He started it all with his grandfather, the one from Maria Fontanellas, owner of Espai Mietis , a visual and artistic marvel in the Poblenou neighborhood where leather crafts are adored. “We are a brand that started in 2017 and what we do is leather bags and jackets, leather garments,” she explains.
A trade that has come to him since his father's father began doing it in Equalizer. His father is current leather supplier for firms such as Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Chanel or Jacquemus. "My father makes leather, the raw material". In the case of Maria, the trade evolved with Italian airs. "I studied in Italy and returned with my father after finishing my degree to start the brand."
Dusty tones, pastel colors and crafts made of leather.
It refers to Mietis, a firm that was born launching its first complete collection in the fashion catwalk 080 Barcelona Fashion . "We made fewer accessories but more clothing with leather," he points out. That led her to win the award for Best Emerging Brand and to motivate her to do two more seasons.
In the end, the bags became her only obsession ... and the one of all Instagram, that currently she surrenders to colorful ones plagued by powdery tones and festivals dyed in pastel colors.
“We launched the website in 2018 and We made a pop up in Los Angeles ”. That same short-lived event was the triggering moment to open Espai Mieits . “We came up with the idea and need to create a space to collaborate with other artists from other types of different disciplines. We did it with the idea that things happen here ”. As they pass by, Mietis collections are also on display, not only in bags, but also in customizable jackets.
Leather jackets are also protagonists of the Mietis collections.
How can they be customized? we have a mini workshop in space in which unique garments can be made. We also want to organize workshops to show the client how to do it themselves , how the pieces they are buying are made and thus bring the customer closer to the brand and its craftsmanship”. One that begins in Ubrique and extends to a workshop in Santa Coloma de Gramanet . "This process is what the client doesn't see and what I find interesting for them to see."
Espai Mietis is located in Poblenou, the Barcelona neighborhood where artists and creatives settle to unleash their projects . "I decided to open here because of the concept that emerged from the pop-up, in a store that was focused on both fashion and art," says Fontanellas.
"Poblenou is far from the center but it is new. Here there are many spaces for design and photography and Espai's concept of uniting a gallery with our workshop fit perfectly . Here you live with a whole community of people who have their workshops and studios here. A) Yes, the space itself becomes a destination in itself".
Espai Mietis, in Poblenou.
Why are your proposals so successful? For an inspiration that comes from the love for product design, style memphis design, the color block or Pierre Paulin. Their bags, more than fashion, they are an art object , geometric shapes and volumes. The Marieta model, for example, was the first to be launched and is inspired by Murano vases. , in its forms and in the waves of the glass, as well as in its different colors.
“I believe that color and shape is what most distinguishes us at Mietis , it is a very special shape and the range of colors is abundant. I have many many details on that aspect. I'm not going to leave it, I think I would have to change a lot to do it”, he jokes between laughs.
The workshop inside the space.
Their jackets, also colorful, are inspired by the typical biker or in the psychedelic style of David Bowie. “We play with colors and we have jackets that are always with us, from the first collection, mixing the motor world with that of a little princess. A little Elvis in Las Vegas. The workshop in which they are made is owned by a married couple that has dedicated themselves to this trade throughout their lives.
"They have worked for Loewe and have an excellent way of working. In fact, until I found them I couldn't find someone who would do what I needed. The tradition that they keep alive is being lost and hardly exists anymore."
Styles such as Memphis Design, color block or Pierre Paulin inspire the collections (and the space) of Mietis.
Fontanellas is aware that there is still a long way to go get out of consumption low cost, but he recognizes that more and more the public wants to invest in well-made and unique pieces like his. “It is a very powerful industry, but many are beginning to consider changing their consumption . Even more so after the pandemic”, he acknowledges.
Maria Fontanelles.
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