The most ambitious 080 moves to Port Vell

BarcelonaThe new edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion starts this Tuesday full of novelties: the first and most evident is the change of location, since 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 been considered for some time 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 novelty – 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 Consortium of Commerce, Crafts and Fashion, explains, makes Barcelona "the only catwalk that is by the sea". For Rodríguez, this new location also carries a message linked to the city's past, since "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 place for the transport of cotton and this past connects us with the present of 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 of 080 Barcelona Fashion is 2.8 million euros.

Here we will see –from Tuesday to Friday– the proposals of 26 firms and designers, including consolidated and loyal brands to 080 such as Custo, Txell Miras, Escorpion, Eñaut, Dominnico or Guillermo Justicia, and some notable novelties such as the Galician brand Adolfo Domínguez, which for the first time participates in the Catalan catwalk and celebrates its 50 years there, as well as the Basque SKFK, which also debuts at 080. As always, there will also be young and emerging designers who will present their proposals and international participation: the Mexican designer Ricardo Seco, who will present his new collection and some of his most iconic pieces to celebrate his 25 years of career, and Nazzal Studio, a Palestinian fashion and art firm based in Jordan. Seco has been added to the list of participants at the last minute due to the cancellation of the Dominican firm Luar –known for designing outfits 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 have gone 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", which, according to her, "reinforces 080's positioning as an international reference space".

The designers have welcomed the change of location with enthusiasm and most 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 there, 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 edge," she assures. The designer from Terrassa says that for the future she would like 080 to propose catwalks in different parts of the city, as happens in other fashion weeks, such as Paris and Milan, although she acknowledges that there is 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, 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, part of which has already been seen in the fashion shows held in Milan and Madrid, but which includes several new pieces made especially for the Barcelona catwalk. Regarding the move to Port Vell, Custo emphasizes 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 Days, which are being held this Monday and Tuesday for the first time in Barcelona, ​​in parallel with 080, with the participation of the organizers of Copenhagen Fashion Week, Lisbon or members of the Italian National Chamber of Fashion.