From mothers to Marie Antoinette: 080 explores all the influences of fashion

BarcelonaThe third day of 080 Barcelona Fashion was the one that mixed the most diverse and even contrasting proposals. Veteran brands with years of history were seen on the catwalk, such as Guillermina Baeza, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, alongside young designers like Carlota Barrera and Carlos Doblas, in a combination that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the Catalan catwalk, which seeks to enhance this duality of current, fluid fashion.

The day began with the presentation of the collection by Guillermina Baeza, a historic swimwear brand. In the year of their 40th anniversary, although it has been 50 years since Guillermina Baeza began working under a different name, the brand is led by her daughter, Belén Larruy, who wanted to give a special touch to the collection presented this Wednesday precisely to celebrate her birthday. "This is a very special moment for the brand," she explained before the show. "It's inspired by some of the brand's iconic pieces, but reinterpreted. We want each garment to remind us of the brand's history, whether it's the fabric, the print, the texture... We've tried to give each piece a story behind it." The result is an elegant swimwear collection, in which black and white play a prominent role, and where structure and finishes are played with to make each garment unique.

In the morning it was the turn of two young designers with already solid careers. The Sevillian designer Inma Linares, known for having dressed celebrities such as Elsa Pataky, Blanca Suárez or Cristina Pedroche, has presented its new collection Anemone, with a festive, haute couture feel. Structured, voluminous, and innovatively tailored outfits made with high-quality fabrics featuring organza, sequins, and silks that add light and movement to the silhouettes.

Theatrical inspiration, on the other hand, is at the heart of the new collection by Paco Benavente, creative director of the Valencian brand Benavente, who has presented a collection for men and women in which white combines with printed fabrics, volumes, fringes, and overlays.

Consolidated trajectories

In the afternoon, it was the turn of young designers with established careers. Doblas presented a collection marked by a black and white binary with unstructured suits and mussel-shaped bottoms reminiscent of the '80s, garments intended to be a tribute to the maternal figure. In contrast, the childlike spirit within us all is the inspiration that drives Outsiders Division in all its creations. On this occasion, the brand presented a collection bursting with color, full of childlike prints, playful and irreverent, with garments that encourage the expression of one's own personality without fear or barriers.

In the evening, it was the turn of one of the great promises of Spanish fashion: the young Carlota Barrera, who has left London, where she trained and launched the brand, to open her studio in Madrid, where she proposes to question classic tailoring with pieces that are purchased by both men and women. "In this collection, I go a little further, playing with the boundaries between masculine and feminine," she explained before the show. "I have created pieces made with the traditional codes of menswear that dialogue with traditionally feminine styles because they actually have a lot in common."

The day was closed by Dominnico, one of the designers of the moment, who has dressed music stars such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Rosalía, and Dua Lipa. In the new collection, designer Domingo Rodríguez, the soul of Dominnico, reinterprets the 18th century and draws inspiration from Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola's version) to bring it into his own territory. Corset-like silhouettes, rococo volumes, and fabrics such as brocade, taffeta, and denim intertwine with vibrant pastel tones. A proposal that combines history and modernity throughupcycling.