Retail
Santa Eulalia, L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample
Service is king at this historic, medium-sized, multibrand department store, which boasts its own secluded rooftop terrace, bistro and champagne bar. First opened in 1843, an in-house tailor sews under neat rows of shirt patterns and measurements for long-standing clients on the lower floor. The well-chosen offering includes accessories from bags to jewellery, as well as men’s and women’s formalwear and garments from the likes of Moncler and Brioni.
The Outpost, Dreta de l’Eixample
Following a 22-year career in the gruelling Milan fashion machine, Pep Esteva decided to move back to his home city for a long-overdue change. That decision evolved into his well-designed and impeccably selected men’s shoes-and-accessories shop, which opened in 2008 and now stocks brands ranging from Heschung and Moscot to Issey Miyake. Esteva’s fashion knowledge fits the shop like a well-tailored glove, so don’t be shy about asking him for sartorial advice.
BD Barcelona Design, Poblenou
Not many places can claim to stock original designs by Gaudí and Dalí, but this shop, showroom and studio has always been different. The Catalan design mecca was opened in the 1970s by a group of architects and designers who created an avant-garde selection of lighting and furniture that was snapped up by Spain’s burgeoning post-Franco bourgeoisie. Today, it’s collectively owned by some of Barcelona’s most creative luminaries. Recent international collaborations and releases have included an aluminium chair by Dutch architect Sabine Marcelis and lacquered cabinets by Belgian duo Muller Van Severen.
Cortana, Dreta de l’Eixample
A whimsical ode to the age-old textile industry of the Balearic Islands, Cortana stocks pieces inspired by founder and designer Rosa Esteva’s Mallorcan provenance. Her label combines waif-like silhouettes with a sense of pared-back wonder woven into Esteva’s affinity for silk, wool and cashmere. The design of her subterranean shop, just a stone’s throw from Passeig de Gràcia, augments the feeling of awe.
Norman Vilalta, L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample
From humble beginnings in the Patagonian city of Puerto Madryn, Norman Vilalta has become one of Barcelona’s most interesting shoemakers. The Argentinian learned his craft in Florence and channels his natural artistic flair into a bespoke approach to classics such as the Chelsea boot, Derby and Oxford. “Using old tools and modern technology allows me to invent something new,” says Vilalta. He embraces rubber soles, patterned materials and different artisanal techniques, believing that tradition should be a guide but never a constraint to his craft.
Marset, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi
When Paco Marset began producing his first lamps in the 1970s using his family’s manufacturing business as a foundation, he quickly realised there was an appetite for more innovative lighting. The small firm became an award-winning pantheon of iconic design, with Marset’s mushroom-shaped FollowMe lamp now being almost mandatory in Catalan households, and newer designs such as the swivelling Theia lamp and hanging lampshades of the Pleat Box also making their mark. Design buffs can visit the flagship showroom and design HQ in Terrassa (about 20km from the city centre), or visit stockists such as Minim (Via Augusta 185).
Shon Mott, Dreta de l’Eixample
Brothers Kiko and Pep Buxó Generó combine their family’s textile heritage with backgrounds in fashion and industrial design. Its menswear and womenswear collections are both marked by functional forms, neutral tones and Mediterranean charm. Each garment is made in Spain and Kiko extols the advantage of being a small family firm. “We treat our customers with familiarity,” he says. “We want people to feel as if they’re dropping in to see a friend.”
27 87, Sarrià
This fragrance brand fuses modern scents with a smart approach to branding and a spirit of interpretive individuality, making its showroom-styled shop a uniquely sensorial experience. Growing up in a family of bakers, founder Romy Kowalewski’s sense of smell was refined from a young age. After moving to Barcelona to study, the Berlin-born entrepreneur started 27 87 in 2016, releasing a line-up of scents including a collaboration with music festival Sónar, which brings together beer accords with notes of wood, bergamot and vanilla. In keeping with the interpretive atmosphere that hangs in the air, all perfumes are gender neutral and come in 27ml and 87ml bottles rather than traditional sizes.
Après Ski, El Born
Down an unassuming side street of the El Born neighbourhood, this jewellery workshop has evolved into a boutique that prizes artisanal creativity across myriad forms. Many of founder Lucía Vergara’s jewellery designs – including chunky acetate earrings, delicate necklaces with animal-shaped pendants and simple gold-plated bangles – are hand-produced by artisans in Turkey and Girona before being assembled by her team at the shop in Barcelona. If you’re looking to shake up your wardrobe, Vergara also makes shirts, jackets and hats, many of which were born from designs specifically tailored for her campaign shoots.
Bassal Store, L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample
Nordic minimalism meets Catalan modernism at this slick shop housed on the ground floor of a grand building designed in the early 1900s by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Pol Bassal decided to colour the interiors with a strikingly minimalist aesthetic, setting the tone of sharp contrasts that match his selection of Scandinavian-designed and inspired threads. These include Mfpen from Denmark and Hope from Sweden, but there are also plenty of homegrown brands on the racks, such as womenswear by Galicia’s Cordera, knits from Catalan brand Bielo and footwear from Barcelona-based About Arianne.
