Juan Antonio Àvalos & the Tropical Knight

Two years after graduating in Fashion Design at the FD Moda in Barcelona, Spanish designer Juan Antonio Àvalos founded his eponymous label in 2009.

In June last year, Juan’s 2011 spring/summer collection won first prize for the Best Menswear Collection at Barcelona Fashion Week.

The collection is entitled “Tropical Knight,” which draws inspiration from two sources: Medieval knights and California surfers.

As you will see from the photos, the collection revives the 1970 culture of Californian surfers, as well as skaters.

If you ever had difficulty trying to picture a medieval knight on the sands of California, well, look no more!

Check out this fun collection here.

Photos Copyright Juan Antonio Àvalos.

Visual Poetry by Visual Poetry

Situated in Barcelona, Spain, Visual Poetry has been designing shirts, t-shirts, and sweatshirts since 2006.

The company was founded by young team of artists, ranging from music to graffiti.

The name of the label was derived from the poetic messages, which are applied to the garments as a means of meaningful expression instead of “nonsense.”

Visual Poetry maintains a high quality in the aesthetics of the garment, as well as in the ethics of its manufacturing, striving for organic processes.

See more tees here.

Photos Copyright Visual Poetry Barcelona.

Georgina Vendrell Spring/Summer 2011 Collection “Sunset”

Since the dawn of the summer day that rested from whites, the mood of our body has changed with the sunlight stains of yellow and orange rays.

We approached the late afternoon with darker colors. Intense blue gave way to black for the night. Now, the color palette shows her the sun.

The forms are straight as the horizon of the sea and the textures are very Mediterranean: fresh and shiny details.

All this for an elegant and bold man, committed to the power of color and the combination of fabrics, such as linen, cotton, synthetic leather—period.

Floral and animal motifs give a summer point to a collection that seeks to promote the human skin.

See the collection here.

Photos Copyright Georgina Vendrell.

“The Reddish Boy” by Georgina Vendrell

Patrick Wolf was born Patrick Denis Apps into an artistic family of South London in 1983.

After studying violin and singing in church choirs until the age of eleven, Patrick began recording his own songs, soon going on to join the pop art collective Minty and, shortly after, Maison Crimineaux.

After eight years of recording, Wolf released his first album entitled Lycanthropy in 2003.

Using a wide variety of electronic and classical instruments, Wolf composes musical pieces that range from techno-pop to romantic folk.

Patrick Wolf has exerted a tremendous impact on multitudes around the world, including Catalan designer Georgina Vendrell, whom I covered in an article earlier this year.

For 2010, Georgina has based her spring/summer collection on Patrick Wolf, entitling the collection “the Reddish Boy.”

In a similar fashion to the eclectic music of Patrick Wolf, Georgina combines a variety of classic and avant-garde fabrics and styles, composing pieces that range from techno-pop to romantic folk!



Photo & slideshow 2010 s/s collection “the Reddish Boy” Copyright Georgina Vendrell.

Counting Down to 2010 with Jan iú Més

Jan Zamora Royo and Alfonso Peña Carreras are the amazing designers behind the label Jan iú Més, which is situated in Barcelona.

The two Catalan designers approach contemporary fashion through a unique restrained aesthetic, which begins with rigid silhouettes.

They then continue with a rational, mathematical view of styles, which is reflected in austere abstract forms.

Here’s a look at the Jan iú Més 2010 s/s collection! Let the countdown begin!

(Please turn off playlist below before starting video)

For more reading on Jan iú Més, see my article Jan iú Més Prepares Us for Cold Times Ahead

Photo, Slideshow & Video 2010 s/s collection, Copyright Jan iú Més.

Antonio Marras—the Designer from Alghero

My prime reason in going to Alghero was to visit the showroom of the internationally renowned Sardinian designer, Antonio Marras. Antonio’s showroom is located in the center of historical Alghero.

Born 1961 in Alghero, Antonio grew up in his father’s clothing store where he conceived a passion for fabrics and materials. His first ready-to-wear collection entailed a line of white t-shirts that he produced in 1998; whereas he completed his first menswear collection in 2002.

Far from the fashion meccas of Europe, Antonio remains attached to his roots.

Working in the scenic workshop of his own home, which overlooks the Mediterranean sea, Antonio mixes traditional Sardinian dress with additional styles like Russian constructivism, film noir of the 30’s and 40’s, and illustrators of the early 1900’s.

Antonio’s collections narrate local and global tales of tradition and innovation, nostalgic memories, and exciting things to come, as they are manufactured by the hands of local Sardinian artisans.

Identifying with his roots, Antonio reaches beyond the creative confines of his island, intertwining opposite expressions of vintage and modernity as he experiments with art, music, and literature.



Photo top left & slideshow Copyright Antonio Marras.
Photo bottom right Copyright Men’s Fashion by Francesco.

The New Skins of Gori De Palma

Part of the Balearic Islands archipelago, Mallorca is the largest island of Spain. Situated in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Catalonia, Mallorca’s capital is Palma, also known as Palma de Mallorca, which has a population of about ½ million inhabitants.

Mallorca shares a common history with many other Mediterranean islands, having hosted waves of Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Moors, and Barbary Corsairs, all of whom we shall examine within several weeks in light of their historical influences and traditional dress.

Each year on Mallorca, the Consul for Exports and Youth sponsors a competition called Art Jove, presenting awards for various artistic genres. In 2005, the prize for best collection was awarded to Catalan designer Gori De Palma.

Born in 1976 on Mallorca, Gori De Palma launched his eponymous label in 2004, one year after graduation from Institut Català de la Moda in Fashion Design and Pattern Cutting in 2003.

The 2009 a/w collection entitled “New Skins” is exemplary of the De Palma technique, drawing inspiration from the styles of Skinheads and New Wave music.



Photo 2009 a/w collection "New Skins" Copyright Gori De Palma.

Catalan Designer Georgina Vendrell

Most people associate the word “Catalan” with a language that is spoken in several areas of Spain, including the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Valencia, and Aragon, which is an accurate association.

But the term embodies so much more than language, embracing a culture, history, geographical area, and people. For this reason, the Catalan language is also spoken in Andorra, Alghero (Sardinia, Italy), and parts of southern France.

Catalonia, or Catalunya, enjoys a common history with many Mediterranean islands for two reasons: (1) they share the same line of settlers (i.e., the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, North Africans, etc.) and (2) Catalonia settled many of the islands.

Once a cohesive culture had been formed, the Catalan people united with Aragon and emerged a great maritime power. As an important player in the Kingdom of Aragon, together they ruled Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, and the southern half of Italy for centuries, exporting the Catalan culture, cuisine, language, and costume!

So influential was this kingdom that it rears its head in our pop culture with video games like Age of Empires 2: the Conquerors and Europa Universalis, which reenact legends in playable history! What a legacy! And all that, because of a marriage!

Heir to all this rich history, Catalan designer Georgina Vendrell was born1983 in Barcelona. After graduating from the Institut català de la moda, Georgina was chosen by an international jury to present her a/w 2009 collection at 080 Barcelona Fashion.

The collection is entitled “51” in reference to the number of total sun-less days during the bitter cold winters of Finland.

Drawing from a dark palette, Georgina reaches for a simple, sporty look that combines wintry functionality with innovative styles and hints to her nation's past.

Stay tuned for more on Georgina Vendrell and the styles of the Mediterranean! I have a surprise in store for you, which I will unveil next week!



Photo a/w 2009 collection Copyright Georgina Vendrell.
Slideshow a/w 2009 collection Copyright Georgina Vendrell.