about some of the mysteries of the first circumnavigation of the world. The author gives a twist to the figure of the navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, one of the few survivors of the Magellan expedition in an ambitious story that immerses us in one of the most splendid and fascinating periods in the history of Spain and that hides a secret that has taken five hundred years to come to light. The shop window could not miss some signed copies, roses and a mannequin with an imperishable fabric, the Gingham linen check that is renewed every year without losing its classic essence.

May 2022. The brides of the year

The bridal showcase took place in May this time, making visible the work of the last two winners of the contest IED Barcelona that the school organizes every year through their postgraduate course in Bridal Gown Design. On this occasion, the moulages by Myrian Medina, winner of 2022 and Nicole Claux , winner of 2021. Two wedding dresses, one made of georgette (Danubio) and the other made with mikado on the bodice and sequin embroidery on the tail of the skirt. The fabrics provided by Gratacós together with the unique cutting and sewing technique gave way to one of the most special showcases of 2022.

June 2022. Studio 54 returns

In June we welcomed what would be the longest summer of the 21st century, recalling the disco aesthetic of the 70s. Iridescent materials, reflective crystals and subtle shimmering fabrics to kick off a time full of outdoor celebrations. The bling bling aesthetic was achieved by Joplin Atelier, the Barcelona born firm of Laura and Aida Molano who succeed with their glam rock style , creating feminine and opulent looks in volumes, colours and fabrics. The mannequins wore two looks in lime cotton and orange silk satin combined with pieces made with mirror effect appliqués on tulle as a miniskirt.

July and August 2022. Sales time

The sales were the stars of the holiday months and we showed a selection of our best seasonal fabrics in various shades of pink and ecru: jacquards , prints and embroidery mostly. The shop window recreated a feminine room with a certain air of disorder, through a chest of drawers with a vintage spirit , where sumptuous fabrics sprouted from each of the drawers. A tribute to the carefree divas of classic cinema brought to our land.

September 2022. Back to school

In the fashion industry, the year traditionally begins in September, coinciding with the change of season, the new catwalk calendar and the most powerful magazines in the world invest in million-dollar covers to compete in sales. This month, the designer Emile Albretch from the ICM school exhibited her latest models through pieces made with different jacquards , knitted with lamé and moiré. The result was an interesting mixing exercise with a colourful result that hooks the new generations.

October and November 2022. Home sweet home

The quintessential autumn months were dedicated to exploring the traditional universe of the home. Sewing, cutting and sewing, leisurely hobbies that require the work of the hands with a dose of creativity, perseverance and patience. From this intimate refuge, the dreams of tomorrow are woven through wonderful fabrics such as wild silk in gold or transparent XXL paillettes.

December 2022. Red Christmas

We say goodbye to the year with a classic tribute to Christmas. Crystal balls that enclose remnants of fantastic fabrics, the traditional nativity scene that reminds us that no matter how times change, there are customs that remain intact over time, and a spectacular mannequin in the centre dressed in red sequins with winter decorations that remind us that winter has already begun, despite being just as atypical as at the beginning of the year. What will 2023 bring us? Regardless of the desires of each one, we await the arrival of new shop windows that will surprise you and invite you to enter our space in Barcelona. Happy New Year!

The showcase is a visual presentation of who we are, what we do and how we do it. An aesthetic entrance that attracts the visitor, but also justifies our work: the creation of quality fabrics that allow you to dream. During this uncertain year we have tried to surprise you with artistic windows that play with concepts that represent us such as luxury, elegance, fantasy, escape or everyday life through our mannequins that have been dressed in the most spectacular fabrics of the season along with other elements that we hope have surprised you. A wedding moulage, a chic picnic or a female interpretation of the Magi. These are some of the scenes that you have been able to observe through the window of our Gratacós space.

Now, before welcoming the new year, we take advantage of this post to say goodbye to 2021 with the certainty that it has been a year of transition that has allowed us to remain stable thanks to the cohesion between teams and your support and trust in this brand of family fabrics. We have new perspectives for 2022 and we want to move forward with new articles that will stand out for their quality, creativity and ability to surprise. Get excited, in short. Happy New Year!

March 2021. New direction

One year after the start of the pandemic, we awake dreaming of planning the upcoming holidays with a relaxation of restrictions. Easter, the May bank holidays and the not so distant summer disconnection. The beginning of spring also marked a minimalist-inspired showcase featuring two mannequins dressed for the occasion to pay tribute to those bridal celebrations that were returning to the fore. Tailoring, feather details and two antagonistic tones that capture the incipient change of season: forest green and dusty pink.

April 2021. Wedding bells

As tradition dictates, April is the bridal month par excellence and from Gratacós we always reserve this shop display to show off the work of one of the winners of the IED Barcelona. wedding dress design postgraduate moulage contest. This is an opportunity we offer to showcase the work of new talents in bridal design. This year, Eva Escudero created this impressive wedding dress with an asymmetrical design and a large flowing skirt, following in the footsteps of this unique tailoring technique.

May 2021. Country spirit

In the month of flowers, the  Joplin Atelier company of the sisters Laura and Aida Molano turned our entrance space into an urban picnic with a Provencal air. The tulle dresses with small polka dots made with our fabrics, the details in bows and the pastel tones starred in a chic showcase with a multitude of details to carry out this picnic in the open air. An artistic representation that portrays the spirit of escape that connects us with nature.

July 2021. Time to escape

The summer month par excellence is a tribute to festivals, fun and feeling carefree, maintaining that hedonistic attitude to take life a little more lightly, enjoying all the earthly pleasures. July has a fresh, youthful and daring character, as evidenced by the outfit of our mannequin in pink gingham fabric. Let the party begin!

September 2021. Start over

September is the official month of beginnings. The new season, the change of season, the return to routines … we illustrate the busiest month on the calender by paying tribute to comfort through a bathrobe-type trench coat made of pistachio green tweed, all very daring dyed yarn, with a wool touch and thick weight. A carpet of dry leaves marks the beginning of autumn, which in Barcelona is light and soft.

October 2021. The Pink month. 

It is called the pink month because it is recognized worldwide with this feminine color to raise awareness in men and women about breast cancer and promote self-examination and check-ups to be able to detect it early. Our tribute to the most delicate, subtle and romantic month was made by Rosa Cano, a student at ESDI, Escuela Superior de Diseño with these contrasting fabric models that play with the entire range of pastels and nudes. One of the most spectacular showcases of the year!

November 2021. Let the party commence!

The proximity of the Christmas holidays makes November a month of preparations. A headstart on shopping, lights that turn on and the search for the most surprising outfits to fill the holidays with magic. The designer Claudia from the Institut Català de la Moda (ICM) presents three models from the ‘Ritmos’ collection. Voluminous dresses with meters and meters of suggestive organza for celebrations full of fantasy. 

December 2021. The three queens

We ended the year again in collaboration with Joplin Atelier and its proposal in a feminine key. Our “Three Magical Queens” are a tribute to the strength of women, capable of dealing with all areas of their lives with determination and mastery. They are the philosopher’s stone of many families and especially during the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holidays. The mannequins share a turban and crown to match their short dresses with a closed neck and puffed sleeves made from acetate satin with lamé. Under their feet they protect all the gifts, the symbol of the act of sharing (and receiving).

THE SHOP-WINDOW …

An opera singer in a futuristic key plays impassive, vibrant melodies to the stars facing a wall in mauve tones with the golden letters of Gratacós, which recreates that fantastic and radiant universe created by Ibone Sologaistoa. It is accompanied by a blanket of cotton clouds that surround it floating in this musical dream where aesthetics coexist with art. “Fantasy universes inspire me and I always try to convey them in everything I do”, explains the young designer from Bilbao. This “Queen of the Stars”, which stars in the February showcase, impresses by its ostentatious presence. A voluminous dress in vibrant colours occupies much of the space. Violets, reds and roses in contrasting tones and textures. A long layer of mint green gauze with the zodiacal constellations embroidered in gold envelops the cosmic diva’s attire. “I was looking for this contrast between colours, fabrics and brightness. One thing I was clear about was that I wanted to work with materials that radiate a lot of light, “explains Ibone. She adds: “I conceive of the cosmos as something bright, colourful and magical.”

“I conceive of the cosmos as something brilliant and magical”

Finally, a diadem of stars decorates the short hair of the fictitious singer, with a hairstyle that irrevocably reminds one of Ziggy Stardust, the alter ego of the multifaceted and multidisciplinary, David Bowie. “He was always an important figure for me in terms of an icon, not so much for his music that I discovered later,” says Ibone. For this we must go back to the film ‘Inside the Labyrinth’ where the British composer played Jareth, the mysterious King of the Goblins. “I am fascinated by that mystical and extravagant aesthetic that the character has, that despite his being bad, he manages to hook us with his power of persuasion,” she concludes.

ABOUT IBONE SOLOGAISTOA …

Ibone Sologaistoa is a dreamer by nature and quickly spoken. Born in Bilbao, she moved to Barcelona 7 years ago to continue experimenting in the world of illustration and then in fashion design. Another of her passions that she is now perfecting in the Guerrero School. It was precisely in the activities promoted by the centre where she came across the inspiring talks by the Designers Fashion Experiences team in which Gratacós participates. And from there, she got to know the design contest organized by their information initiative. “I had never won anything, but my philosophy is ‘make plenty of noise’ so that they get to know you,” explains the artist who conceives of fashion as an extension of her own essence: “My drawings and my designs always connect with this bizarre and ostentatious universe that I so adore. “

“My designs connect with a bizarre universe that I adore”

The design ‘Queen of the Stars’ was chosen for its originality and colour by the members of the jury formed by the designers Alejandro Resta, Celia Vela and Oscar Léon, participants in some of the presentations of Designers Fashion Experiences. After appearing at Autobeltran, Ibone Sologaistoa’s creation will be located throughout the month at Gratacós. “It is written in the stars”, says the message embroidered on the cosmic diva’s cloak. So be it!

The Christmas holidays are just around the corner and from Gratacós we are launching the last showcase of 2017, precisely in homage to these festive days of calm, peace and family meditation.  Did you imagine that it would be something classical?  If so, you were wrong because the last showcase of the year is romantic, but unconventional, like the creator who signs it: the designer Juan Pedro López.

“I wanted to do something a touch naughty that disengaged people from the traditional Christmas image,” says the creator of Barcelona. Thus under the concept, ‘Think Pink’, which is also the message written as graffiti on the wall of the shop window, “life is painted pink to make it more beautiful and pleasant,” explains Juan Pedro López.  The mannequin is also pink, as are the different fabrics that wrap and decorate it, and the painting utensils that accompany it. Neither is the traditional Nativity scene as a religious representation of Christmas missing in the shop window.

Juan Pedro López: “You have to paint life in pink to make it more pleasant”

The colour of romanticism is accompanied by some shades of gold expressed with several strategically placed garlands and purpurins that give it that sophisticated air which is associated with the end-of-year celebrations and which perfectly express the designer’s meticulous spirit. It is a chromatic expression of love in a time of tensions that invites us to tease out the most fraternal side of people. “We are going to reduce that climate with a touch of pink,” he concludes.

Currently Juan Pedro López combines his work as a designer for other brands and as a teacher with that of a stylist. It is a task that he is also passionate about and where he can show other facets that connect fashion with art. Soon we will be introducing his new projects to you in a more complete interview.

The showcase will be in Gratacós during the Christmas holidays. Come and visit us to discover all the details!

Gratacós leaves Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week 2017 with a summary of the winning projects of the contest ‘Gratacós Barcelona Scholarship for Talent’ with design school IED Barcelona. It is a prize for of preparing a wedding gown by moulage technique that is being awarded, once again, to support young students of the Postgraduate Diploma in Design of Bridal and Ceremonial Dress. For this latest award the entries of Catalina Olmedo and Valeria Antonova are already on display in the window of Gratacós and also in the lobby of the Hotel Majestic. The winners have also received a cash prize to the value of € 500 to purchase fabrics from our store. Below we reveal more details of each showcase as well as of the designer behind it.

GRATACÓS SHOP-WINDOW

Argentina’s Catalina Olmedo is inspired by the French film “La Belle Personne” to recreate her dress’ Inside Me’. It is a passionate drama that serves as a starting point for a design full of ambiguities: the fragile with the strong. “I wanted to express this duality via a soft fabric that is fighting to emerge from a rigid structure,” she says. For this, the designer has used simple organza and mikado. “The organza represents delicacy with respect to the mikado, which expresses hardness”, explains Catalina.

Catalina Olmedo began her career in Buenos Aires studying garment design and after working in the Argentinian company House of Matching Colors of Paula Selby Avellaneda she moved to Barcelona to specialize in bridal fashion. Now that she has completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Brical and Ceremonial Design at the school IED Barcelona, Olmedo is continuing her training at Rosa Clará although she has her own aspirations. “My idea is to continue my training in these large bridal companies to be able to create my own workshop in Argentina where I can make my designs,” she explains. These creations make use of the technique of moulage to create unique products in accord with the style and personality of each bride. “I would like to be able to reflect an individual’s soul in each design,” adds Catalina.

She continues to enjoy her period of apprenticeship and Catalina thanks us for this award with sincere words. “I am grateful to the school and to Gratacos for giving me this opportunity. It has been a great challenge, ” she concludes.

Congratulations Catalina!

HOTEL MAJESTIC SHOP-WINDOW

When they called her cell phone to announce the award, Valeria Antonova could hardly believe what she was hearing. “I had not done anything in moulage before, although I put all my effort, energy and time into doing this design,” she explains, visibly excited.

The Russian designer residing in Barcelona has been inspired by one of her favorite styles: Art Deco of the early 20th century. “My design is inspired by an era which was very rich on an artistic level,” she adds. Architectural patterns, ornamental details and fabrics which interplay to create strategic volumes are the main reasons behind her winning design. “I used organza to mark the body of the silhouette and satin crepe for the bottom of the dress,” she explains excitedly.

“My goal right now is to make my own bridal fashion brand,” Valeria declares . ” And she goes straight to the point. “I already have the website, the cards and I am looking for premises and making contacts with suppliers. In this respect, of course I have Gratacós, “adds the young designer. Meanwhile, Valeria Antonova continues on her learning curve in the workshop of Jordi Anguera, learning the techniques of pattern-making deepening her knowledge of moulage. ” I don’t have a lot more to learn,” she concludes.