Fashion & Design ecosystem in Catalonia

Modern and innovative design are signature trends in Catalonia, home to world-renowned architect Gaudí, whose striking and nature-inspired buildings have had a tremendous influence in the region well beyond architecture.

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Barcelona-Catalonia, a world benchmark in the fashion and design industries.

The design industries – including the textile, shoe, jewelry and habitat sectors – are all a strategic sector in Catalonia, firmly rooted in tradition but with a strong international projection.

Some of the most international fashion brands are Mango, Munich, Nice Things, Pronovias, Tous or Desigual, as well as Textura, Kibuc, Figueras, Marset, Lamp, Leds C4, Simon, Kettal, or Roca in the furniture and lightning area. The Catalonia Industry Suppliers allows you to search providers by the fashion and textile category, or homewares and furnishings.

Barcelona, an international design center

Barcelona and Catalonia have an excellent reputation in Europe in design education and are home to some of the most important schools all welcoming thousands of international students each year. Among them, BAU Design College of Barcelona, Eina Art and Design School, LCI Barcelona, IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) Barcelona, ESDi School of Design, Elisava School of Design or Massana School have a consolidated track record in the field.

In recent years, Barcelona has also become one of the favorite locations for architects, designers, photographers, illustrators, and creative professionals from all over the world. Professional associations have emerged to watch out for their growth and best interests, such as FAD (Fostering Arts and Design) or ADP (Association of Professional Designers).

Furthermore, due to its creative ecosystem, Barcelona is recognized as an international hub for design and development centers in the sector. Some examples include companies like Reebok, XAL, Stradivarius, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Philips, Desigual, Mango, M.C.B, and Asics.

“Thanks to its creative ecosystem, Barcelona is recognized as an international hub for design and development centers in the fashion sector”

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793 companies
€14,507M in turnover
64,519 employees

The Barcelona Brand

Barcelona holds a strong city brand. Design “Made in Barcelona”, based on strong values such as tradition, modernism, creativity, and innovation, has a characteristic style and is highly coveted internationally.

Furthermore, Barcelona as a city has become a benchmark in Europe and in the world for a number of reasons, including the 22@Barcelona district, which is a pioneering innovation and technology district, a large network of leading service companies, and a deeply rooted entrepreneurial spirit.

A textile industry always ahead of the latest technologies

Ever since the industrial revolution, Catalonia has always had an important textile and fashion sector. This background has left its mark on today’s industry, where fashion design and innovation play a key role to ensure providers meet the high-quality standards of the manufacturing processes. Catalonia hosts an important pool of technological centers researching the textile industry, such as Eurecat, Leitat, Fitex, or Intertex.

Catalonia's fashion and textile industry accounted for 30% of total exports in Spain over the last decade, a clear sign of the sector’s significance. Many foreign companies, such as ASICS, Louis Vuitton, Levi Strauss, Pepe Jeans, Ermenegildo Zegna, Nike, Calzedonia, Grupo Estrada or Muji, have decided on Barcelona and Catalonia to set up their headquarters for the Iberian Peninsula or for Southern Europe.

A strong commitment to innovation

In Catalonia there are more than 70 Catalan startups related to the fashion and design sector (2018 data). Some of these companies are designing, producing, and marketing their own products, while others are multi-brand stores and companies that give support to the selling process and in specialized marketing.

New trends in the habitat sector

The homeware and furnishings sector in Catalonia – manufacturers of furniture, lighting, home textiles, taps and sanitary ware, and floor and wall coverings – is a growing and internationalized industry, strong in activities related to design. It is quickly adapting to new challenges like robotics, artificial intelligence or the Internet of Things to provide the best solutions to emerging needs.