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07/06/2007
Bread & Butter fever
Inside the tradeshow
FACT FILE
Spanish Exhibitors: 1.006
Total net surface area: 100.000 square meters
Location: Fira de Barcelona
CONTACT
BREAD & butter Berlin GmbH
Münzstrasse 13
D 10178 Berlin
NEXT SHOW DATES
January 2008
A visitor of Bread & Butter
Inside the fair
Skater
A ramp whizzing with skateboarders, delicious barbecue smells, young people kitted out in avant-garde attire, DJs on every corner and an audience eager for new sensations… From July 4 to 6, Bread & Butter was back, ready to turn Barcelona into the world’s trendiest city. More than a thousand companies brought their spring-summer 08 collections to the European fashion tradeshow at the Fira de Barcelona convention centre, with 125 Spanish brands and more than 100,000 visitors.
Cutting-edge classics
International visitors were particularly taken with the “paper clothes” by Spanish brand Jocomomola, which chose this unusual material for a sneak preview of its spring-summer 08 collection. Sybilla’s original young second line has gone for convertible garments like dresses that can be worn inside out or even turned into trousers.
Jordi Labanda gave us a glimpse into the creative printing process behind his new summer collection, with illustrations that depart from the pure lines we are used to, in favour of a combination of experimental “strokes”. His elegantly youthful “lady” line draws on the scarves and souvenirs of the Fifties. The big novelty here was his first footwear line – made by Spanish producer Castañer – with high wedges bustling with Labanda’s signature drawings. Castañer has also been chosen by Swarovski to be part of its White Cube installation. The footwear manufacturer has made an espadrille decorated with the Czech firm’s famous precision-cut crystal.
Jocomomola
Castañer for Jordi Labanda
Custo Barcelona
Exports account for more than 80% of sales for Isabel de Pedro. At Bread & Butter, the designer presented her glamorous, retro Saigon collection, transporting us all the way back to bygone Indochina but staying very much in touch with modern and lively present-day Vietnam. Floral prints in blue, yellow and white dominate these ultra-feminine silk and cotton clothes.
Knitwear specialist TMX has gone for a fluorescent summer, combined with more natural shades. New shapes and fabric combinations are the main attractions in a collection replete with gold and silver detail.
Youth and design on the cutting edge
Davidelfin brought his second DA Davidelfin range to Bread & Butter, with its left-handed writing and drawings. This bid for sport couture is aimed at men, women and children. Its eight different lines (Beuys, Left Hand, Family, Deco, Trench, Zips, Dual and Mantis) are another example of the versatility of a creative team which has recently worked with Campari and Ben&Jerry’s.
Davidelfin
Luxoir for Victoria
Muchacha
Luxoir presented more of its daring designs for men. In an increasingly international approach, the designer duo have diversified into new areas, in partnership with Victoria sports footwear and designing a line of limited edition garments for the Americas Cup, currently hosted by Luxoir’s native city of Valencia.
Muchacha has gone for the Flower Power of the Sixties as its daisy-covered stand revealed. Alongside this floral, casual line was another of more understated elegance inspired by “prodigious decade” icon Jackie Kennedy, in predominantly pastel shades.
Mimótica Micola's designer
Pepa Karnero
Raasta's team
Created by graphic designers and known for its irreverent T-shirt messages, Paramita has opted for darker shades and ruled out anything loud. Famous for swimming against the tide, Paramita has gone for leather accessories in summer. It recently launched in Australia in partnership with one of the country’s major distributors, which has more than 300 points of sale. It has extended its coverage to new areas of Europe, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Hungary, and now aims to move into Saudi Arabia and Japan, and step up its US presence.
Your stifling love is the theme of a new collection from Barcelona-based Mimótica Micola. Based on a picnic theme, its unusual bags resemble Red-Riding Hood baskets. The brand’s highly popular women’s crash helmets are designed for a smart and creative modern woman. Their illustrations follow the adventures of young Mimo, her deer-dog and boyfriend Mr Pain. Mimótica Micola sells to Italy, Greece, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Portugal and has its short-term sights set on the USA.
Bread & Butter would not be the same without one of Spain’s most original brands. Pepa Karnero exhibited an ultra-feminine collection inspired by urban scenes and nightlife. Once again, the designer from Malaga makes a splash with her bright colours, naïve illustrations and gorgeous natural fabrics.
For ever Denim
Better&Better is the theme of the new collection by Desigual, which turns every tiny article into a work of art with meticulous attention to detail and techniques like watercolour, devoré, patchwork, collage and hand embroidery. Form is deconstructed to create a different kind of garment in a world of imagination and colour.
Desigual
Lois
El Naturalista
Cimarron hid its spring-summer 08 jeans inside the cages surrounding its stand. The collection is a study in colour and shades range from purest white to electric blue and coral pink, with embroidery and snakeskin detail. Sister brand Lois has used religious iconography in its youthful, up-to-the-minute collection.
Footwear on the edge
One of Spain’s biggest footwear names, El Naturalista, has used two new materials in its latest collection. Rustic linen features in ten different shades, while leather has been greased with 100% natural oils, enhancing colour and revealing texture and veins. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has inspired men’s line Arrecife, which includes a sandal, flip-flop and clog with a recycled, natural rubber sole. The indigenous Rana Tharu people from southern Nepal and India – the only Tharu caste where the woman plays a dominant social role – is the inspiration for a women’s line which includes sandals with heels and rubber soles, hand-stitched buckles and frog-eye emerald-coloured stones. Global warming is the origin of Dry Land, an easy-wear footwear range in breathable linen and oil-treated leather. El Naturalista operates in 50 countries. The USA and Germany are its main markets.
Vialis Aro
Farrutx
Camper
Vialis went to Bread &Butter to exhibit its new Vialis Aro range, which is closer to proper shoes than the sneakers that make up the brand’s second line. Alongside new combinations of existing models, it makes use of soft, lightweight textures and fabrics. The company already distributes to Scandinavia, Poland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, is adding to its POS in Canada and France, and about to launch in Moscow.
Practicality and the latest technologies dominate the new Farrutx collection. Mediterranean Spirits combines rope and stones in bright summery designs, where traditional Mediterranean plaiting is a key feature.
Camper is back with its mixture of tradition and modernity, in materials and designs where comfort matters most. Pretty Ballerinas, which has just opened two new boutiques in London, presented its complete collection of ballet shoes, some with pert heels to add a touch of sophistication to special occasions.
Pretty Ballerinas
Pepe Mateu
Vaho Works
Trendy fragrances and accessories
Pacha chose Bread & Butter to present its new fragrance duo for men and women. Its Pacha Wagon, a restored 1967 van converted into a DJ’s booth, was one of the most original stands at the show.
More fresh and versatile accessories were on hand from Pepe Mateu. Inspired by an ethnic look and Eighties colour, its bags, belts and fashion jewellery are for men and women looking for design and originality.
With another edition over, it’s time to look forward to January 2008 when an upgraded and extended Bread & Butter is due to descend on Barcelona. The organisers have announced that the exhibition area will increase to 160,000 sq.m, with the addition of two new exhibition halls. The Mies van der Rohe and Palacio Nacional buildings are considered the perfect setting for presentations and openings. A newly-created section called B&B Sourcing will be given over to textiles producers.
Pictures of the fair by Tomy Pelluz
