Jordi Dalmau: "The war between Catalans and Madrilenians makes me very angry"

The art director Jordi Dalmau (Granollers, 1975) speaks as if his mind were in constant effervescence. Known as the "boy of the wings" in the world of bridal design, he has returned to his hometown after years of successes and difficulties in Madrid. He now divides his time between Catering Lebrija, with whom he prepares "crazy and creative" weddings; the design of a grass-scented cosmetic, and La Floristeria, the café-florist shop he runs in the city. At the moment we are having this conversation, however, what excites him most is ube, the Filipino drink he discovered on TikTok and which is already a hit at his bar.The world of bridal fashion must be a world full of champagne.

— It is like this, but I will explain something else to you.

Forward.

— I did a collaboration with the [salesman] Julián Mairal. We made a golden ham, "haute couture", and a wine. And I told the producer: "I want the wine to be purple".

Purple?

— Now you'll tell me: no, Jordi, I drink red wine. But women prefer white or rosé. I wanted to make a red wine for when women get together and go crazy, and I thought it had to be lilac.

The result?

— They told me it couldn't be done; if you added purple dye, you couldn't call it wine. People in this world are too narrow-minded. It's the same with bottles. I asked for the bottle to be square. Do you know how many problems they gave me? I would love to design wine bottles; it's the little thing that bothers me. I've always said the same thing: why don't we make haute couture wine?

How do you imagine it?

— That when someone is drinking the bottle, they say: I'm drinking a Jordi Dalmau. But why? What's in Jordi's wine? A super rare presentation. I like to attract attention. I'm very sorry. I'm like this. What should I do, go unnoticed? Never.

The cafe they have set up in Granollers also does not go unnoticed. How did they choose the wines they have there?

— I don't care that much about the wine. If the bottle is pretty, I'll like the wine. But we have chosen Catalan wines and cavas, and with flower names. I believe we should help the area where we are working; zero kilometer, as they say.

The idea for the business was his wife's. Did she have any experience in catering?

— Zero potato.

And how did they learn it?

— Chef David Garcia, who is a good friend of mine —we call each other Zipi and Zape—, told me to do an intensive one-month course. We would go to Manresa at 7 in the morning and arrive home at 11 at night. He would tell me: not like this, Jordi; like this. And to my wife, the same: the coffee foam cannot come out like this. Both he and his wife, Claudia [Tejero, wine expert], have helped us a lot. But David has also learned from us. For me, making food is easy because it's like creating a suit.

How are experiences similar?

— When I create any product, I give it my own touch. For example, I made a matcha-flavored cream. David told me: “Only you could achieve this, because you are stubborn.”

Trial and error?

— Perhaps at 4 in the morning I was already doing tests. My wife said we weren't making money to pay for so much cream. But I've become a cream maker; I've got the hang of it. And this has always happened to me: I don't stop until I do it.

Catalonia is a world power in the worlds of bridal fashion and wine.

— I'll be very clear. The bridal world in Catalonia was very, very strong, but now it's about to die. The Bridal [Fashion Week] is not what it used to be. We don't have help, and weddings are no longer like they used to be. Years ago, people would dress up and buy, to put it somehow, the hat and the party dress. Now people say: I can go in jeans and a shirt, and be done with it. 

Six years ago he went to Madrid. Why?

— A very cool artistic project came up for me as art director of Wah, and my wife was made director of a store I won't mention. During the pandemic, we had accumulated a lot of debt and thought that with the good salaries they were offering us, we could pay it off. What happened? Due to the stress this company caused her, my wife developed a heart condition. And the gentlemen from the same company told us they would replace Jordi Dalmau with an artificial intelligence.

How did it all end?

— I was about to throw in the towel. But the workshop director told me: I want to set up a shop where your dresses are. And we set up Be Creative in the center of Madrid, where I do everything: from costumes for theater and dancers, to wedding and party dresses. But my wife and I returned to Catalonia.

Beyond these companies, do you consider that Madrid has treated you well?

— I'm very angry about the war between Catalans and people from Madrid. Madrid has opened its doors to me. Catalonia, too. The thing is that Madrid shares more. Why are there so many designers in Madrid? Because they have support. I'm sorry to say it like this, but in Catalonia you only get support if you are friends with. In Madrid, that doesn't happen. I wanted to show at Atelier Couture, and the mayor told me: “How much do you need?”

And what did he/she reply?

— “Excuse me?”