This week we continue our look at Spanish influence on the world of designer fashion. Since 1997, the Custo Barcelona label has 
been a regular at New York Fashion Week and on catwalks around the world. The man behind the brand is Custo Dalmau, born Ángel Custodio Dalmau Salmón in Tremp, Lleida, Catalonia, in 1959.
Custo grew up in Barcelona and studied architecture, which may seem an unusual subject for a fashion designer, but it would go on to help inspire the complex graphic prints and textured textiles for which his label is so renowned. His brother David undertook a less surprising course of study in the Arts and together the two formed the Custo Line label in 1980. They started out by producing printed T-shirts which were an expression of their interest in graphic design and quickly found success with their unique creations – and so the Custo signature was born. Custo designs have since gone on to feature in hugely successful TV series such as Friends and Sex and the City and are worn by celebrities including Julia Roberts, Antonio Banderas and Charlize Theron.
Custo has appeared on numerous Spanish language TV shows and has done much in his years in the forefront of the fashion world to promote Spain and his local area in particular. He was recently awarded the prize for ‘Lo emprenedor’ (The Entrepreneur) by the Lleida province tourist board in recognition of his services in raising awareness of the area around the world.