Colombian by birth, Edgar Carrascal arrived in Barcelona 15 years ago, after living and studying in New York. Carrascal, 40, is a founding partner of the design and strategy studio for fashion brands Bobo.bliss, which is in charge of creating strategies for fashion brands that want to take a business leap or those that need to refresh their branding. An entrepreneur, he is also involved in other initiatives and is currently creative director of Cityer.cc, a mobility and fashion brand for ‘smart cities’.
Why did you choose Barcelona?
In my initial plans I was going to study in Milan, but at the time of analyzing the educational proposal in the marketing and business sector I decided that Barcelona was the best option. It was recommended to me as an ideal city for art and fashion.
What aspects of the city would you highlight as positive?
The balance of an ecosystem between business and culture, the quality of public transport and the ease of moving throughout the city. The offer and quality in both cultural and artistic events and, finally, that it is a maritime and air access gate for all of Europe. In Barcelona you find everything, and you find people of different nationalities; It is certainly a very global city.
What aspects of the city need to be improved? How?
Something I miss is seeing how fashion appropriates public spaces in the city. Bring the culture of fashion closer to the street through consensus between private companies and institutions, generate quality events and business spaces for medium-sized companies and entrepreneurs.
What do you think are the strengths of the city to overcome the crisis generated by Covid-19?
The attractiveness that it has at an international level for its quality of life and the infrastructure of the city. Take advantage of the fact that the Barcelona brand is still valid and the city is a point of access to Europe for all of Latin America. With the great technological progress that the city has made, I believe that betting on bringing sectors such as fashion and technology closer together would place it in a competitive position worldwide.
What challenges do you think the city faces once the health emergency has subsided?
One of the most important challenges is to recover the entire network of local companies and strengthen it, to use this as a great opportunity to generate new business ideas and export the Barcelona brand. Active work must continue on taxation for the new company, salary competitiveness and maintaining political stability. The latter seems essential to me.
What do you expect from Barcelona in the coming years?
I hope that it continues to be a Barcelona open to the world and plural, that it continues to retain talent. Also that it be consolidated as an international business center for large investors.
What do you feel is your city? What do you miss the most?
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Barcelona has become my home, it has welcomed me and helped me develop as a professional, I don’t see myself living anywhere else right now. Barranquilla is my origin and I don’t see it possible to be who I am without one of these two cities.
I’m very family-oriented, so I miss seeing my nephews grow up, but when I have the chance I run away to see them.