Carlota Barrera

Carlota Barrera is a Spanish fashion designer and educator based in Madrid. She is the Founder and Creative Director of her eponymous brand, Carlota Barrera, established in London in 2018. Her work explores the boundaries between masculinity and femininity, merging craftsmanship, cultural heritage, and a contemporary queer gaze. The brand has been recognised with awards such as the Vogue Fashion Fund Spain (2019), the MCDM Award (2022), and the Young Talent Award from the Academia de la Moda Española (2024), and has presented collections in Paris and London.

Alongside her design practice, Carlota lectures across leading institutions including Condé Nast College, Istituto Europeo di Design, Universidad Europea, IADE, and Centro Superior de Diseño de Moda de Madrid. At IED Madrid, she serves as Lead Tutor for the BA Fashion Design final collections. Her academic and public-speaking work—spanning conferences and round tables such as those organised by the European Fashion Alliance—focuses on contemporary menswear, sustainability, and the intersections between identity, design, and craftsmanship.

CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

• Founder and Creative Director, Carlota Barrera, Spain, 2018–Present
• Pattern Making Assistant, Richard Quinn, United Kingdom, 2017–2018
• Design Assistant, Carmen March, Spain, 2016
• Intern, Pedro del Hierro, Spain, 2015

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

• Lecturer and Lead Tutor for Final BA Collections, Istituto Europeo di Design (IED), Spain—Present
• Lecturer and Lead Tutor for 2nd Year Collections, Centro Superior de Diseño de Moda de Madrid (CSDMM), Spain,—Present
• Lecturer for Master’s Programmes, Istituto Europeo di Design (IED), Spain,—Present
• Lecturer (Part-time), Condé Nast College, Spain,—Present
• Lecturer for Master’s Programmes, IADE, Spain,—Present
• Lecturer (Part-time), Universidad Europea, Spain,—Present
• Guest Speaker, Master de Artesanía – Escuela Barreira, Spain,—Present
• Guest Speaker, CUNEF, Spain, —Present

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

• Master’s Degree in Fashion Design Technology (Menswear), London College of Fashion, United Kingdom, 2018
• BA in Fashion Design, Istituto Europeo di Design (IED), Spain, 2016
• Foundation in Fashion, Central Saint Martins, United Kingdom, 2014