"If women make, produce and design clothes, why don't we run businesses?"

BarcelonaIt seems paradoxical that, in a predominantly female sector, where women are the main customers and represent the bulk of the workforce in the fashion industry, very few reach the top of the pyramid. According to the latest data, the female presence on the boards of directors of Ibex35 companies is less than 25%. However, the European Commission has established that, by 2026, at least 40% of the members of the boards of directors of listed companies must be women. In general management positions, the figure is even lower. We spoke to some of the fashion designers and executives who are leading a change towards equality in the sector.

Paola Molet, passing on the trade to the new generations

She is only 27 years old and has a promising future. Three years ago, her eponymous brand made the leap from Salou to Manhattan, where she paraded with emerging talents. Now, Paola Molet is preparing for a new challenge: a more ambitious collection, produced in Tunisia, in which she maintains her commitment to fashion. genderless with wide silhouettes. "This is already starting to get bigger!" says the designer from Salou.

This new proposal represents a step towards consolidating her career. "We have worked very well on the patterns for shirts, trousers and, for the first time, jeans," she explains proudly. The success of this collection could be decisive for her future, since until now she has had to diversify to maintain her vocation. In addition to her personal project, she has worked as a pattern maker, seamstress and teacher at LCI Barcelona, ​​​​where she transmits the trade to the new generations.

Despite the changes, the reality in the classrooms is still marked by a female majority. "There is still a long way to go, but this year I have found more men interested in sewing, embroidering or making patterns." A year ago, in a talk, she was asked about gender inequality in fashion. "Before I thought the difference was not very significant, but now I see it differently," she admits. She has experienced discrimination for being a woman, especially outside the country. “They look at you askance or question you,” she explains. This reality is evident in the factories in North Africa where her designs are produced. “I feel like I constantly have to justify myself and not everyone has taken me seriously,” she admits. To earn respect, she had to fight. “Some people didn’t even want to meet with me,” she adds. “If women make, produce and design clothes, why don’t we run businesses?”

Roser Ramos, more than twenty years at the helm

Roser Ramos, CEO of Cóndor, has been leading a children's fashion company in a traditionally male sector for more than twenty years. "I recognize that I am a rare elderly in the world of management, but things are changing," he says firmly. Since taking up the post in 2007, he has worked with mixed teams. "I have always looked for talent. "L'èèxit is knowing how to be feminine and surround yourself with a good team to get ahead," she assures.

Ramos recognizes a greater female presence in intermediate careers: "The areas of design, customer service, human resources and communication tend to be in the hands of gifts." But the inequalities Economic and difficulties in reconciling work and family life face obstacles due to many challenges that arise. Malgrat això, she encourages everyone to overcome the stigma of guilt: "Sovint som mateixes gifts those who have limitations to believe that we are capable and perfectly prepared," she affirms with conviction. "Només said yes tu vols, pots fer-ho", he assures. Ramos preaches with the example. At 67 years old, he does not think about retirement: "I feel very happy and believe that there are problems", he jokes.

Núria Sardà, maintaining the family inheritance

Some businesswomen have inherited family empires and have known how to keep them alive, while making them grow. A good example in our house is Núria Sardà, creative director of Sarda, the international intimate fashion and swimwear firm that has renewed its image to reaffirm its essence: empowerment, comfort and daring in garments designed to be worn beyond underwear. "Women are and have always been at the center of our designs. At Sarda, we want each piece to be a statement of confidence, power and style," the company says on its website.

Núria Sardà joined the family business at the end of the 1980s, but it was not until 1998 that she took over the management of the design department. "Who better than a woman to understand the power of women's lingerie and create garments that are flattering, comfortable and make you feel good," she says with conviction. Today, the firm is part of the Belgian group Van de Velde, but the creative director continues to lead a 100% female design team from Barcelona: "We are women of various ages who try to approach lingerie and its values from different perspectives," she explains. Values such as diversity and body positive, the movement that promotes acceptance of all body types. "We are increasingly aware and we act accordingly, expanding sizes and improving designs," says Sardà.

Maite Casademunt, managing the growth of a brand

Maite Casademunt grew up with the lessons of her mother, Lola Casademunt, disappeared last December. Her daughter recalls that in 1981, recently widowed and with four children, she founded the fashion company that initially dedicated itself to selling accessories. "Her resilience, perseverance and culture of effort have been fundamental in my career," explains Casademunt.

In recent years, the firm has experienced exponential growth: it currently operates in 1,500 points of sale in countries such as Italy, France and the United Kingdom, and moves more than 45 million euros annually. Maite Casademunt shares the presidency of the brand and heads the creative area. "In our company we do not make gender differences and we are not held back by factors such as maternity or paternity leave. We focus on work and passion for work," she adds. As for design, the creative director is clear about the model of woman that inspires her: "I design clothes for real women, who show all their multiple facets. They are heroines who, at times, also make use of the invisibility cloak," she concludes.

Teresa Helbig, a female revolution

"The strong, brave, enterprising woman who does not give up in the face of adversity has always been ahead of Teresa Helbig," says the Barcelona designer. This vision reflects the survival instinct of the mother and the persistent spirit of the daughter as they created together a brand that embodied their values in fashion: craftsmanship, delicacy and heartbreaking beauty. However, the beginnings were not a bed of roses. As Teresa Helbig remembers: "We did not receive all the support we were looking for and some men around us questioned our project." They even put obstacles in their way when they tried to obtain a bank loan to buy the premises where they would later set up in Barcelona's Eixample. "The bank manager told us that we were asking for too much money and that a smaller space would be enough," recalls Helbig, who, if there is one thing clear, is to always do what she wants: "This misunderstood paternalism, or castrating spirit of some people, has encouraged me even more to go for the right."

The last few weeks have been crazy in theatelier by Teresa Helbig, where the entire team, made up of twenty workers including seamstresses, dressmakers, pattern makers and embroiderers (90% of the staff is female), have sharpened their tools to finish everything that is to come: a new haute couture collection that they will present in New York, a proposal for brides and, from ready-to-wear at more affordable prices. "It's a training for everything that is to come, because we plan to make it very big," says the designer as a preview of the celebration of the firm's 30th anniversary. Last year, Teresa Helbig's team revolutionized Paris with a collection that was a reminder of the struggle and tenacity behind the Catalan firm: of a mother, a daughter and a team who work every day to bring a little more beauty to the world. "We are a tribe that vibrates for the same thing," she concludes. We will see what happens in 2026.