Barcelona – If you are an industry professional who has not yet had
the opportunity to attend the Valmont Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week
(VBBFW), consider saving the date for next year.
Not only because of the appeal of the multifaceted city of
Barcelona, a city associated with culture and art, but also in order
to experience this unique trade event dedicated to bridal fashion. The
high standards set by this impeccably organized event and
the high level of international brands participating in it, allow visitors to
enter into a dream world, a world of luxury and style.
The 2019 edition of VBBFW was held at Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc
venue, located in Plaza de España and featured 429 participating
brands, 74 percent of which were international ones. A total of 35
leading brands exhibited their wedding dresses, groom wear, cocktail
dresses and eveningwear on the catwalk. The main strength of the event
lies in its ‘twin offer’, which combines catwalk shows with a
professional trade fair, thus attracting both sector professionals and
also end customers.
This year, the Swiss cosmetic firm Valmont, which signed a
three-year contract with the event, reinforced the image of beauty,
quality and exclusivity projected by the Valmont Barcelona Bridal
Fashion Week 2019. Julien Michoud, CEO of Valmont for South & Middle
Europe, told journalists: “This alliance represents a milestone for
us. It reinforces our commitment to be renowned for innovation in the
beauty sector worldwide. The whole Valmont Group family is proud to be
part of an important event such as the Valmont Barcelona Bridal
Fashion Week in which women play a central role.”
Marchesa, The Atelier by Jimmy Choo and Zac Posen notable among
the innovations presented during this edition of Barcelona Bridal
Week
Marchesa, the U.S. brand by designer duo Georgina Chapman and Keren
Craig, played the starring role during the opening night of the event
with a fashion show in the Pedralbes Gardens, surrounded by
hundred-year-old trees and accompanied by an open-air cocktail party.
It was their first visit to the city of Barcelona, where they
presented their 2020 bridal collection, consisting of 32 wedding
dresses.
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Other brands were also first-timers to the event this year, such as
The Atelier Couture, from Malaysia, which presented its new collection
signed by its creative director, Jimmy Choo, and American brands
Maggie Sottero and Mori Lee, the Israelian brand Flora, the Spanish
companies Aire Barcelona, Fely Campo, Beba’s Closet, and Sedomir
Rodriguez de la Sierra, as well as María Salas, Jacques Beauhamais,
and the Bulgarian firm Julia Kontogruni.
Also hailing from Spain, old-timers Jesús Peiró, Pronovias and Rosa
Clará, Cristina Tamborero; Sophie et Voilà; Carlo Pignatelli; Isabel
Sanchís; Marylise & Rembo Styling; Inmaculada García; Isabel
Zapardiez; Ana Torres; Esther Noriega, Cymbeline; Marco & María;
Yolancris; Ramón Sanjurjo, Carla Ruiz; Sonia Peña and Demetrios
returned to the bridal trade fair with great enthusiasm.
This edition of the VBBFW, organized by Fira de Barcelona,
surpassed its own records, attracting an audience that numbered over
22,000 visitors from 88 countries, almost 2,000 visitors more than in
2018. More than 1,300 key buyers, directly contacted by the event
organization, attended the trade show. Of these, 86 percent were
international buyers, mainly from Italy, Germany, China, the United
States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Brazil – all of them
countries that have been ‘targeted’ by the trade show in its
internationalisation process.
According to Estermaria Laruccia, director of the Valmont Barcelona
Bridal Fashion Week, “after its 29th edition – the 5th organized by
Fira de Barcelona – we can affirm that the VBBFW is already the
leading international event for bridal wear and eveningwear, providing
a stage for brands to present new trends in the sector, and the place
for national and global stakeholders from the bridal industry to come
together. In the future, we want to continue inspiring people and
sharing the passion we feel for this project with the firms, the
buyers, the industry and the fashion world in general.”
The VBBFW 2019 catwalk also staged the “New Talent Show” featuring
the creations of young designers such as Olga Maciá from Spain,
Chiffon Atelier, Mireia Balaguer and Lorena Panea, and the Italian
brands Simone Marulli and Poesie Sposa.
The ELLE International Bridal Awards 2019, organized in
collaboration with VBBFW, were presented in the Paraninfo room of the
University of Barcelona. The bridal designer and star of the
television program “Say yes to the dress”, Randy Fenoli, was the one
tasked with hosting the awards, which was attended by over 500 guests.
The directors of the 10 international editions of ELLE magazine and
the director of the VBBFW, Estermaria Laruccia, made up the jury that
selected the winners among the firms nominated by the ELLE editions
from around the world: Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan,
Korea, the Middle East, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
This year the awards, which recognise talent and excellence in
various areas of the bridal industry, honoured the Spanish firms Rosa
Clará with the Lifetime Achievement award, and Yolancris with the
award for Best Bridal Fashion Show. The Italian designer Peter Langner
received the award for Best Wedding Dress, for his Janet Dress, while
the award for Best Bridal Gown Collection was jointly awarded to
Antonio Riva, for his Petals Collection, and Elie Saab, for his Bridal
Springs 2019. For his part, Tom Ford was awarded Best Groom Collection
for his Spring/Summer 2019 creations, and the English designer Stella
McCartney won two awards: one for Best Ad Campaign, and the second for
Best Bridal New Talent. Finally, Tiffany & Co. was recognized as the
Best Wedding Jewelry Collection for its Tiffany True ring collection;
Il Pellicano Hotel in Porto Ercole (Italy) as the Best Honeymoon
Resort, and the Italian Anna Frascisco as the Best Wedding
Planner.
The week dedicated to bridal gowns and grooms’ attire, evening wear
and accessories already has a date set for next year. It will return
from April 20 to April 26, 2020 at the Fira de Barcelona to present
the 2021 collections of the leading bridal fashion brands
worldwide.
This article was previously published on FashionUnited.ES
Fotos: VBBFW- Isabel Zapardiez-Yolancris-Carlo
Pignatelli-Marchesa-Elle Bridal fashion Awards