The most ambitious 080 moves to Port Vell

BarcelonaThe new edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion begins this Tuesday full of novelties: the first and most obvious is the change of location, as after years at the modernist complex of Sant Pau, the Catalan catwalk moves to Port Vell, specifically to the Trencaones promenade, where an ephemeral structure of more than 50 meters long will be installed to host the different proposals of the participating designers. The change of location had long been considered by the organization because Sant Pau had become too small for a catwalk that has been growing in recent years. The entry of the Barcelona City Council into the organization of the event – another of the novelties –, which materializes with a contribution of 500,000 euros, has been decisive in choosing the new location, by the sea, which, as Moisès Rodríguez, director of the Consorci de Comerç, Artesania i Moda, explains, turns Barcelona "into the only catwalk that is by the sea". For Rodríguez, this new location also has a message linked to the city's past, as "the sea is fundamental to the history of the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia and the development of the textile industry". "The port was a strategic location for the transport of cotton and this past connects us with the present of the industry and fashion," he highlights. With the contribution of the City Council, and the support of the Diputació de Barcelona, which this edition has joined the project to boost the fashion sector, the total budget for 080 Barcelona Fashion is 2.8 million euros.

Here we will see –from Tuesday to Friday– the proposals of 26 firms and designers, among whom are consolidated brands and regulars of 080 like Custo, Txell Miras, Escorpion, Eñaut, Dominnico or Guillermo Justicia, and some notable newcomers such as the Galician brand Adolfo Domínguez, which is participating in the Catalan catwalk for the first time and celebrating its 50th anniversary, as well as the Basque brand SKFK, which is also debuting at 080. As always, there will also be young and emerging designers who will present their proposals and international participation: Mexican designer Ricardo Seco, who will present his new collection and some of his most iconic pieces to celebrate his 25-year career, and Nazzal Studio, a Palestinian fashion and art firm based in Jordan. Seco was added to the list of participants at the last minute due to the cancellation of the Dominican firm Luar –known for designing dresses for celebrities and artists, such as the one Lady Gaga wore at the Super Bowl–, which ultimately could not participate. Marta Coca, head of 080, said about the increase in participating brands –they went from 24 to 26– that they have "a lot of demand" from firms that want to participate in 080 because "they see Barcelona as the ideal platform to boost themselves, especially towards the outside and internationally", a fact that, according to her, "reinforces 080's positioning as an international reference space".

The designers have welcomed the change of location with enthusiasm and most of them see it as a challenge after years of working in a space they already knew but which many agree had become too small for them. Txell Miras, one of the most loyal to 080, who will present her autumn/winter collection, likes the novelty that the change of location brings. "For me, a fashion show is not just about showing clothes, it's also about the scenography, the music, and, of course, the place where you do it. The environment is very important and here we will gain the sea, and that will give us an extra plus," she assures. The designer from Terrassa says that in the future she would like 080 to plan catwalks in different parts of the city, as happens in other fashion weeks, such as Paris and Milan, although she acknowledges that there is a great logistical and organizational difficulty. For now, from the organization, the head of the event, Marta Coca, has said that this "will be the first of several editions on the seafront".

For its part, Custo Dalmau, the soul and head of the Custo firm, which is also one of the most veteran and most loyal to the Catalan event, will present its autumn/winter collection, a part of which has already been seen in the fashion shows it has held in Milan and Madrid, but which includes several new pieces made expressly for the Barcelona catwalk. Regarding the move to Port Vell, Custo highlights that "fashion is change" and recalls that it "was necessary," since the Sant Pau venue "had become too small because 080 is growing." "We have more and more audience and that generated problems to accommodate everyone," he says. Another of the veteran and most loyal brands, Escorpion, also celebrates the move and will be in charge of opening the fashion shows on Tuesday with its new autumn/winter collection at an event where, according to Jessica Raya, the creative director, "we feel at home."

Another of the novelties of this edition is the celebration of the International European Designer Fashion Conferences, which will be held this Monday and Tuesday for the first time in Barcelona in parallel to the 080 with the participation of organizers from Copenhagen Fashion Week, Lisbon, or members of the Italian National Fashion Chamber.