Today sees the beginning of the leading event in bridal fashion in its new digital space designed to promote connections and business opportunities among brands, buyers, operators from the sector and brides-to-be, as well as communication professionals and wedding planners. The show, which has received the support of the Ministry of Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government, provides professionals with an app on which, from any device (a mobile, PC or tablet), they can view the content and connect with the hundred or so brands, more than half of them from abroad, that are taking part in the VBBFW Trade Show or follow the fashion parades set to be held on an immersive stage in partnership with La Fura dels Baus, the drama company that specialises in the performing arts.
24 firms will parade on the catwalk: Pronovias and other brands belonging to its group, such as Nicole Milano and House of St. Patrick, Jesús Peiró, Yolancris, Sophie et Voilà, Isabel Sanchis and Higar Novias. Various international brands will also present their collections in the fashion shows, including the Korean brand Vestal, The Atelier, the Malaysian firm directed by Jimmy Choo, Flora, from Israel, the French firm Cymbeline, the American firms Demetrios and Yumi Katsura, Marylise & Rembo Styling from Belgium and the Italian firms Valentini, Bellantuono and Amelia Casablanca, as well as the new talents such as Lorena Panea, Olga Macià, Léonie Bridal and Poesie Sposa. In addition, VBBFW is launching new formats such as that of the Italian firm Antonio Riva which, exclusively for this event, will open the doors of its “maison” and present the new creations of its world and its new collection, Étoile 2021.
All the fashion parades will be open to the public via the show’s app to enable future brides and fashion lovers from all over the world to enjoy the latest trends from a new virtual “front row” on their mobiles and tablets.
The platform will also host the Trade Show, a digital showroom exclusively for professionals that will welcome the brands’ proposals for the fashion shows. There will be a total of around 100 brands, 64% of them international, including Watters (USA), Atelier Emelia (France), Ersa Atelier (Romania), Talbot Runhof (Germany), Madi Lane (Australia), Gali Karten (Israel), Petrelli Uomo (Italy) and the Spanish firms Marco & María, Serena Whitehaven, Ramón Sanjurjo, Inuñez, Sedomir Rodríguez de la Sierra, Pol Nuñez and María Barragán, among many others.
Beyond fashion
The show will also conduct different activities organised with the collaboration of domestic and international companies and entities, including the Save the Children NGO, which is carrying out a project titled “Stop Child Marriage”. The programme, which is being implemented in Sierra Leone, aims to empower girls by encouraging their schooling and entry into the world of work. The challenge consists of raising 50,000 euros through donations, which can be made via a link available on the VBBFW website and app.
In addition, in accordance with its mission as a centre for the dissemination of content of interest to the industry, VBBFW will present the study prepared for the show by Professor José Luis Nueno from the IESE Business School, “Bridal Fashion, Sustainable Style, Conscientious Business”, which analyses the future challenges for the industry in a post-covid environment and the role of sustainability as one of the keys to the development of the industry.
The app will also include an area devoted to the fusion of art and beauty provided to future brides and art lovers by high-end cosmetic firm Valmont.
All these activities and others, conducted in partnership with the Design Institute of Spain, Wedding Media International and the IED (Istituto Europeo di Design), can be followed on demand on the show’s app from today onwards, except for the ceremony to present the Elle International Bridal Awards, the prizes in different categories that acknowledge excellence in the bridal world, which will be broadcast live on 21 September.