LCI Barcelona marches at 080 Barcelona fashion: "our students make all prototypes themselves, something you Don't see in other fashion schools"
Last Thursday, October 28, the Catalan catwalk 080 Barcelona Fashion ended.The students of the LCI Barcelona Fashion Design School were invited to participate in this completely digital October edition, with their fashion graduation film “Inner Worlds” (internal worlds).From FashionUnited we talked to Estel Vilaseca, director of the Fashion Area in LCI, about the extensive process of fashion design in LCI, the graduation parades in digital format, designers who graduated in LCI, and on how LCI Barcelona differs from othersFashion schools in Spain.
From LCI Barcelona they have participated in previous editions of the 080 Fashion.Can you tell us more about your collaboration?
"Every year, several local fashion design schools have the opportunity to participate in Catalan Fashion Week. Our students had already participated in the event in person. But COVID-19 forced us to explore other options for the paradeof graduation, and that coincided with the fact that the last three editions of the 080 Barcelona Fashion have been in completely digital format, betting on the format of the fashion films. Students like the digital format because they give them more freedom thanIn a traditional parade to express themselves creatively. In the end, the interests of the organization of the Barcelona Fashion Week and LCI are the same: promote creativity, innovation in fashion, creations and local production. ”
How many students have participated in the Fashion Final Fashion that was shown in the 080 Barcelona Fashion?
”The 15 students of the last graduation promotion with the highest note.In LCI Barcelona, we have 53 students who graduated this academic year, and all will show their collections in the great digital graduation parade of the school in December.080 Barcelona Fashion organizes two editions every year but our last year students only participate in the October edition.
”These 15 selected students have the opportunity to offer the public an advance of their creations.Every year in October, we show a version of that advance of the 080 Barcelona Fashion and we like to refer to it as a "trailer" for the great show. "
How were the preparations in the months prior to the premiere of the fashion film?
”The last year's approach to our grade students is their graduation collection, which is shown in the final graduation parade.Students can make options but the year focuses mainly on the parade and the design process that precedes it.From September to January, students focus on devising the concept of their final project, and the selection of materials and fabrics they would like to work with, as well as visualizing what the presentation of their collection and the technical chips of theirconcept.In later months, from January to June basically, they begin the long process of creating and developing their prototypes, and I wantIt is always required in other fashion design programs in Spain.In LCI, creating prototypes on your own is a fundamental requirement.
"After developing and creating their prototypes, students are carried out by themselves or take them to the workshop to make them. Some students make some pieces themselves and outsource others."
How was the final result of the graduation parade in digital format?
”LCI Barcelona not only has a fashion department.We have a graphic design school, an interior design school and a photography school for example.For this less conventional format of the graduation parade and the challenges of creating a fashion film, we ask students to immortalize the looks created by last year students and collect them in a lookbook.Interior design students helped with the design of the scenery and graphic design students made the credits.Prepare together as an institution This project for an event as legendary as the 080 Barcelona Fashion has been wonderful.
”In addition to the students of different departments, our teachers and the LCI staff also brought their shoulders.For example, Professor Alex Llopis, who teaches photography and is also part of the fashion area, directed with his team the fashion film and took care of the Directorate of Photography of the same, and saves Elephant, responsible for the photography area, he directedAnd he coordinated the photo shoot in which the photo students fired the campaign and lookbook images that appear in this article.
"Last June, we spent five whole days recording- from Monday to Friday from 9 in the morning to the afternoon-and later we shared a version of the fashion film on our LCI platform."
Could you describe the concept that was chosen for the Fashion Graduation Film of the 2020-21 promotion of LCI Barcelona?
"The graduation parade trailer was titled" Inner Worlds "and both for the fashion film version for the 080 Barcelona Fashion, and the global fashion film, the concept is the same.
Pandemia, and confinement in particular, has been a stage that has marked our students.Everyone faced it in their own way.We could say that each one lived in their own "mental world" for months.When the confinement ended they were at the end of the third year, and in September they had to start developing their collection.
"As for the scenery, we recorded in the Barcelona Top Studios photography studio, in front of an abstract white background developed by Pedro Coelho, responsible for the interior design area in LCI Barcelona. This white background allowed us to highlight the collection of each individual student, and its own world, within the global show. The floating balloons that are seen in the fashion film represent the different universes. The main parade is an invitation to travel and discover all these individual visions and ideas. This is also the reason why thethat I cannot choose only one or two students who stand out for their designs. Their collections are all very interesting and unique in their own way. ”
Click here to see the graduation parade of the students of LCI Barcelona for the 080 Barcelona Fashion.
Is sustainability an important part of the subjects taught at the LCI Barcelona fashion school?How do they do that?
"Without a doubt, and it has been an essential aspect of our program for several years. We have been teaching our students how to work with natural dyes, manual techniques to create and make garments, how to incorporate natural materials such as wool, for example, etc.This is reflected in the collections of many designers who participated in the show. To mention some students who explored the sustainability in their designs in an innovative way this academic year would mention: Jin Bing, who used techniques with natural dyes and worked the denim, Sara Bailac, who created a complete UPCyCling collection, reusing clothing that already exists, Carla Calbet, who chose to recycle different fabrics such as stock remains and incorporated hand -painted garments in her collection. Many students bet on the crafts:Prenas created manually with the intention of having value and lasting longer. ””
According to you, what distinguishes LCI Barcelona from other fashion design schools that participate in Barcelona Fashion Week?
”The collections of our students must have at least 8 looks, and some develop between 30 and 50 pieces to build these sets.That is why our students' collections are distinguished because they are usually more complete and detailed.Several different patterns and techniques are incorporated, and it is sought that patterns are not repeated, but experience.In the end, what we do is very close to haute couture, and we have a very professional team, headed by the project director Gabriel Torres, who guides students throughout the design process.
”In LCI, we have been teaching fashion design for 92 years so we are a pioneer school in this area.
”Nuestra escuela de moda tiene unos exalumnos conocidos, como el diseñador alicantino Dominnico quien recientemente fue galardonado con el premio Vogue Who’s On Next la semana pasada. Se graduó en LCI Barcelona hace tan solo unos cinco años.
”María Escoté, diseñadora española que está colaborando con Desigual en una colección cápsula, también es exalumna nuestra. Se puede consultar la lista completa de los ex-alumnos de LCI Barcelona en nuestra página web pero me gustaría mencionar a una diseñadora más, Paola Molet. Desfiló en la última jornada de la 080 Barcelona Fashion el miércoles pasado y forma parte del calendario oficial. Cabe señalar que se graduó hace apenas un año, en pleno confinamiento, y que ya ha participado en dos temporadas de la pasarela catalana, y que para la primera de ellas, mostró su colección de graduación, lo que de verdad demuestra cuán de completas son las colecciones de nuestros graduados una vez que están terminadas."
Editor note: This article has been edited after publication to reflect the information in the best possible way.
