Catalonia - Art and Culture 2018

DESIGN, FASHIONAND craftS Products with identity Turning on a lamp, using an ashtray, wearing a T-shirt: people around the world are unwittingly in contact with Catalan products on a day-to-day basis.

explosion of design in Catalonia

Design was already there, but it spread throughout the territory after entering a bar that would change everything. Today, we wear it to weddings or in the kitchen.

© ferran sendra. gz

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riginal handicrafts, books on the Catalan culture, and local food and wine: A family of tourists that has just gone into the Palau Moja

plied arts appeared in Catalonia. Today the ADI-FAD (Association of Industrial Design- ers-Promotion of Decorative Arts) is the di- rect descendant of these associations, and is an active agent in Catalan cultural life. Design in cuisine With this legacy, Catalonia has given birth to, and welcomed great designers in the field of industrial or graphic design, such as André Ricard (Copenhaguen ashtray), Miquel Milà with his TMC lamp, as well as Oscar Tusquets, Javier Mariscal, Peret, En- ric Satué and Curro Claret. Catalan compa- nies are well aware of the importance of design. One of these companies is Lekué, which has revolutionised the world’s kitch- ens with its colourful silicone designs. The importance of design in Catalonia is addressed by the avant-garde Disseny Hub Barcelona , a building devoted to pro- moting this discipline, which houses the Museu del Disseny.

Yes, it is a stool, but nobody had ever seen anything like it before. Called Frenesí, it was a creation of the Grup Transatlàntic. The design boom had reached the bars and shops of Cat- alonia. These were different times, but in the land of Gaudí, Miró, and Tàpies, visual cre- ation is tradition. Following in the footsteps of these design greats are designers like Javier Mariscal, Nani Marquina, Antoni Arola, and more recently Martín Azúa and the Lagranja Design studio, among others. Without forget-

ting the company Lekué, a world benchmark in kitchen silicone utensils. Creativity in design has its counterpart in fash- ion . Catalonia has produced big-name fashion de- signers like Antonio Miró, Josep Abril, Sita Murt, and the highly regarded Custo Dalmau. For years, the designs of Txell Miras have been catching our attention. There are many more. They meet twice a year at the 080 Barcelona Fashion , a catwalk for the promotion of Catalan fashion, including great companies like Punto Blanco. Catalonia is also the epicentre of bridal fash- ion . Pronovias was a small shop in 1922 and is now a world leader. And names like Rosa Clarà, Teresa Helbig, and Ailanto also participate in Bar- celona Bridal Week , one of the outstanding events of bridal fashion. Both fashion footwear and sport footwear are represented by firms like Mates, founded in 1947, or Munich, created in 1939, which sells in Europe and also Japan. Catalan jewellery design is also internationally recognised. The company Tous, founded in the 1920s, sells its ‘bears’ (among other things) in more than 40 countries.

the world nuptial designer rosa clarà.

‘ The Catalan Heritage House’ (palaumoja. com) wants to buy many good gifts that reflect the talent of those who have creat- ed them. This talent is evident in the area’s handi- crafts , design , and fashion . In the late 19th century, organisations and associations of professionals devoted to promoting ap-

display of lekué products.

the museu del disseny in barcelona.

© joan cortadelles. GZ

© GZ

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