Barcelona is an inspiring city. Over time, its streets, architecture, mosaics and urban furniture have created set of symbols that are synonymous with the city and recognisable the world over.
Flor de Barcelona is a design project that transforms these urban icons into everyday objects for those who love the city and the symbols that represent it.
Creations with a Barcelona soul
This initiative is the brainchild of a group of designers with a passion for Barcelona: Manel Bonet, who dreamt of founding a stylish tourist souvenir brand and Martí Abril, with a knack for creating conceptual objects and visual icons of Barcelona. They were soon joined by David Torrents, a multidisciplinary designer and urban artist who contributed his unique perspective to the project.
For this group, materials are all-important. They shun plastic and use paper and textile as creative allies to develop their products. Their approach is based on reinterpreting Barcelona’s iconography with a contemporary aesthetic, often through deconstructed geometric borders that evoke shapes and motifs present in the city’s public spaces.
The products in their collection include stitched notebooks, pencils, aprons, bags, cups, cushions, toiletry bags and magnets, all designed for everyday use or for anyone who wants to take home a special memento instead of a conventional, mass-market souvenir.
Passion for the city
One of Flor de Barcelona’s hallmarks is its commitment to local production. This project embraces local production, with processes informed by social justice criteria and respect for the surrounding environment. This commitment to “home-made” production city strengthens ties with the local economy and helps to reduce the environmental impact of production and distribution.
This responsible approach is also reflected in its connections with sustainability initiatives in the city. Flor de Barcelona is certified by Destination Barcelona Commitment to Tourism Sustainability and part of the More Sustainable Barcelona community, two programmes recognising businesses that are committed to responsible tourism and business management.
In addition to its own catalogue, Flor de Barcelona also develops personalised objects for companies and cultural institutions. Thanks to this kind of collaboration, these organisations’ merchandising is aligned with the brand’s defining values of quality, design and local identity. Flor de Barcelona has also become a tool for strengthening the city’s cultural narrative through its symbols.
A mosaic of values
Flor de Barcelona shows how design can be a tool for reinterpreting urban heritage and creating products with their own identity. By combining creativity, local production and a commitment to sustainability, it offers a contemporary perspective on the city’s symbols and demonstrates that creation backed by passion and values results in products that truly represent Barcelona.
Love Barcelona? Check out these products at www.flordebarcelona.es
