Interview with Albasarí Caro, Director of Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week
“Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week 2024 will focus on fashion more than ever”
Albasarí Caro is a professional with a large career in the industry spanning over 20 years in prêt-à-porter and bridal fashion companies, driving their internationalization and expansion. She holds a degree in Political Science from the International University of Florida and a master’s in Communication from the American University in Washington D.C. Since September 2022, she is the director of the Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week. In this interview, she outlines some of the highlights of the upcoming edition of the leading international bridal fashion event, organized by Fira de Barcelona, scheduled to take place from April 17th to 21st.
How does the upcoming edition of BBFW shape up?
BBFW 2024 will exude more fashion than ever. The event will once again become the global epicenter of trends and business, bringing together the entire bridal ecosystem in Barcelona, showcasing collections from major brands, haute couture houses, and emerging talents. BBFW will feature runway shows by some 30 designers and expects to host more than 360 brands, mostly international, in the trade show that will serve as the central hub for business and networking among the most prominent professionals, buyers, entrepreneurs, and operators in the international sector.
How will fashion be boosted at the event?
We aim to be more fashion-oriented, which means going beyond bridal gowns and encompassing the entire realm of galas, parties, or ceremonies. We will strengthen the event’s variety and evening wear from top-notch brands, including some haute couture firms, as well as men’s collections and accessories. But we also want to enhance the fashion experience both on and off the catwalk.
In this regard, what have you planned outside the runway and trade show?
We will host multiple events to highlight the importance of our city in this industry. The BBFW will hold the Barcelona Bridal Night and, for the second time, present the Barcelona Bridal & Fashion Awards, which will take place in the same Montjuïc venue, to acknowledge the excellence of several professionals in the bridal industry. The last edition honored brilliant masters and brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Viktor & Rolf Mariage, Carlo Pignatelli, Cortana, Isabel Sanchis, Monvieve, Nicole & Felicia Chang, as well as the designer Professor Jimmy Choo OBE, creative director of The Atelier Couture, and its CEO, Yew Loh.
The Barcelona Bridal Night already has its ‘guest designer’: Giambattista Valli. What else can you tell us about his participation at the event?
Giambattista Valli’s participation is the major highlight of this edition. It’s significant for everyone involved: the organization, the city, brands, and professionals who will be in Barcelona during these days. Valli is an established celebrity in haute couture, and we are proud to have him as the star of the Bridal Night. He will present, for the first time worldwide, the creations of his third “Love Collection” for 2025. We will reveal the location of the Bridal Night later on, but we can say that it will be in one of the most iconic venues in Barcelona, and a favorite of the Valli brand, that also visited the city on several occasions to help us choose the setting for their dazzling runway.
The Bridal Night has also hosted presentations of other renowned designers, such as Elie Saab or Viktor & Rolf, among many others, and it is always a real spectacle, and a great emotion.
What is the bridal segment’s space in the fashion world?
Many top fashion designers aspire to design the perfect wedding dress as the peak of their work, something clear in the fact that it often closes many high-profile couture and prêt-à-porter shows in Paris, Milan, or New York.
The bridal world is fully integrated into fashion in its broadest sense. Bridal fashion stands out for its immense creativity and ability to merge tradition and innovation, reflecting and effectively responding to changes in consumer habits as well as present and future challenges, such as sustainability, social awareness, digitization, and artificial intelligence. Precisely under the theme “NOW,” this edition’s campaign was created with AI, aiming to represent the current moment of change and the spirit needed to lead it.
What role does artificial intelligence play in the industry?
Artificial intelligence is driving change in all industrial sectors, and the fashion industry is no exception. Every change poses a challenge, but our proposal as a sectoral platform is to embrace change, to seize the opportunities offered by new technologies and combine them with the real values of bridal fashion: the person, creativity, craftsmanship, and emotion.
What does BBFW contribute to Barcelona, and what does Barcelona bring to the event?
The Barcelona brand and BBFW are intertwined and interact naturally because they share a DNA of creativity, originality, internationality, design, a cosmopolitan character, and openness to the new. Additionally, the city is home to major international fashion brands in the sector. BBFW was born and has grown here, claiming its place on the world map by putting Barcelona in the spotlight of the fashion universe, not only in the bridal niche but in general. This is a source of satisfaction, as well as a great responsibility that we embrace with enthusiasm, eagerness, and strength to continue driving the international leadership of the event and the city.
Barcelona, 20th of December 2023
Photos of Albasarí Caro HERE
Photos of the 2023 campaign ‘NOW’ HERE
Video of Albasarí Caro’s interview on Artificial Intelligence HERE
Video of the making off of the 2023 campaign ‘NOW’ HERE
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