Motion & Meaning
One of the most striking things about Custo Dalmau, the creative director of Custo Barcelona, is his steadiness. The time he gave me was filled with clarity, movement, and the quiet kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are.
Updated 12:51 am EDT, April 16, 2025
Published 10:01 am EDT, April 15, 2025
Photo Credits
Fashion Designer: Custo Barcelona
Model: Criselys Garcia
Modeling Agency: The Walk Collective
Styling: Karo Delgobbo
Styling Assistant: Pietra Delgobbo
Photography & Set Design: Flávio Iryoda
One of the most striking things about Custo Dalmau, the creative director of Custo Barcelona, is his steadiness. Just by the rhythm of his speaking you can tell how fast his mind is going. It is clear he observes and sees the little details. And he doesn’t speak in metaphors or long-winded answers.
He’s direct, distilled. And yet, underneath that minimal language lies a fully formed universe. We were able to schedule a meeting and talk, and the time he gave me was filled with clarity, movement, and the quiet kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are.
Beyond the concept of “time is money” I wholeheartedly believe that Custo’s straightforward communication style is rooted in the fact that he is used to his work being the one that does the talking. And in the fashion industry, that is golden. For over four decades, Custo has used fabric as a language. His message? Boldness. Freedom. Unapologetic identity. Through color, pattern, and form, he has carved out a singular voice in fashion. A voice that refuses to whisper. A designer whose words are spare, but whose vision is extravagant. Whose brand is maximalist, and whose creative compass is crystal clear.
Creativity is the Engine
His latest collection, Mirage, carries this same spirit, but with a quieter kind of confidence. It feels like an evolution. The pieces are expressive, yes, but also fluid, deliberate, and emotionally intelligent. There’s a dialogue between strength and softness, sensuality and structure, echoing the complexities of the people who wear them.
Custo and his brother David founded the brand over 40 years ago, and through those decades, the label has grown into a symbol of bold expression. Even now, in a fashion landscape increasingly dominated by micro-trends, seasonal churn, and algorithm-driven aesthetics, Custo Barcelona remains steady and unshaken. “We never followed anything,” he says. “Creativity is the engine.”
In this, there’s clarity. A line that runs through his body of work with purpose. Over the years, the collections have embraced evolution, but never at the expense of identity. And identity, in Custo’s world, is sacred. “We will do anything to keep our identity,” he says without hesitation.
The Language of Fashion
That clarity can be seen in how Mirage plays with contrasts. The women’s looks pulse with shine and transparency, a celebration of fluidity and bold sensuality, while the menswear leans toward monochrome and comfort. But both sides of the collection speak the same emotional language: they are pieces meant to feel.
There is no empty spectacle here. Each look carries intention. Custo calls it “an advanced language of fashion,” and perhaps that’s the best way to describe it. His aesthetic isn’t just visual, it’s structural. Intuitive. Expressive without being self-conscious. There’s a kind of emotional architecture at play, where everything exists in conversation: texture and tone, movement and stillness, rebellion and refinement.
In recent seasons, the conversation around sustainability has grown louder. But for Custo, responsibility doesn’t have to mean restraint. His commitment to ethical creation isn’t about trend. It’s about legacy. In Mirage, he incorporates high-quality materials, including technological fabrics made from recycled plastics. “The goal,” he says, “comes from quality and longer life. Pieces that can become vintage.” It’s a beautiful reframing of sustainability. Not as limitation, but as longevity. The goal isn’t just to create responsibly, but to create well enough to last.
His Identity
He’s clear that sustainability goes beyond materials. “It’s about a balance,” he tells me. Between creativity and consciousness. Between art and ethics. Between expression and impact. It’s something many designers strive for and few truly master.
Before we finish, I ask him one final question: What advice would you give your younger self? “Everything passes,” he says, with a kind of quiet assurance. There’s something very graceful in that philosophy, almost an element of lightness. Mistakes don’t define you. They move through you. What stays is the work. The commitment. The identity. And the courage to keep going.
Custo Barcelona is a brand that has built its legacy not by chasing attention, but by honoring its truth. After four decades, Custo doesn’t design for applause, he designs to express. Boldness isn’t a strategy; it’s a truth. In a world of shifting aesthetics, Custo Barcelona continues to hold its line. Confidently. Design, in his hands, is not just visual. It’s emotional. Lasting. Recognizable by instinct. It’s not about being seen. It’s about being known.
Fashion Designer and Professor, Mena believes that fashion completely transcends the surface and the most important is how one feels rather than anything else. Fashion is really about how empowered one becomes by it. She channels vibrant flares of vintage fashion and dreams of contemporary twists, inspired by her own life and travels.
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