Bread & Butter: the allure of Barcelona?

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Jul 4, 2014

Once again, there are rumors circulating about Bread & Butter, which began on Tuesday, July 8. This time, they are coming (again) from Spain via the credible sources: La Vanguardia and El País.

According to these newspapers, the organizers are negotiating with Fira in order to bring the show back to Barcelona. Denim By Premiere Vision also left Paris this year for Barcelona, putting the Catalan city squarely onto the denim calendar.

In reality, it’s an old idea for Karl-Heinz Müller: a European North-South urban fashion axis with a winter edition in Barcelona and a summer edition in Berlin.

At one time, the organizers held four exhibitions per year - two in Spain and two in Germany - before concentrating fully on Barcelona and then going back to Berlin.

In 2009, Bread & Butter left Barcelona to take up residence in a historic, “dream” location: the former Tempelhof airport. While it got off to a promising start, many rumors have circulated since then: a move to Istanbul, a return to Barcelona, etc.. ?

According to sources, negotiations took place between Bread & Butter and Catalan authorities one or two years ago. But at the time, the local authorities were heavily invested in the show “The Brandery”, which was launched in order to mitigate Bread’s departure.

"Buyers spend, on average, a day in the city to take a look at new concept stores. But in Berlin, since the openings of 14. OZ and Urban Outfitters, things have been pretty static. What’s more, in winter, with the cold and the risk of snow, it’s not the best place to hang out," says Bruno Collin, co-founder of WAD and a regular at the event.

The Germans won’t give an answer right away. But, one thing is for sure: with three fewer halls, Bread & Butter needs a change. Organizers are already preparing a Korean edition. And given the buyers’ and exhibitors’ expectations for Karl-Heinz Müller to introduce a real change for the show, a return to Barcelona is definitely a possibility!