The bare stone walls and piles of woollen scarves at Miriam Ponsa’s Barcelona headquarters would not have looked far out of place during the industrial revolution, when Miriam’s grandmother owned a thread-mill right here. But it was not until 2000, after obtaining a Fine Arts degree at Winchester College of Art (uk), that she decided to honour her family heritage by setting up shop on the same site.

The store itself is located on a busy thoroughfare in Borne, one of the city’s oldest districts, with a history of textile trade dating back to medieval times. Small and sparsely decorated – the latest collection hangs from heavy, antique rails; exposed brick-work and vintage furniture give the impression that you are in another era. It feels expensive, as if the production of each piece owes itself to generations of highly skilled artisan craftsmanship, which (in a way) it does.