May you live in interesting times

Not long ago, the highly respected men's fashion designer Josep Abril gave an interview about his craft and the art of design in general. One of the things he said was that once a designer found his or her place in the design world, he or she would be faced with the decision of either staying purely design oriented or commercialising. It is not a question of selling out but simply a change in focus of how design develops from that point, and as such, an important moment.

Something similar is happening in Catalan men's fashion and the Chinese adage of “may you live in interesting times” is definitely appropriate. These are decidedly interesting times.

Fashion has to thrill, shock, surprise, titillate, provoke and that applies as much to men's fashion as it does to women's. Designers are creatives who bound on from one point to another with a magical flexibility. We saw that with Josep Abril at 080 last year; he surprised by seeming more classical despite saying his move was “logical”. This year, Custo Dalmau has done the same. We are so used to thinking of him in extremes that a collection like the one he presented this year at 080 leaves us wondering where he is going.

Expect the unexpected and Edgar Carrascal gave us that with tailoring turned almost inside out and upside down. Just as on the New York, London or Milan catwalks, one returning theme in recent fashion is the blending, almost merging of inter-gender based fashion. Samuel Alarcón's collection was a tribute to the concept. Way out in the field and showing a vitality that breathes energy and presence was the work of Brain & Beast designer Ángel Vidal, in a collection or pop-funk in-your-face clothing, perhaps marking the end of the spectrum.

Happily, many of our designers have come up through ModaFA, one of them Georgina Vendrell is a designer who also designs for children. Another is Xavi Grados. International eyes are looking this way as well and young designers, such as Guillem Rodríguez, are gaining recognition. Talent there is, and a lot of it. But it is not enough. Catalonia lacks a viable commercial platform to do that talent justice. Decisions need to be made in that regard, and soon. These are indeed, deliciously interesting times.