Desigual unveils new “Studio” line from Barcelona

Barcelona – Following the catwalk show in June 2024, which marked a new chapter for the brand founded by Thomas Meyer, Desigual held another runway presentation on Wednesday, September 10, again in Barcelona (Spain). This showcased the first collection of its new premium line: “Desigual Studio”.

Held within the “Nau de Turbines” at Barcelona’s iconic “Les Tres Ximeneies” urban space, the show, which FashionUnited attended, drew over 500 attendees. These included prominent professionals and representatives from fashion, music, film, and culture. The audience highlighted the brand’s convening power and global influence, bringing together figures such as Edward Enninful, former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, American singer and actress Becky G, British fashion model Lila Moss, Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole, American model and actress Paris Jackson; and Spanish actress Ester Expósito, Desigual’s current global ambassador. Their presence supported the Spanish fashion house and its founder, who also attended the show. The front row was further enhanced by guests from key markets for the brand, including Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Germany, Mexico, Japan, and China, such as Spanish influencer María Pombo, fashion designer Miranda Makaroff, Italian celebrity Valentina Ferragni, French celebrity Lena Mahfouf, model Karolina Pisarek, German actress Kayla Shyx, Mexican actress Andrea Chaparro, Japanese actress Riisa Naka, and Chinese business women Angelene Sun.

The event aimed to officially launch the new “Desigual Studio” line. This new premium line within the brand's universe begins with this first collection, unveiled in a “See Now, Buy Now” format. Designs are now available on Desigual’s global online platforms. The pieces will arrive in physical stores over the coming weeks, but only in ten Desigual stores worldwide. These digital and physical touchpoints will sell the menswear and womenswear pieces from this first “Desigual Studio” collection. This offering exemplifies the brand’s ambitions for the line as part of Desigual’s diversification and elevation strategy.

“'Desigual Studio' is our most strategic initiative,” stated Fernanda Blasco, Desigual’s product director, in a statement provided by the Spanish company. As a new line within the brand, it is conceived as “a collection that elevates Desigual’s codes and reaffirms our commitment to innovation and creativity as a driving force for our identity”. Blasco further explained how, “inspired by Barcelona and our archives”, the new line serves as “a creative laboratory that allows us to explore new designs, materials, and techniques to elevate the brand to a new dimension”.

Silks, nappa leather and cashmere

In its pursuit of premiumisation, and adhering to the essential lines upon which the “Desigual Studio” premium line will be developed, the brand presented an elaborate first collection. Inspired by the brand’s Barcelona roots, it reinterprets its archives. Blasco delved into these archives after joining Desigual as product director in February. She explained to FashionUnited that this was a crucial part of the leadership process in developing this first “Studio” collection. The line and offering are presented as a unified whole, based on four pillars: Barcelona, Desigual, craftsmanship, and quality.

Each of these pillars is embodied within this first collection. Barcelona is represented throughout the line, from its conception, inspired by the city’s fusion of sea and mountains, to the various city-inspired motifs featured on some garments. Many of these illustrations utilise Desigual’s historic production techniques retrieved from the brand’s archives and revitalised as part of the reinterpretation of the brand’s history. This will continue to shape each collection of the “Desigual Studio” line. This work has also led to the redesign and update of the historic patchwork jacket. Using upcycling techniques before the term even existed, this jacket laid the foundation for Desigual as a brand. It is now crafted in leather, exemplifying the premium profile that “Desigual Studio” aims to build.

With the same objective, the two central pillars governing the new line’s development, craftsmanship and quality, are the most essential yet subtle of the four. While Barcelona and Desigual’s soul and heritage primarily govern aspects linked to style, prints, and cuts, which may have a more direct link to the rest of Desigual’s offering, the craftsmanship and quality of materials provide the added value that makes “Desigual Studio” the premium line of Desigual. These two essential aspects, while potentially unnoticed visually, are undoubtedly perceptible to other senses, such as touch. Simply handling the garments reveals the commitment to incorporating noble fabrics and materials, many of which are new to Desigual’s offering or have only been used sporadically. Leather, for instance, has been used for specific designs but never to the extent seen in this first “Studio” collection. The brand has significantly elevated its profile through the use of silks, cashmere, and high-quality nappa leather. Desigual has crafted these materials with artisanal care, shaping them according to the new line’s codes to create pieces rich in detail, from four-pronged zips and logos to hand-dyed silk dresses and a leather jacket dyed and finished with a patched and trimmed fur effect, all key pieces in the collection.

“The new 'Desigual Studio' line was designed as the brand’s ultimate creative expression, a limited and exclusive edition for fashion-forward customers who value noble materials, meticulous craftsmanship, and elevated design,” Desigual stated. This is reflected in the new line’s first collection, which “explores the chromatic duality of the sea and the mountains” that define Barcelona, “with deconstructed silhouettes, premium materials”, and “reinterpreted iconic pieces”. It offers “a look at the brand’s archives and roots, returning to its most distinctive origins and taking them to a new aesthetic dimension”.

A runway show and collection with a message

Beyond design and materialisation, Desigual’s return to its genuine origins through its new premium line has also led the brand to reclaim its activist profile, using fashion as a platform for social and political awareness. This is something the brand historically championed during conflicts like the 1990 Gulf War, when it released garments with the message “War is not the answer”. This activist spirit is now strongly revived, as seen during the presentation of the first “Desigual Studio” collection. The show was closed by model of Palestinian descent, Aydan Nix, half-sister of Bella and Gigi Hadid, wearing a knitted dress with the message “Why?”, referencing the current situation in the Gaza Strip.

“With Palestinian roots on her father’s side”, Nix used her first public appearance for Desigual “to raise awareness, through fashion, of the human suffering in the region”. “This decision aligns with Desigual’s history,” the Spanish fashion house noted. It provided a fitting finale to the show, “reaffirming the brand’s courageous, non-conformist, and committed DNA, once again turning fashion into a platform to highlight globally relevant issues”. With this strategy, Desigual, far from seeking gratuitous controversy, “invites us to question the world we live in, to ask ourselves why division triumphs over connection, to choose empathy as a radical act, and to champion creativity as the bridge capable of transforming fear into love”.