Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week is taking steps to secure the attendance of Asian buyers at its upcoming edition

Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week (BBFW) has taken steps in recent weeks to minimise travel difficulties for bridal fashion brands and buyers travelling to the event, the largest trade fair in the sector in Europe, which will take place from April 22 to 26 in Montjuïc, Barcelona.

“Asia remains our primary commercial focus… And it is true that there have been difficulties on some flights, but measures have been taken to reroute flights so that the vast majority of those who were going to come are not affected,” explained Albasarí Caro, director of BBFW, at a press conference, in relation to the war in Iran.

Buyers, many of them multi-brand retailers, from countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China are the fastest-growing group, attracted by the allure of haute couture and European and Spanish craftsmanship (most of the dresses made in Spain are exported). For this reason, Caro added, the BBFW team has been working for weeks to ensure they can attend.

At the same time, the organisation had “reacted in good time” to mobilise other markets such as Brazil and the United Kingdom, which face fewer logistical hurdles, said the director, who predicted that this year’s figures would “hold steady” at more than the 23,500 visitors recorded last year.

“Our focus will continue to be Asia. And we don’t see that this situation (the war) has to be like this in the long term. But, at the same time, we believe in always addressing the whole world and in having broad reach,” Caro added.

Beyond those who come to do business, the catwalk programme also includes labels from Asia such as Wang Feng (Shanghai), The Atelier by Prof. Jimmy Choo (Malaysia), Serina and Kiyoko Hata (Japan), Vaishali Studio (India), and Joli Poli (Vietnam).

This is not the first time that geopolitics has found its way into the BBFW trade fair, which features more than 400 brands (86% international) from over 30 countries.

The tariffs of Donald Trump’s US administration already worried the sector in 2025, including, not least, Spanish brands selling to the US. According to Caro, however, the brands have been able to “adapt” to the situation by “readjusting final prices.”

34 bridal fashion shows

Beyond the trade fair, the first days of BBFW will feature up to 34 shows, most of them international, with the exception of emerging Catalan labels and the established Yolancris and Isabel Sanchís (both Rosa Clará and Pronovias left the show in recent years to stage alternative shows).

Among all the shows (across all brands, more than 900 wedding dresses for 2027 will be presented), the highlight is Wednesday night’s show by the edition’s guest of honour, Stéphane Rolland, the French designer who will headline the 2026 “Bridal Night,” an event marking its tenth anniversary that has previously brought to Barcelona the bridal collections of Vivienne Westwood and Elie Saab.

In addition to presenting up to 80 looks in his brand’s show, Rolland has collaborated with Barcelona design schools IED, LCI, and ESDI, and more than 20 students will open the show with their own designs.

This initiative, Caro explained, aims to boost emerging talent and enhance the international visibility of the Catalan capital’s new creative generations. Rolland said he was “very proud” of the students and anticipated a “very exciting and solemn” fashion show.