Why does a family continue to work with centuries-old fabrics when everyone consumes new clothes that may not even last a year in the closet? In an era dominated by Shein and Temu – among other fast-fashion giants – there is a shop in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter that defies this logic and works in the exact opposite direction. At L’Arca, sheets, bedspreads, and curtains from the late 19th and early 20th centuries are transformed into wedding dresses or pieces of ready-to-wear. Its raw material is not just quality cotton, silk or linen: it is time. “It is part of a history and we are only writing a new chapter,” summarizes Carmina Pairet, one of the current managers of the space she shares with her sister Nina Balmes.This way of understanding fashion is not a recent trend, but the result of two family lines – one with roots in Maresme and the other in Garrotxa – that have revolved around lace for almost two centuries. The exhibition Treasures of L'Arca, which this year is hosted by the Museum of Arenys de Mar, recovers this history and shows how lace was much more than a decorative element: it also constituted a powerful industry, a business with international projection and a heritage that has managed to reinvent itself. But to understand why a family continues to work today with centuries-old fabrics, we must go back to Catalonia in the mid-19th century.When the tip was luxury, culture, and merchandise

In 1856, at the height of Barcelona's industrial boom, Casa Vives was founded, one of the companies that best understood the commercial potential of Catalan lace. Beyond the romantic imagery that surrounds it, lace was much more than an ornament: it was a prosperous industry, a business with an export vocation, and a product capable of competing in major international markets. The firm's participation in the Universal Exhibitions of Barcelona (1888) and Chicago (1893) is a good example of this. "Lace was luxury, culture, and merchandise," summarizes Carmina Pairet.

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For decades, talking about menopause and the changes it causes in women has been a taboo and neglected topic. Fortunately, from that "women's issues", we are moving towards a new era where importance is beginning to be placed on this vital stage. This stage involves, beyond the often-caricatured hot flashes or the better-known osteoporosis, a whole series of hormonal changes that affect women's overall health and life. A physiological transition discussed with rigor and in a very didactic and understandable way by Laia Blanco, Inés Ramírez, and Stéphanie Kauffmann in the book "Placer en la menopausia" (Plataforma editorial), a guide that proposes women face this stage of life with well-being, pleasure, and fullness. These goals can be achieved if it is understood and managed appropriately. As Inés Ramírez explains, "there are a whole host of symptoms linked to menopause that are underdiagnosed and are still very taboo. Hence the need to talk about this topic. And we do so from the observation and experience of all the years we have spent in consultation, seeing women who suffer from all these symptoms associated with genitourinary syndrome of menopause".

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At the end of 2025, Pantone proclaimed the Color of the Year to be cloud dancerAn off-white that, under a poetic evocation of lightness and calm, was nonetheless an unusual choice: for the first time, white assumed the annual spotlight. The decision generated controversy. Not only because white remains, for many, more of an absence than a color, but also because, in a political context marked by the resurgence of identity politics and conservative discourses, some interpreted it as unsettling symbolism.

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Naturalistic, community, wild, urban, botanical, minimalist, edible, floral gardens... The range of gardens found around the world seems almost infinite and is constantly evolving, always responding to the needs of each era. And this isn't a contemporary phenomenon, because throughout the history of gardening, each period has had its own style, reflecting the aesthetic preferences of each time and culture, as well as the climatic conditions, the terrain, and the materials available. From the hydraulic efficiency and symmetry of Egyptian gardens, through the multifunctionality and emphasis on landscaping in ancient Greece, to the spatial control of medieval gardens, the minimalism of Japanese gardens, or the geometric rigor of French gardens.

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"I'm tired." This is a phrase frequently heard in the office of Anna Sánchez Bendahan, a sexologist and couples therapist. This exhaustion has little to do with not getting enough sleep: "Many women are tired of relating in the same way, of seeing themselves in the same patterns, or of the same thing happening to them all the time with men," explains the expert, adding that "in response, women express that they need a break in their sexual relationships." This phenomenon, known as voluntary celibacy, is attracting more and more young women and is mostly not linked to religious reasons. Social media and the use of hashtags as celibacy either volcel –term that brings together the word voluntary (voluntary) and celibacy (celibacy)-, influencers and artists of the stature of Rosalía – who stated on the Radio Chica podcast of Radio Primavera Sound: "We no longer make room for crushesThat fantasy that leads nowhere is over. Right now, I... single, volcel"They have contributed to making the issue visible, since we can talk about it without taboos and give it a name. "It's part of a new way of referring to something that probably already existed, but that is now fashionable and that we have redefined," argues Sánchez Bendahan.

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What happens inside the brain of a person who creates music? And when they play their instrument or go on stage? Or even more: how can they use their neurobiology to enhance attention and interpretive freedom? Giulia Valle, composer, jazz bassist, teacher, and author of the book, discusses all of this. Brain as a team: neuroscience for performance and motivation in music (and other arts) (Editorial Versos & Reversos, 2025).

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