Organised by Fira de Barcelona with the support of the Department of Business and Employment of the Government of Catalonia, BBFW 2024 has grown by 14% in the number of brands and exceeds its international record, with 80% of the 400 firms in its trade show coming from more than 35 countries outside Spain. In this way, with its catwalk, from April 17 to 20, and the trade show from April 19 to 21, the leading event in the industry will once again bring together the entire bridal fashion ecosystem in Barcelona and generate an economic impact for the territory of more than €61.5 million, according to a study by the Institute of Economics of the University of Barcelona
The director of BBFW, Albasarí Caro, highlights that “in this edition we have a greater number of brands and internationality, bringing together the most prestigious designers in the industry. For this reason, Barcelona will be, more than ever, the global epicentre of business and trends in the industry and we want the city to experience this great celebration of fashion, creativity and excellence”.
Top fashion on the catwalk
The event catwalk will bring together 37 prestigious brands whose 900 dresses will set the trends for the next season, which aim at the ‘new luxury’ fusing classic femininity with avant-garde touches.
The firms set to participate in the fashion catwalk throughout the four days include Jesus Peiró, Atelier Pronovias, Isabel Sanchis, Sophie et Voilà, Yolancris, Marco & María, Ogadenia Couture, Lucas Balboa, Formoso and Pedro Palmas, as well as international firms Agnieszka Swiatly (Poland), Marylise & Rembo Styling and Carta Branca (Belgium), The Atelier Couture by Prof. Jimmy Choo (Malaysia), Joli Poli (Vietnam), Madame Burcu (Turkey), Wona Concept & Eva Lendel and Katy Corso (Ukraine), Demetrios (Italy), Julia Kontogruni/Corona Borealis (Bulgaria) and Madeline by Morilee (USA). Global Bridal House will parade with its Modeca, GBS Herve Paris and Libelle Bridal brands from the Netherlands and Randy Fenoli Bridal from the United States.
Among the new features, the brands gracing the BBFW catwalk for the first time will include Allure Bridal, Caroline Castigliano, Sima Couture from Germany, Serina from Japan, the Italian designer Claudio di Mare and the Spanish designers Alicia Rueda, Raquel López, and Mariano Moreno. In addition, ‘The Edit’ catwalk will feature designers such as Olga Maciá, Helena, Andrea Lalanza, and Serravalle.
To achieve greater impact and global reach, the BBFW fashion shows will be broadcast in open streaming and will also serve as a source of inspiration for brides-to-be who will be able to see the collections live or after the event on the salon’s website and app.
Giambattista Valli, the star of Bridal Night
World-famous haute couture and ready-to-wear designer Giambattista Valli will preview the creations of his third “Love Collection” 2025 in what will be his first exclusively bridal catwalk in his career. The event will take place as part of Barcelona Bridal Night, the show’s gala night, on April 18, at the Llotja de Mar in Barcelona, an iconic building that encompasses more than 5 centuries of the city’s history, art, architecture and culture.
Barcelona Goes Bridal!
In this edition, the event is also committed to opening up to the city, leaving the catwalk and bringing fashion to the streets of Barcelona. To this end, it launches, in partnership with the company La Fura dels Baus, the creation Barcelona Goes Bridal! an artistic installation that will be on display throughout the event on Passeig Maria Cristina at the Montjuïc fairground, with the aim of attracting and interacting with the general public.
This is a large-scale reproduction that will represent the cycle of the bridal fashion industry: a large spinning hanger 100 meters long and 2.5 meters high from the ground can be seen, displaying 35 dresses from Catalan brands such as Pronovias, Jesús Peiró, YolanCris, Novia d’Art, Mariano Moreno and Olga Macià, among others, thus supporting the dissemination of local firms.
Business hub
BBFW 2024 is not only a fashion and trend centre, but also a business hub. With the aim of boosting business opportunities for participating brands, the show has rolled out its “hosted buyers” plan, which directly invites the highest-profile international buyers with high purchasing power, which will mean a major investment in the industry. These professionals come from over 80 countries, particularly from key markets such as Europe, the USA; Japan, South Korea, Latin American, South-East Asia and, for the first time in this edition, Australia.
The event thus brings together key buyers with the exhibitors of a trade show that goes beyond borders with brands from more than 35 countries such as Spain, the USA, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Poland, Ukraine and Turkey and with firms participating for the first time from countries such as Australia, France, Colombia, Kosovo, Lebanon, South Korea and Romania, among others.
In addition, the show will feature more haute couture brands such as Giambattista Valli, Zuhair Murad, Elie Saab, Stephane Rolland, or Viktor &Rolf, as well as other fully established international designers such as Jenny Packham, Tony Ward and Ines Di Santo, who are joined for the first time in this edition by Georges Hobeika.
Bridal & Fashion Awards
The event will feature the second edition of the Barcelona Bridal & Fashion Awards, endorsed by a prestigious panel of international experts and, in a ceremony presented by the famous US television personality Randy Fenoli, will reward the best designers and creations of the year for their talent, creativity and commitment to innovation, sustainability and inclusiveness in their collections.
Among the finalists for the best dress of the year are brands of the level of Galia Lahav (Israel), Cucculelli Shaheen (USA) and Pnina Tornai (USA). The best collection finalists are Ines Di Santo (Canada), Marco & María (Spain) and Sophie et Voilà (Spain). The awards also include categories for the best groom’s collection, ceremony, image campaign, tradition and innovation, craftsmanship and, as a new development, an audience award.
Barcelona, April 2024
Salvador Bilurbina – Mª Gloria Dilluvio
609 73 47 70 – 93 233 21 72
gdilluvio@firabarcelona.com