Spanish selection: 15 of the best brands to know from Spain

Despite the upheaval of 2020, there is no doubt that there are fashion brands from all around the world that are continuing to produce strong and sellable collections.

And regardless of the UK’s imminent exit from the European Union, it remains our closest trading partner. Many European labels remain committed to the UK market, promising fruitful working relationships in the face of the political uncertainty.

Drapers has selected some of the best brands from the UK’s close neighbour: from Spain’s capital, Madrid, and cosmopolitan city of Barcelona, to the footwear manufacturing hubs and island of Menorca, we have bought together a mix of emerging and established businesses that are sure to appeal to UK customers.

We have found contemporary womenswear labels that bring a European quirkiness, glamorous occasionwear that delivers a specific Spanish flair, and a broad selection of quality footwear – a category in which the country excels – that will offer buyers, retailers and sales agents a much-needed point of difference during these difficult times.

Alba Conde

Launched in 1988 by José Antonio Conde in Galicia, north-west Spain, womenswear brand Alba Conde currently has 11 stores and franchises across Spain, including its flagship in Madrid. It has a further 400 points of sale throughout the world.

With more than 30 years of experience, today Alba Conde aims to offer a complete wardrobe for its customers. The sophisticated Alba Conde main line is joined by the AC by Alba Conde sub-brand, which focuses on more trend-driven, youthful styles, as well as the Evening collection, offering partywear and items for special occasions.

For autumn/winter 20, the collections include floaty floral dresses, boldly patterned tailoring, an eye-catching fair isle knit and a fake leather biker jacket with matching pencil skirt.

For outerwear, a cosy oversized teddy coat and tassel-trimmed checked wool jacket are stand-out items.

Audley

Audley originally launched in 1988 as a women’s footwear joint venture between British shoe designers Tim and Fiona Slack and Spain’s Gil family, which has been manufacturing footwear since 1944.

In 2014, the Gil family took over full ownership of the brand and bought new designers on board – Italian creative Marco Belluccini and Sara Gil Terrades, the great-granddaughter of the business’s founder – to add a more contemporary spin on Audley’s signature style.

Leaning on its long heritage, the brand is known for well-made designs in classic shapes – such as heeled Chelsea boots, Mary Jane T-bar heels and strappy flat sandals – reworked in fresh colours and eye-catching prints. This is mixed with more modern designs, including casual sneakers, playful wedges and platform options.

Prices range from €55 (£50) for shoes to €75 (£68) for boots

robertoperez@audley.es

audleyshoes.com

Castañer

Espadrilles are a classic summer staple, but it was Spanish footwear brand Castañer that gave them a chic makeover by adding a wedge heel back in the 1970s.

Making shoes since 1927, it was an encounter with French designer Yves Saint Laurent that led to the brand debuting its now-famous Castañer boho-luxe wedge-heeled silhouette.

The multi-strap design remains core to the brand and is stocked globally by Browns, Matchesfashion and Net-a-Porter. This classic design is updated each season via fresh colours, fabrics, finishes and heel heights, alongside a range of different designs. It has also added menswear and accessories, and has an ongoing a collaboration with British brand Paul Smith.

Further expansion beyond the espadrille includes a full winter collection of shoes and boots, while Castañer sneakers were launched in early 2020.

The brand is represented by Goldfinch Agency in the UK.

Prices for the footwear collection range from €95 (£86) to €275 (£248).

castaner@castaner.com

castaner.com

Chie Mihara

Spanish footwear brand Chie Mihara focuses on feminine, fun and comfortable styles – every shoe features a specially designed anatomical footbed to add comfort.

Born to Japanese parents in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, in 1968, designer Chie Mihara studied fashion and footwear design in Japan and New York, before moving to Elda, eastern Spain, at the age of 27. She founded her shoe brand in 2001.

The Chie Mihara spring/summer 21 collection has a late-1970s/early-1980s vibe, with square toes, platform heels and strappy sandals. It combines the disco style of Donna Summer and Tina Turner with bright blocks of colour, metallic fabrics and floral appliques.

Winter boots, bridal footwear and handbags are also available.

In the UK, the brand is stocked at Fenwick and John Lewis’s Oxford Street flagship.

Prices range from €100 (£90) for sandals to €175 (£158) for boots.

business@chiemihara.com

chiemihara.com

Hispanitas

Currently stocked by UK by Charles Clinkard, and independents including Rogerson Shoes, The Golden Boot and Pattersons of Aberdeen, Hispanitas is a women’s footwear brand with 30 years of history in shoe manufacturing.

The brand manufactures in Alicante, and aims to balance traditional craftmanship with up-to-date designs for the contemporary, cosmopolitan woman.

The autumn/winter 2020 collection features classic shoe staples alongside more casual styles. Highlights include sporty sneakers elevated via typically formal fabrics, heeled Chelsea boots with contrasting panels, and the Hispanitas take on the cowboy boot trend, featuring pointed toes and cowhide-patterned panels.

Other styles bring contemporary twists to traditional footwear shapes – for example, smart loafers with sneaker soles, casual shoes with hiking boot eyelet laces and classic derby silhouettes with platform soles.

Prices range from €45 (£41) for shoes to €80 (£72) for high boots.

j.carbonell@hispanitas.com

hispanitas.com/es

Indi & Cold

Womenswear brand Indi & Cold describes itself as feminine, boho chic with a retro touch, which comes through in its signature pretty floral prints and relaxed silhouettes.

It was established in 2012, and now has 18 stores across Spain. It counts Henley-on-Thames womenswear independent retailer Busby & Fox among its UK stockists.

Led by creative director Cristina Villar, who formerly held the same role at womenswear label Hoss Intropia, the autumn/winter 2020 collection includes floaty blouses and dresses with ditsy florals and botanical prints, contrasted with chunky knitwear and mannish high-waisted trousers, tailored blazers and smart coats.

Indi & Cold is making progress towards being more sustainable, and uses recycled wool and recycled polyester, BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) cotton and Dry Indigo-dyed denim – a technique from Spanish denim producer Tejidos Royo, that saves 100% of water, and uses 89% less chemicals and 65% less energy.

Middleton Green Agency represents Indi & Cold in the UK.

Prices range from €20 (£18) for a T-shirt to €90 (£81) for a coat.

irati@indiandcold.com

indiandcold.com/world/

Laura Bernal

A favourite of Spanish celebrities and TV stars, womenswear brand Laura Bernal was founded in 2011, and describes itself as fashion for women who “fly high”.

The brand has a glamorous, retro style throughout its collections, and is best known for its wide range of dresses and eveningwear separates.

Stand-out items in the autumn/winter 20 collection include a chevron-striped long-sleeved midi-dress, a belted blazer dress with statement puffed shoulders in a rich red, and a one-sleeved black mini-dress with a polka dot sheer sleeve and bow detail.

Elsewhere, a wide-lapelled, boxy-shouldered blazer in graphic houndstooth pattern, a colourful coat in a wool check, and a black military-style jacket with contrasting red epaulets and pocket flaps also catch the eye.

Laura Bernal is represented by Geraldine Neilan in the UK.

Prices range from €100 (£90) for a jumper, to €350 (£316) for a coat.

ester@laura-bernal.com

laura-bernal.com

Lola Cruz

Maria Jesus Gozalvo launched women’s footwear brand Lola Cruz in 2000 and creates stylish, contemporary designs that nod to luxury fashion trends.

For autumn/winter 20 the collection ranges from casual sneakers with metallic fabric accents and pared-back loafers featuring chunky chain decoration, through to high-heeled, square-toed, lace-up boots and strappy platform stilettos in metallic snakeskins.

The most popular style is the Gambels boot, which first launched for spring/summer 19. The heeled cowboy-style boot comes with a pointed toe and metal toe cap, an exaggerated stacked three-inch Cuban heel and a mid-leg-height upper.

The boot comes in several options for AW20: white leather, worn black suede and a show-stopping silver metallic snakeskin version.

Prices range from €70 (£63) for shoes to €120 (£108) for boots.

info@navima.net

lolacruz.com

Luis Civit

Although Luis Civit produces a range of womenswear collections, from casualwear through to event dresses, the brand is best known in the UK for its special occasion designs, covering everything from party dresses and separates, through to mother-of-the-bride and -groom outfits, complete with matching hats.

A third-generation family business, Luis Civit began life in 1973 in the Spanish city of Barcelona, and first launched in the UK nearly 30 years ago. It has been bringing a Spanish flair to events and special occasions on British shores ever since.

Alongside its occasionwear, the brand is also known in its homeland for its growing casual collections, bringing the Luis Civit signatures into a more daywear styles, such as shirt dresses and relaxed tailoring.

Luis Civit has several stockists across the UK, including Nigel Rayment Boutique in London and Manchester, and Silks of Cheltenham. It is represented by Amanda Nimmo Fashion Agency.

Prices range from £29 for a blouse to £180 for occasionwear.

amanda@amandanimmo.com

carusa.es

Macarena

Aiming to blend comfort, quality and new footwear trends, Macarena launched in 1970 in Enciso, northern Spain.

The company makes jute shoes for other brands and businesses, but also has its own in-house women’s footwear label, Macarena.

The core of its collection focuses on summery espadrilles that are reworked each season into new iterations.

Heels, wedges, platforms and flat sandals are warm-weather options in a range of fabrics and colourways, offering a wide selection of choice.

The latest designs bring a more youthful appeal to the staple espadrille, including sandals with decorative buckle details, options featuring pretty embroidered slogans such as “ciao” and “amore”, and the Macarena take on sneakers, complete with jute layer built into the sporty sole.

Prices range from €25 (£23) for a flat shoe to €60 (£54) for a wedge shoe.

exportacion@laro.es

macarenashoes.com

Mercules

Women’s leather brand Mercules launched in 2014. It makes all products by hand in Spain, using 100% calf leather.

Bags are core and come in a host of shapes and sizes, from cross-body designs to totes, alongside a growing collection of shoes, belts, scarves and jewellery.

While Mercules focuses on leather in a mostly earthy palette of neutrals, and rich greens and reds, there are several special options: woven basket bags – a key summer trend – add a nice point of difference, while all-over metal embellishments, long tassel trims and bold metallic fabric finishes offer uniqueness.

The brand has two stores in its home country, in Madrid and Bilbao, and has already caught the eye of UK independent stockists including Gerrards, Sass & Edge and The Dressing Room.

It is represented by Magpie Agency in the UK.

Prices range from €25 (£23) for a micro-bag to €125 (£113) for a large carry-all.

info@mercules.es

mercules.es

Nice Things

Focusing on the “nice things in life”, Nice Things is a Spanish clothing and accessories brand for women that was founded by couple Paloma Santaolalla and Miguel Lanna in Barcelona in 1995.

Now run by Santaolalla and her daughter, also called Paloma, the family business has several stores across Spain.

Famed for its hand-drawn prints and easy, wearable and feminine shapes, the autumn/winter 20 collection focuses on a palette of strong, muted colours.

Printed midi-dresses, blouses and long skirts are prominent, teamed with patterned or colour blocked knitwear and practical yet stylish jackets.

A bold blue jumper and matching silky slip skirt, padded puffer coat with contrasting check wool sleeves and fuzzy borg collar, and loosely tailored coats are Drapers’ favourites.

Represented in the UK by the Cinnamon Fashion Agency, stockists include The Mercantile London, and Nomad and the Bowerbird.

Prices range from £17 for a T-shirt to £87 for a coat

sarahc@cinnamonfa.com

nicethingspalomas.com

Pons Quintana

Working predominately in leather, Pons Quintana is a women’s footwear brand that launched in 1953 in Alaior, Menorca.

A woven design feature, whereby strips of leather are braided together, is the company's signature, and appears across many styles, from summery sandals to detailing on knee-high winter boots.

The brand encompasses a broad spectrum of shoe options. The winter collection includes chunky high-heeled boots, smart flat brogues and flatform Chelsea boots.

Characteristically quirky designs include a turquoise Chelsea boot in soft velvet with a chunky cleated sole, a pull-on boot in the brand’s signature woven leather in an oversized silhouette, a heeled loafer in printed leather featuring a check pattern and a cowboy-style boot printed with bold leopard spots – all of which caught Drapers’ attention.

White Wolf Agencies represents the brand in the UK.

Prices range from €76 (£68) for shoes to €275 (£245) for boots.

garry.moore@footwear-agent.co.uk

ponsquintana.com

Pretty Ballerinas

Think of ballet pumps and Pretty Ballerinas is one of the first brands that comes to mind. Launched in 2005, it was created to take advantage of the Mascaro family’s 100-year history in making ballet shoes on the Spanish island of Menorca.

Worn by everyone from princesses Sofia and Leonor of Spain, to celebrity royalty such as Kate Moss and Angelina Jolie, the business has since expanded outside of its signature ballet pumps to offer a full footwear collection, all made with Spanish expertise.

For autumn/winter 20, the brand goes to the dark side with a vampy collection focused on black, metallics and reptilian prints.

Fresh designs this season include studded pointed loafers, chunky ankle boots, and flats decorated with skulls, velvet bows and red sequinned hearts.

Currently found in Harrods in the UK, the brand is represented by White Wolf Agencies.

Prices range from €55 (£49) for flat shoes to €110 (£98) for boots

david@prettyballerinas.com

prettyballerinas.com

Yerse

Womenswear label Yerse was conceived in 1964 in Barcelona as a knitwear brand. It now offers four complete clothing and accessories collections a year, and has 1,000 points of sale across 40 countries.

Casual and easy-to-wear pieces blend a retro look – via vintage prints, muted colours and classic, natural fabrications – with contemporary shapes, and practical yet stylish designs. Think floaty floral print dresses in boho cuts, teamed with sturdy, sleeveless denim workwear style jackets or lightweight outerwear in pops of orange, or loosely tailored trousers in relaxed silhouettes that can be worn with elevated basics, pyjama-style shirts or signature summer knits.

The brand says more than 90% of its collections are made with natural fibres, and 28% with organic materials.

The brand is represented by Cinnamon Fashion Agency in the UK.

Prices range from £7.60 for a top to £62.70 for a jumpsuit

emrah@yerse.com

yerse.com