It has been said that Catalonia’s longstanding separatist identity is best characterised by its offerings to the creative arts. The capital, Barcelona has been ascribed a design temperament at odds with the rest of Spain – a mixture of ‘Reason and Craziness,’ Seny i Rauxa, that delights in the biomorphic forms of art-nouveau and surrealism yet which maintains an unwavering reputation for technical excellence. Fashion has been central to Barcelona’s mercantile history since the end of the eighteenth century with its textile industry maintaining it as a hub for high quality clothing production. From the 9th to the 11th July Andrew Gow will be there offering coverage of the city's fashion week.
Between this week's shows, i-D contributors Ben Weller and John Colver have been combing Spanish beaches in search of the ultimate kouros for an upcoming issue. Here they are looking moody on the balcony with some Catalonian cats in the background.