Collision theory

Founded in the early ‘80s, Custo Barcelona was born when the label’s founders, the brothers Dalmau, took a jaunt across the continents, landed in California — a spot which sparked the duo’s creative interests — and drew inspiration from the surfer styles and psychedelia atypical of the locale’s lifestyle. Custo and David, stylish siblings that they were, instantly began imagining a label that would turn out to be a T-shirt line, fashioned from luxe embellishment and fashion-forward graphic design. They returned to their home town in Spain, creating shirts that spawned the original incarnation of their brand, which they dubbed Custo Line.

Today Custo Barcelona has earned a reputation as the eccentric outsider of the fashion labels. Steadfastly holding on to their love of prints, the Dalmaus have injected their line with an essence that is distinctly their own. Draw eight coats from eight different labels into a line-up and the chances of spotting a Custo coat within less than a minute are infinite. The wild red print and fur muffler would instantly distinguish the piece of clothing as the handiwork of the Dalmaus.

Custo, simply put, is the mad hatter of the bunch — devoted to producing eye-catching patterns that’ll draw all eyes to you.

Take the simple T-shirt. It gets imprinted with the label’s signature look thanks to a collage of images and textures, often silk-screened onto a stretchy, form-fitting (sometimes mesh) tee that hugs the body in all the right places. Their dresses, cut to a flattering micro length, play with color — eye-popping brights in a kaleidoscopic mix.

Simply put, it’s not the uniform of shy, wilting sorts. Wallflowers need not apply.

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Custo Barcelona is available at Rustan’s Department Stores.

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E-mail me at oohbea@gmail.com!