For two decades, the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED), the largest education network in the arts, has held Fashioners of the World in Barcelona, showcasing the final degree collections of their students – marking the end of their studies and introducing them to the industry. “Over the course of these two decades, our students have always gone a step beyond the trends, fleeing from convention in search of authenticity,” says Julia Weems, Head of the Fashion School.
The show is just one of many events IED hosts to connect their students with the city – and, having 11 schools throughout Europe, located in Milan, Barcelona, Cagliari, Florence, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, São Paulo, Turin, Bilbao, and the Academia Aldo Galli of Como, IED prides itself on lifting individuals with a passion for the creative arts to new heights.
On the 10th of June at the La Paloma Dance Hall, 25 students from the Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design and the BA (Hons) in Fashion Design presented their graduate collections in front of a world-renowned jury including Riccardo Balbo, Academic Director of the IED Group; Ari Rovira, teacher at IED; Marina Verges, fashion designer and journalist; and Alba Garcia, IED Barcelona alumni and founder of BCome. Adding to the experience of the event, Fashioners of the World once again partnered with MANE – a leader in the fragrance industry – for the IEDxMANE ‘The Scent of Design’ programme, which helped second-year Fashion, Transport, Product and Graphic Design students develop a signature scent for the show.
Its 20th edition of the event marked a new chapter for the celebration, one which introduced a new award, the IEDxCommons Impact Award, recognising sustainability, ethics, and inclusivity within students’ collections. Marian Descayrac won with ‘Childish’, a size and ageless collection centred around the inner child, and upcycling fabrics.
The other prestigious awards were presented at the end of the show. Dani Barris won the Franca Sozzani Award for Best Fashion Collection and the Manuel Outumuro Award for Best Shooting for his menswear collection, ‘Jugar a ser dolent no està tan malament,’ inspired by the idea of a ‘good boy.’ The Isabel Coixet Award for Best Fashion Film was awarded to Marta de Múrcia for ‘La Azohía, un lugar donde ser’ from ‘Queen Fina: La idealización del recuerdo y la nostalgia de lo no vivido,’ a fashion film reminiscent of childhood summers. And, Nio Roca and Mathis Morand won the Jordi Labanda Award for Best Fashion Illustration, Roca with a retro-futuristic collection and Morand with a hand-produced slow fashion collection.
As we look towards the future, there’s no doubt that each and every student who presented their graduate collection this year will have a big part in it.
For more information, follow IED Barcelona on Instagram or visit IED.edu.
words. Amber Louise
images. IED Barcelona
