The first day of 080 Barcelona Fashion opened with a splash of color, energy, and the unmistakable joy of reconnecting. It unfolded as a kind of appointment, inviting attendees to travel to distant dream worlds, at least in its early rounds, when stricter crowding gave way to a more intimate front row vibe.
A hotel in Barbados served as the evocative stem for a brand born about three years ago. Constanta Hernandez, known as Hoss, launched and steered Intropia until a return to the fashion circuit pulled him back. Almost in step with the pandemic era, a fresh project emerged. Much of the team came from a family of talents in Bilbao, including Usua Echegoyen, nearly six decades old, the firm’s creative director, who poured boundless energy into her first in‑person runway show on the Catalan fashion stage, even if some presentations were digital.
“What I want is for it to be fun and for my 22-year-old daughter to wear my clothes,” she explained at the end of her show. The collection’s essence popped through visually: a Caribbean mood with decadent Margarita vibes, set on a nocturnal poolside party. That stage framed a lineup focused on timelessness and versatility, while also letting day blend into night, explode with color, feature geometric prints, and mix fabrics reminiscent of the 1920s. Men’s linen jackets and trousers drew inspiration from colonial Central America; oversized skirts and shirts paired with small jackets appeared in soft shades of peach, lilac, pink, and light green. A slim, metallic shimmer—brili-brilli—added a playful note that Usua claimed could pair even with flip-flops.
The following collection stepped back in time to echo the 1950s, with hedgehog silhouettes, capes, and balloon coats, and titles that felt like exuberant slogans. It was a feast for heritage lovers, calling to mind Balenciaga while also nodding to newer, more intimate labels that celebrate craft.
Larhha, the signature of the architectural duo Miguel Marin and Natalya Lorca, presented their debut at 080 Barcelona Fashion. They arrived with dramatic silhouettes and a penchant for experimentation, yet retained a classic, sporty edge that resonated with many onlookers and online trendsetters alike. The show counted a number of influential personalities, including fashion voices Cris Mata and Clara Courel, who have grown in prominence through platforms and reality TV. The audience watched as these designs bridged the gap between artful drama and wearable practicality, drawing a crowd that livestreamed to followers beyond the venue.
Designer Javier Simora closed the recent edition with a collection called Wandering, spanning 27 looks that balanced seven-piece segments per look. Decades of experience traveled alongside avant‑garde ideas, guided by Victoria Mitjans, the firm’s creative mind. She emphasized that the main idea was about layers and coverings—garments that travel well through a lifetime. The first group, a stark all-black capsule named Polaris, signaled a nomadic spirit guiding a journey. The palette that followed stayed mostly neutral with raw, beige, brown, and green, while flashes of orange, mauve, and a bold fuchsia brightened the lineup. Faux fur, parkas, wool textures, and jacquard patterns reappeared in multiple ways, sometimes with fringes for movement and texture.
Next in the lineup, Enaut Barruetabeña—a Basque designer based in Barcelona and a Generalitat National Emerging Design winner—brought a minimalist, sustainability-forward vision. His show added a thoughtful, restrained counterpoint to the more exuberant pieces seen earlier, spotlighting geometric lines and clean silhouettes.
From the Sabadell fashion scene, another institution stepped onto the catwalk, presenting a collection that foregrounded fashion geometry and linear precision. The day closed with Domingo Rodríguez Lázaro, known as Dominnico, famed for shaping looks for Rosalía’s El Mal Querer era and for styling appearances for Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Chanel, and Lali Espósito. In his Barcelona Fashion Week debut, he unveiled Nenne Spring 2023, a line that mixed athleisure with homage to a rooted family history. The collection was described as perhaps the most conceptual to date, signaling Dominnico’s ongoing evolution and willingness to blend cultural memory with contemporary aesthetics.