25th birthday of Desigual, Barcelona.

For the people who have the idea go to Barcelona, there you can find the exclusive brand, Desigual. Desigual is a Catalan brand and has its 25th birthday this year.

Desigual stands for ‘be different’. The collection always has a playful touch and contains many original prints. Desigual has got many colors in the collection. The designs are very feminine and that is where the customers are looking for. Everyone chooses the pieces that fit the best in their personal style and that is perfectly possible in this large collection of Desigual.

This brand is very popular in Barcelona. In 2008, this Catalan brand won the ‘Mapic Eg Retail Award’ for the best retail concept of 2008. It is going very well with this brand. Desigual is for a couple of years already very well presented on the trendy fashion fair ‘Bread and Butter’. They have also opened store after store and so grow very fast. Recently, Desigual has also opened its first store in the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam. All the stores of Desigual are designed by local street artists.

What is so different on this brand in comparison with other brands?The different lies in the tops, designs, prints and in the combination of colors. In Belgium, where Desigual has also some retail points, the clothes are offered in stores with more than one brand. Desigual fits perfect in this picture, but knows how to create another view in relation with other brands.

Festes de la Merce - Barcelona

Living in Barcelona for about 7 months I can surely say that Barcelona is a city of hundreds various faces. Designed to serve every need of tourists it combines the main commercial attractions without losing its origin and abundance of culture.

The “Festes de la Merce” is an amazingly interesting annual festival that is unique for Barcelona and takes place on September 24th. In those days the inhabitants of the capital of Catalonia celebrate the day of their patron, the Virgin de la Merce.

Many events from 22nd leading up to 24th are the result of their pride in their ancestry. They include the parade of the giants when a procession through the streets is made up for giant wooden figures as well as sport events, musical performances and fantastic firework. There is no better occasion to introduce oneself to Cava ... Catalonia's very own champagne!

One highlight are the human towers typical for Catalonia and the competition between the different groups of them. I would recommend you to go to “Placa de Sant Jaume” where the participants in traditional costumes (“castellers”) climb on top of each other until they can hold no more. Those human towers often reach a level of eight people!

To make sure you are not going to miss the main events go to the tourist information office above Plaza Catalunya (opposite Corte Inglés) and take a flyer so that you will know exactly where and when everything is taking place. This festival is a unique chance to discover Barcelona’s original side!