Andres Sarda

"We don't follow inspiration guides, books or anything like that. For us, it is more about finding our own way and being inspired by what is happening in the world. Every year we go on a trip where we visit a different place in the world and get to know the people around us, and that is really our biggest source of inspiration”
So says Nuria Sarda, designer and creative director at Andres Sarda, and daughter of the man who gave name to and  founded the now well-known fashion house, when we ask her where she finds her inspiration. Today, the brand Andres Sarda, is known for its often cutting-edge designs that are as colorful as the city where the brand originated; the vibrant streets of Barcelona.

The year is 1960, and Andres Sardá Sacristán works in his father's company, which produces Mantillas, a traditional Spanish lace veil used especially in the Catholic Church. The SARDA name suddenly became world famous when Jackie Kennedy was photographed in one of Sarda's mantillas during a visit to the Vatican. The now iconic image graces the cover of a well-known LIFE Magazine, and before long word of Sarda's unrivaled lace has spread all over the world. At the same time, the public mood in Spain is tense, and especially the relationship with the church and religion is up for re-evaluation, which results in the mantilla being abolished as compulsory clothing in church. However, Sarda's love for the family's needlework and the demanding lace was too great for him to give up his passion, and instead he decided to make lingerie. In 1962, he thus founded the brand Andres Sardá. In the middle of a time with an oppressive political climate that particularly restricted women in society, he launched a collection that broke with all the norms and rules of society.

The first collection was born, quite against the currents, with a focus on the woman's view of herself, rather than having the male gaze in mind. Sarda's vision was that the collection should first and foremost make women feel good - that men liked it too was of course a welcome side effect, but that was not the point. The idea of ​​putting women first in contemporary Spain was revolutionary and broke with all traditions, and ever since then the brand has had a tradition of just that – breaking with tradition.

This was expressed both in the many innovative designs and materials, and in the 70s Sarda launched the first swimwear collection in lycra, which was groundbreaking for the fashion scene in the 70s. The brand's innovative designs were immortalized in a campaign by iconic photographer David Hamilton, who interpreted Sarda's colorful universe through his own lens. The campaign was a great success, and since then the love for the brand has only grown worldwide.

The Sarda family has a long tradition of being creative in many different ways, and for the current designer and creative director, Nuria Sarda, lingerie design also became a great passion. In 1996, she officially joined the company and began working closely with her father. When Andres Sarda passed away in 2019, Nuria took over the role of carrying the family's designs in to the world. A transition that seemed natural to Nuria.
"In relation to the actual work in the company, it was actually very easy to take over from my father, because we have had a very close collaboration throughout, and therefore the spirit of the company was already a large part of me".
And since then, Nuria has continued the tradition of breaking traditions and rethinking designs, such as the time she produced a bra without straps and without a back, when the brand's photographer playfully challenged her to create something completely new and extraordinary for a collection. The bra was a great success, and continued in several future collections. And precisely making designs that, in their very own way, break with the norms, is what makes Andres Sarda's designs unique and sought after worldwide.