Ibiza
Inspiration for Custo Dalmau

He told us how the Dalmau brothers started out in graphic design 25 years ago. From this basis they came up with the idea of a ‘visual project you can dress with’. They learned about fashion as they went along – “to the extent that we know anything about it at all,” Custo adds modestly. In 1981 they designed their first T-shirt collection, the item of clothing that continues to be their hallmark and keeps their label vibrant. “Every graphic designer needs a medium. In our case that means textile. We decided on the T-shirt because it is a particularly functional item.” And all their designs revolve around the T-shirt: “For us, even a coat means a sort of T-shirt to be worn over other items of clothing. And a pair of trousers is a T-shirt to wrap round the legs…”

Their first collections were exclusively directed at the male market, “but eventually we had to broaden our appeal to include females because men don’t buy as many clothes.” No matter whether their designs are for ‘Him’ or for ‘Her’ they have attracted rave reviews everywhere in the world. This is particularly the case in the USA, where Custo Barcelona have opened their own outlets in all the major metropolises, and also in Italy.

We look forward to seeing their collections paraded at a national show in Spain again. “We would also be delighted but we are currently interested in fashion shows that have a strong international profile. Unfortunately, neither Madrid nor Barcelona are in the same league as New York at the moment.”