Summer has hit us head on, and it’s time to soak it all in. I find that there is very little available on the market for in footwear for men that isn’t a super casual sneaker, a boat shoe moccasin, or a dressy lace up shoe or loafer. Enter ACT Footwear.

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ACT footwear is changing all that. The brand is giving men a new option–a summery, unconcerned shoe, appropriate for the city but reminiscent of a summery, spontaneous beach holiday.

The brand originated in Mallorca, Spain, the native land of designer Isabel Rotger. In fact, the idea to create the brand was just an impulsive, spur of the moment idea she came up with while working in Berlin.

Rotger explains that “In Mallorca, the espadrille is a traditional item that marks the start of summer. We thought it would be fun to create a new look, to revamp the classic espadrille with modern details, convenient for a city dweller.” She now operates the brand out of Berlin, Germany, bringing the classic espadrille look to an urban man (and an urban woman, as she also designs female footwear).

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Although the original espadrille is beach-appropriate, ACT shoes aren’t necessarily meant for beach wear. The brand combines the traditional espadrille material with high-grade suede and leather, so the shoes are better used in a less rural (or sandy) setting. A casual brunch or a walk in the park would be where you would sport these kicks.

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For all of you men out there that want a touch of beach holiday to incorporate into your daily summer city look, try a pair of ACT shoes.

Posted by Lori Zaino and images from ACT Footwear.

Torras is a Spanish brand that dates back to 1951, and is best known for combining knit and leatherwear. The SS15 collection is entitled “Avant-Garde” inspired by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Gustav Klimt.

We can see some geometric and linear silhouettes (Picasso), bright and bold looks (Warhol) and patterned floral prints (Klint) present within the collection, showing us the roots of the art inspiration. Trending sunglasses enhanced the already vibrant looks.

The line was chic, light and airy, perfect for spring. The jackets were extremely strong, and the tailoring impeccable. He used a little bit of everything in his collection, yet it still seemed cohesive and compatible, despite the mix of plaids, patterns, solids, florals, leather etc. This is not the last time we will hear from Torras!

BDMOTP: Every single jacket!

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Posted by Lori Zaino and photos from the official Barcelona 080 Facebook page.

Josep Abril is a Catalan designer based in Barcelona. He not only makes his collections every season for a trendy and tranquil man, but he also creates the costumes for shows, theater and opera and gives classes and workshops at different Design Schools around Spain. He will even do bespoke tailoring for you! A man of many talents, that Josep Abril.

He usually shows his collections in Barcelona at the up-and-coming, slowly growing in popularity Fashion Week, called Barcelona 080 Fashion. The Abril signature looks involves sweaters–even for spring–usually featuring some kind of uneven or asymmetrical line. The SS15 collection “Reflections” was no different. Featuring several sweater styles, tuxedo long blazer jackets and an abundance of patterns, the line was preppy yet trendy. The sweaters looked soft and lush and light enough to be worn during spring. The sweaters are basic (meaning you could really wear them with just about anything–dressy or casual) but with a significant design aesthetic detail that makes it just a little different–just unique enough to be special and set the brand apart, like an interesting cut at the neckline or of-centered buttons.

Abril incorporated plaid into the spring line by using it on lighter looks, like shorts. Long tunics and socks with sandals also dominated the runway. To finalize things, Jon Kortajena, famous Spanish model, sported many of the looks along the runway.

BDMOTP favorite: Grey sweater with side, off-centered buttons

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Posted by Lori Zaino and images from the Barcelona0 80 Facebook page.

The Fall/Winter 2014-15 collection from Josep Abril for Barcelona 080 Fashion Week was called “Reflections.” The Catalan designer has been creating garments since 1996 and is well known around Barcelona and Madrid for being a creative and innovative artist.

The collection is urban and created for a modern man who isn’t a afraid to wear polka dots and mix and match patterns. Plaids dominated the runway, as they have for many of the Fall/Winter 2014-15 collections we’ve seen around the world. But different sizes, shapes and squares of plaid, which was a fun new twist. Navy, white, grey and blue were the colors mainly used, as well as several polka dotted items, like coats and pants. Streaks of red splattered the models here, adding a little punk into the show.

Abril has taken a new stance on button closure, choosing to steer away from the typical button-in-hole closure and create a strap to attach the button to the other side of the coat. Practical, not so sure, but definitely cool and unique. Leather backpacks and messenger bags, which are useful items for men, were also seen within the collection.

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Posted by Lori Zaino and photos from the Official Barcelona 080 Facebook page.

This edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2014 had  a couple standout menswear collections, one of them in particular being Slazenger.  Slazenger is usually a favorite at 080 Barcelona, and the SS14 collection was cohesive and sporty.

The Slazenger brand dates back to 1881 and historically made looks for tennis and cricket players, (sports equipment included). More recently, the company began branching out to trendier items and looks not just for sports.

This season, Slazenger did not disappoint with his collection of preppy looks.  Red, white and blue colors were featured, as well as crisp polo shirts combined with cuffed shorts or pants.  Plaids and stripes also made an entrance.   All of the looks were very tailored and classic, perfect for a summer day on a boat or a stroll on the boardwalk.    Reminiscent of Ralph Lauren, this collection does preppy, but with a little extra trend and twist that makes it special.

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All images from the 080 Barcelona Facebook Page

Posted By: Lori Zaino

 

Josep Abril has been designing since 1966.  He is based out of Barcelona which inspires many of his designs.  The Josep Abril SS 14 Collection was described by the designer himself using several words such as: ice, cold, silence, stillness, calm, infinite, and  light.

Grey was the color choice of Spring/Summer 2014 for Josep Abril.  Different blazers, coats, and trenches, most in grey, strutted the runway.  Abril’s signature light sweater look came into play, with some pale blue and grey thin spring sweaters.  This collection seemed very London, made for a rainy spring day.  The monotone look, that being all one color: grey shirt, blazer, pants, socks and shoes, for example, dominated the Josep Abril SS14 collection.

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All images from the 080 Barcelona Facebook Page

Posted By: Lori Zaino

 

Spanish fashion brand El Ganso opened its first UK store in 2012 in the heart of most popular London shopping spot – Carnaby Street. This April they launched the second boutique on Niel street.

El Ganso collections are retro inspired by style icons of the past Marcello Mastroianni, Cary Grant, Robert Radford, they praise ‘retro man’ ideal – elegance and chic which suites every one. At the same time the brand remains thoroughly contemporary  very British with a slight Mediterranean hint.

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El Ganso’s philosophy is in offering quality and an alternative touch at a price you can afford. It has a full range of menswear, from casual to more classy: perfectly fit tartan, woolen or linen blazers, comfortable navy-style duffle coats, shirts, cardigans and jumpers, a wide range of neckwear and accessories. All items come in fun and matching colors. Here you can find perfect combo for the occasion either it’s a job interview or a Saturday night out.

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El Ganso is a family company of two brothers Álvaro and Clemente Cebrián. They started in 2006 from a small store in downtown Madrid selling trousers and shoes. Soon after they enhanced their collections with sports jackets and polo shirts and opened boutiques in Portugal, France and United Kingdom.

The store on Caranby Street brings you into the atmosphere of the 70s nostalgia, which suggests a leisurely shopping in a cozy vintage environment. The staff are very helpful and friendly, ready to give an advice and very quick on size request.

Posted By: Yulia

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Miharayasuhiro is a muted, monochomatic and overall, distinctly modern brand created by designer Miharaya Yasuhiro.

Miharaya Yasuhiro began designing footwear in Japan in 1994. In 1998 his first store was launched in Tokyo and by 1999 he had decided to expand into mens clothing and accessories. In 2000 he collaborated with Puma to create a funky line of sneakers and sports clothes, ¨The Black Line¨ which featured fur, studs and metallic on the shoes and clothing. In 2004, his success continued with fashion shows in Milan and eventually in Paris.

He´s been chosen by menstyle.com as one of the Top Mens Designers and he´s collaborated with not only Puma but also Husam el Odeh and Tasaki on jewelry and other projects. Miharayasuhiro stores are spread out over several countinents and many different cities. However, his flagship store in Tokyo is the biggest and brightest of all. Recently, he´s branched into womenswear as well which you can find online and in his shops.

Mihara Yasuhiro´s urban and trendy designs make him one of the world´s most fashionable designers. Make sure to stop into one of his boutiques or visit the Miharayasuhiro Webpage, Facebook or Twitter.

 

 

The below images are from the Miharaysuhiro RTW Fall 2013 Collection.

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All photos from the Miharayasuhiro Facebook Page.

Posted By: Lori

 

Georgina Vendrell Menswear is a collection created by Georgina Vendrell herself which debuted in 2007. She is one of the few designers in Spain that dedicates her designs entirely to menswear.

While chatting with Georgina at the EGO section of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid, we asked her why she decided to focus on menswear amist a sea of womenswear. She explains ¨I started with menswear because no one ever seems to design for just men in Spain. I wanted to fill that niche. There´s so much you can do with menswear that hasn´t been done.¨  And she´s right! I see a huge opportunity in Spain for menswear, and so many places to go with it.

There was a small stand with some of Georgina Vendrell´s designs outside of the runway shows and we were able to not only chat with her but try on some of her designs. Alton looked especially cool in a one of a kind turquoise sweater and then a polka dotted jacket.

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Her collections are fun and funky, focusing mainly on interesting fabrics and textures. Georgina explained to us that she looks shopping her for her fabrics in London, even though she designs in Barcelona. She likes to include colorful accents to make the items more interesting and unique. A lot of her pieces are just one of a kind, because the fabrics are rare in certain colors and impossible to find more of. Price points are also reasonable, for example, the turquoise one of a kind sweater featured above was under 100 euros.

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In past years Georgina has had the opportunity to show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid EGO, 080 Barcelona, Valencia Fashion Week (where she won the Best Fashion Designer Award) and Iceland Fashion Week. Unfortunately, she did not show this year at Madrid Fashion Week, but I am hoping to see her designs on the runway in seasons to come.

For more information, visit the Georgina Vendrell Website.

Posted by: Lori

 

The 11th edition of 080 Barcelona Fashion was an impressive three day run of fashion shows and events. This edition boasted several menswear designers and collections, some of which were pretty spectacular. Trending for autumn/winter 2013: knitwear, layering, volume, and of course the trusty black and grey color scheme.

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Jan Iú Més for Punto Blanco shows some warm, baggy knits, cottons, and linens, all while staying within a basic color scheme of gray, black, beige and white.  The looks are casual and low- key but with a sexy, touseled touch.

Slazenger brightens things up with more tailored, preppy London- style looks. The collection, ¨Heritage¨ features sweaters and knits, but with more form fitting pants. It includes accessories like hats, fingerless gloves and cuffed pants with patterned socks to spice up a dull wintery day.

Torras brings us back to basics with knits, leather, and of course the signature grey, black and blue colors. The ¨Black Torras Collection¨ which is aptly named for it´s color scheme, is a minimalist collection aiming for simplicity, elegance, quality and austerity.

Brain & Beast is a relatively new line of menswear created in 2010 by three spanish designers: Angel Vilda, Ceasar Olivar and Veronica Raposo. The pieces are designed with a geometrical thought process and a structural simplicity. The collection is quite different than most of the more basic looks we´ve seen so far at 080 Barcelona Fashion, and it has a fun and exciting twist to it.

Josep Abril, founded in 1996 by you guessed it, Josep Abri himeself, is a successful menswear line that has walked catwalks in Barcelona and Madrid for several years. The collection shows the trending fall colors of grey and black, but with interesting layers and volume, and a unique pattern here and there.

Images from the 080 Barcelona Fashion Facebook page 

Posted by: Lori

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