24 Jun Stylish Barcelona: Top 10 Local Brands To Indulge Your Fashion Cravings
Endearingly diverse, the narrow streets of Barcelona are packed with chic chicas and their dandy cavaliers. And while Barcelonans are fashionable, their sense of style is rarely intimidating – more laid-back and less high couture, they enjoy their uniqueness and insist upon it. To sustain the stylish caprices of its citizens and surprise the visitors with a trendy gift pack, Barcelona offers a plenitude of shopping opportunities. Mainly concentrated around the city’s centre and the lovely Old Town, boutiques, accessory stores, vintage fashion shops and hip brand names of Barcelona are what shopaholic dreams are made of.
Shopping Districts to Treat Yourself With
If visiting Barcelona for shopping thrills, there are a couple of districts you should be careful not to miss. Avinguda del Portal de l’Àngel, Passeig de Gràcia and Corte Inglés all seem like an exciting start of a tour, with a multitude of chichi selections to browse through. For antiques, rustic pieces and hip couture, opt for Born and Gótico. If you’re, on the other hand, looking for bold statements to make your style unique, you will most certainly find them in Calle Avinyóand Ferran Street.
To browse it all at one place, hop a bus to La Roca Village – located 40km from the city’s throng, the scenic neighbourhood hosts hundreds of brands from all over the world and offers their hot pieces at much lower prices.
For an authentic shopping experience, we’ve assembled a couple of fashionable names and local high-end brands for you to get acquainted with.
1. Como Agua de Mayo
Born bursts with artistic creativity, which makes it a perfect place to shop for peculiar and authentic clothing and jewellery. One of the biggest names of the local designer scene, Como Agua de Mayo is as charming as its surrounding neighbourhood. Small and lovely, the boutique offers a fine selection of attire, footwear and accessories, all equally unique, with only one or two pieces of the same design. Its collection of cocktail dresses is swank, yet atypical – warm, organic colours bring in the feminine note, while turquoise details propose a bit of edginess. With a dash of Mediterranean breeze, Como Agua de Mayo has assembled a sleek choice of semi-formal, smart casual and festive attire.
Directions: Carrer de l’Argenteria, 43
2. Uterqüe
A bit costlier than Zara, but with the same feel and improved quality, Uterqüe is among Barcelona’s most wanted luxury brands. Ever since Marie Claire declared it “The New Label You’re Going to Love” in 2015, the relatively new brand on the scene has been spreading fast throughout Europe, and Passeig de Gràcia is where it all began. Polished and formal-looking, but still sassy and cautiously romantic, the streetwear this label is focused on certainly tells a story. Somewhat stern, yet inspirational and reminiscent of good old times, Uterqüe clothing and accessories is flawless for casual summer strolls.
Directions: Passeig de Gràcia, 65, Avenida Portal del ángel, 15-17, L’illa Diagonal, Av. Diagonal, 557
3. Ailanto
Unlike Uterqüe, whose international fame was established just a little while ago, Ailanto is a Barcelona-native designer house with a long and prolific portfolio of chic decisions. Easy to inspire and quick to see beauty in the seemingly mundane, the Muñoz twins have made their line impossible to overlook. For over 20 years, the dynamic duo have been repeatedly recognized for their creative ingenuity, often expressed through truly Catalan-emblematic earthy colour palettes, geometric forms and an avant-garde approach.
A spark of artiness embroidered in the elegant textures of their newest collection the twins have found in bright daylight and botanical details of Lawren Harris’s landscapes, so be sure to add a piece to your closet before they run out of stocks. For flowy, organic and environmentally conscious fashion, Ailanto is a place to be.
Directions: Carrer Enrique Granados, 46
4. Colmillo de Morsa
Catalan-born, Colmillo de Morsa honours the tradition of its region with both diversity and boldness. Elisabet Vallecillo and Javier Blanco, the artists behind the label, have embraced the eclecticism so deeply intertwined into the very fabric of the Catalan capital, and made their collections classic and cutting-edge at the same time. They seek inspiration in the primary elements of Catalan nature and Nordic culture, and discover it in a fine selection of raw materials, further refined with the cosiness and warmth of natural fabrics. Handcrafted and intricate with details, Colmillo de Morsa clothing delivers what was promised by the label’s name – simple beauty and infinite forms.
Directions: Carrer de Vic, 15
5. Desigual
If high-end shopping is your innate zest, then Desigual is a name you’re already familiar with. Long-established, Madrid-based and internationally renowned, the multicultural brand has earned its piece in the Barcelona fashion scene as well, and classy Catalans seem to greatly enjoy a touch of Spanish fabric that Desigual is happy to provide. In case patchworks and whimsical pieces are your cup of fashion tea, then the hyper-creative team behind this house will certainly put a smile on your face and lighten your wallet. The recognizable prints and colours are a reference to the native culture of Spain, but characteristic patchworks offer a glimpse of a multicultural collage. Luckily, Desigual can be found in almost every district of Barcelona.
Directions: Plaça de Catalunya, 9, Rambla de Canaletes, 140, La Rambla, 136
6. Zara
Named The World’s Largest Fashion Retailer by New York Times back in 2012 and adopted as a fashion favourite by so many trend followers around the globe, Zara certainly knows how to create (and sell) a story. If not the largest in the world, the house behind the popular brand is unquestionably the biggest and latest word in fashion in its native Spain. The recipe for their stellar success – collections packed with wardrobe staple pieces, reasonable prices, great quality and surprising durability. Unusual for retail designers, the “fashion cloths” signed by this mogul have been photographed on celebrity fashionistas like Kate Middleton and Kim Kardashian. Delivering the best of formal and streetwear, Zara remains the leading creator of on-trend buys. In Barna, one can be found at almost every corner.
Directions: Passeig de Gràcia, 1, Av. Diagonal, 584, Avinguda del Portal de l’Àngel, 11-13
7. Zazo & Brull
For avant-garde, daring and sophisticated women, Zazo & Brull is a label sent from fashion heaven. Somewhat less known than its main Spanish competitors, this stylish brand stubbornly dedicates its collections to ladies with personality, confidence and clear ideas. Gifted with vivid imagination, Xavier Zazo and Clara Brull have already displayed their creations on the catwalks of major fashion capitals, and continued to dream, design and realize their jazzy reveries exclusively in Spanish workshops. Their unique inclination is visible through their play with volume, juxtaposition of delicate and heavy fabrics and their attention to detail. If audacious romanticism is your personal mark, than Zazo & Brull should be your number one choice.
Directions: Carrer de Mallorca, 315
8. Pinza’T
With an unorthodox fashion approach and an anti-establishment concept, Pinza’T is a place created for the stylish and urban, but environmentally conscious ones. As an exclusively bag brand, Pinza’T offers a selection of high quality, handy and functional sacks created by local artists, and displays them side by side with Barcelona’s most enthralling street art. What makes them different is that their bags are being made with 100% recyclable materials, including seat belts and recycled plastic. If looking for exciting, practical and entirely green accessories, look no further.
Directions: Carrer de Grunyí, 7
9. Koetania
Over at Barcelona-based Koetania, the art of making jewellery is entirely and enticingly interactive. Both Daniel Bellido, the designer, and Marta S. Blanco, the architect, agree that contemporary fashion needs to be customized and answer to the specific stylish whims of every individual shopper. For no other reason, Koetania specializes in delivering the unique and full fashion experience, and invites its customers to the production room, where the entire creative process is magnificently revealed. If Barcelona has had you crazy in love, Koetania is the place for designing your personalized wedding bling.
Directions: Carrer de Blai, 28
10. Custo Barcelona
For a pop of colour, look no further than Custo Barcelona. Their fashion universe has been created in the 80’s by brothers Custo and David Dalmau, the graphic design enthusiasts who quickly found their canvas in tees, making them forever a part of the fashion world. Their tale, presented through their worldwide famous collections, has certainly been an artistic journey unusual even by the standards of eccentric fashion design. Urban and exciting from the very beginning, the brand generated a large following during the nineties, after dressing up the kookiest of “Friends”, Phoebe Buffay. Occupying the scene for a long time, Customania is definitely worth your time.
Directions: Centre Comercial L’Illa Diagonal, Avenida Diagonal, 557
Whatever it is that your fashion-loving heart desires, Barcelona is your go-to city for stylish buys. And if you travel to Catalonia for art, architecture and culture, we assure you that you’ll find them in the fabrics of the capital’s beloved designers as well.
