Retail

This heritage luxury fashion house is one of the few original icons left on the city’s increasingly international scene. Boasting four generations of retail acumen, the multi-brand department store has been in this exquisite space since 1944 (the original shop opened just off La Rambla in 1843). An in-house tailor nods to tradition while Balenciaga, Moncler, Kenzo, Acne Studios and Tom Ford are just a sample of the labels on offer. Meanwhile a bistro and champagne bar provide a discreet oasis upstairs. “We ensure that everyone is made to feel comfortable,” says owner and director Luis Sans.

A whimsical ode to the age-old textile industry of the Balearic Islands, Cortana stocks pieces imbued with founder and designer Rosa Esteva’s Mallorcan provenance. Her label combines waif-like silhouettes with a sense of pared-back wonder – her subterranean shop, just a stone’s throw from Passeig de Gràcia, augments the sense of awe.  

Designed by her father and brother’s architectural studio, Esteva i Esteva, the shop stands out for the way clothes are hung on metallic poles that descend from the ceiling, showing off Esteva’s affinity with silk, wool and cashmere. Her fairy-tale vision also extends to a successful range of bridalwear, while patterns are inspired by the designer’s watercolour paintings.

Swede Martin Noaksson and his Madrileña wife Sara Salas opened their Scandi-flavoured vintage furniture shop in a former carpenter’s workshop in Poblenou, attracted by the barri’s post-industrial charm. They make regular trips to Norway, Denmark and Sweden to keep the lofty space filled with cabinets, tables, sofas and bric-a-brac. Across the road their second space, Industry, feels closer to home. “We have an intense artistic community,” says Salas. “Industry provides a platform for the neighbourhood’s makers, who represent more than a dozen different nationalities.”

For her smooth ceramics line, industrial designer Miriam Cernuda draws inspiration from the earthy tones and textures of her childhood home on the Costa Brava. The white-walled workshop and retail space divides Cernuda’s creations into two lines. The Basic collection comprises pastel-painted kitchen accessories, homeware and lamps finished with both glossy and matt lead-free glazes. Her Weathered range features more telluric tones, using white clay and natural pigments to highlight the beauty of the Earth’s core materials. Cernuda is often commissioned for specially made restoration pieces and stocks her space with a smattering of complementary items, including accessories and wooden utensils. 

Following a 22-year career inside the gruelling Milan fashion machine, Pep Esteva decided to move back to his home city for a long-overdue change. “I wanted to do something that no one else was doing,” he says, a hint of rebellion in his voice. That something turned out to be a well-designed men’s shoes and accessories shop, which opened in 2008 and now stocks brands ranging from Ateliers Heschung and Moscot to Issey Miyake. 

The fit-out from interior designer Pilar Líbano combines classic elements with contemporary flourishes and is impeccably filled with the finest shoes, leather goods, hats, bags, ties, sunglasses, swimwear and bathrobes. Then there’s Pep himself – his fashion knowledge fits the shop like a well-tailored glove so don’t be shy about asking him for advice.