Toni Miró, one of the great fashion icons of Catalonia, has died at the age of 74, from a heart attack. Miró stood out as a leading figure in the Catalan fashion world in the 80s and 90s, when he took his collections for men and women to the catwalks of Paris, Milan and New York.
"Yellow" store
Born in the Catalan city of Sabadell and the son of a tailor, Miró inherited his father's interest in fashion. It was in 1968 when, at just 20 years old, he opened his first store on Rambla Catalunya, in Barcelona's Eixample district. The name of the store: Groc - that is, "Yellow". There, he began to sell his first original designs.
A decade later, in 1979, he created his own brand, Antonio Miró, with which he would stand out as one of the great icons of the fashion world, not only in Catalonia but far beyond, in the 80s and 90s, years in which he took his collections to the most prestigious catwalks in the world, on both sides of the Atlantic.
It was in one of those 90s parades - to be specific, one of the editions of the Passarel·la Gaudí in Barcelona, a date at which Miró was always one of the stand-out names, that the Catalan designer had an extraordinary model: then-footballer and now coach, Pep Guardiola.
Pep Guardiola modelling for Toni Miró at Barcelona's Passarel·la Gaudí
Olympic designer
Alongside the projection of his own brand, Toni Miró also created wardrobe designs for several films and for different institutions, such as the Mossos d'Esquadra - the Catalan police force. He also designed the outfits for the ceremonies of the Barcelona Olympic Games, in 1992.
In addition to his work as a designer, he later truimphed as an entrepreneur, and in 1986 founded the company Antonio Miró SA to market his brand, together with partners Fernando Zallo and Ignacio Malet. In 1990 he signed an agreement with Ermenegildo Zegna for the international launch of his designs. In addition to clothing design, his firm also focused on jewellery, accessories, perfumes, bathroom furniture and interior design.
His place as an essential reference in the design world was recognized by awards such as the Cristóbal Balenciaga for best Spanish clothing designer, which he won in 1987. In 2003 he was recognized for his career in Catalan fashion with the Antoni Gaudí Moda medal.
Catalan business minister, Roger Torrent, expressed his sadness at the loss of the designer, "a reference point in fashion in Catalonia and also internationally," he said via Twitter. Spanish culture minister Miquel Iceta also lamented the death of the iconic fashion designer via his Twitter account.