Who we are
Who we are
The online store is an initiative of the Consortium of Trade, Crafts and Fashion of Catalonia, an organization created by the Government of Catalonia, as part of the “Empremtes de Catalunya” project (Crafts with Identity), and the shop located at 11 Banys Nous st., in the heart of Barcelona’s city centre.
Empremtes de Catalunya was born in 2006 as an alternative to the wide range of products existing in Catalonia souvenir offer, many of which were not representative or even showed a dubious quality. Thus, with the aim of presenting a collection of craft products made in Catalonia to explain the signs of identity of our country, and a unique, exclusive and authorship offer, it was undertaken a joint project with the General Direction of Tourism of the Catalan Government, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), the Arts and Design Promotion (FAD) and the Institute of Catalan Studies for research and classification of the elements of art, culture, history, tradition, architecture, landscape and folk customs, among others, which were related to the Catalan society and the spirit of the Catalan people.
As a result of that study came out 116 icons that became the basis of the project Empremtes de Catalunya. 28 families of icons that hold nowadays about 3000 referenced products made by 160 artisan companies.
The Empremtes de Catalunya shop opened in 2010, and during this time, has increased both, the range of products and the sales volume, fidelizing a growing audience and covering the needs of an important segment of buyers that couldn’t find this kind of offer before.
The shop Empremtes de Catalunya is managed by Itaca, L'Art del Poble, a leading company in Barcelona specialized in quality souvenirs and handicrafts.
Empremtes de Catalunya® is a registered trade mark that identifies and distinguishes crafts from Catalonia that through a look to contemporaneity and identity transmits the values of the country. The distinction of products with a Catalan crafts brand allows both, Catalan citizens and tens of millions of tourists who visit us each year, to enjoy and take a real and guaranteed image of the country with them.
Families of inspiration are:
1. Prehistoric
2. Iberian
3. Roman Empire
4. Romanesque
5. Gothic
6. Renaissance
7. Baroque
8. Romanticism
9. Catalan Modernism
10. Gaudí
11. 20th century art
12. Literature
13. Food
14. Traditions and popular culture
15. Sant Jordi
16. Castellers (human towers)
17. Sports and events
18. Traditional and popular music
19. Lyrical music, classical
20. La nova cançó (musical movement)
21. Landscape and nature
22. Flora
23. Fauna
24. Urban landscape
25. Barcelona
26. Popular kitchenware
27. Characters
28. Oficis singulars (unique trades)
See the product catalog at http://empremtesdecatalunya.cat
Empremtes de Catalunya is an illustrator catalog of the country, aimed to people emotionally linked to the culture and crafts, especially from Catalonia.
The project Empremtes de Catalunya is alive, and evolves as the country's heritage, culture and society. The forms of symbolic representation aren’t left out, as the craft sector, evolving with new scientific canons and parameters of popular acceptance.