The Palau Reial de Pedralbes provided the perfect backdrop as IED Barcelona unveiled its 21st Fashioners of the World showcase, presenting 25 graduate collections that showed technical skill and clear ideas about today’s fashion. The work demonstrated how these new designers approach clothing with attention to both form and meaning, focusing on practical sustainability and wearable concepts alongside visual appeal.

Laia Ripoll’s “YHÖ” collection stood out for its examination of personal recovery. The clothes mixed stiff and soft fabrics with visible stitching and groupings of safety pins, showing the contrast between restriction and release. The dark colors  (black, gray and metallic shades) followed the idea of moving from difficult times to better ones. The jury noted the careful work with metal details and how all the pieces worked together as a complete idea. The award includes a special perfume created by MANE for the collection, with one outfit to be shown at Pitti Fragranze 2025.

Laia Ripoll (Best Collection)

Anna Guitart’s “Morriña” film showed her gender-neutral winter collection based on family memories. Traditional details like pearl buttons and stitched patterns combined with modern elements such as a shiny red bag, connecting past and present. The film’s personal look at family history made a strong impression for its honest view of personal roots.

Two photographers shared honors for best images. Àlex Broto’s “The Anatomy of a Refuge” presented men’s clothes mixing sporty shapes with deeper feeling, using strong colors and active forms to show both movement and safety. Laura Beltrán’s “Anem al poble” took a different direction with reconstructed suits in dark wools, looking at personal acceptance and history. The judges said Broto’s photos suggested the tired feeling after competition, while Beltrán’s black-and-white pictures carried a sense of looking back.

Àlex Broto (Best Shooting)

Laura Beltrán (Best Shooting)

Julia R. Heine won the best illustration with “Lunch at the Tennis Court,” showing 1950s women moving between sports and society. The images mixed athletic items with dressy details to capture how women balanced different expectations. The jury said the drawings showed skill and smart composition.

Julia R Heine (Best Illustration )

Special notice went to Amir M. Kantalari’s “This Must Be the Place,” which remade leftover fabrics into comments on modern Iran, using printing methods that save water. Martina Mayol’s “Auster” received recognition for using only untreated organic cotton, showing Catalan traditions through simple, lasting shapes. The collection proved eco-friendly methods can make complete, wearable clothing without sacrificing good design.

Each collection dealt with real questions about personal stories, cultural background, environmental care and honest expression. The work suggested fashion’s direction when designers focus on why we wear clothes as much as how they look. The presentations made clear that these new designers approach their work with care for both making and meaning.

Check out some of our favorite looks below: