In short
- Our catalogue lists 43 agencies in Barcelona, 29 of them members of AMAE, the Spanish association of models and agencies. Most are in Eixample (14), Gràcia (8), the old town and Poblenou (6 each).
- The 080 Barcelona Fashion week runs twice a year: in 2026 on 14–17 April and 20–23 October, in Port Vell.
- Barcelona is more a city of shoots than of catwalks: 2,758 productions were filmed in the city in 2025, 949 of them adverts.
- A single metro ticket costs €2.90, and if you are under 30 the 90-day T-jove pass costs €45.50.
This page covers only what is specific to Barcelona. Contracts, commission, tax, rules for minors and registration in Spain are covered in the guide Modeling agencies in Spain.
Where Barcelona's agencies are
Barcelona is the largest Spanish agency market in our catalogue: 43 of the 77 Spanish agencies are here, and so is AMAE, the trade association. The catalogue lists every professional agency with a live model board and leaves out schools, sellers of paid books and hostess staffing companies. We found an office address for 39 of the 43 agencies, and going by the addresses they give themselves, they are spread as follows:
| District and neighbourhood | Agencies | Nearest stations |
|---|---|---|
| Eixample: Dreta de l'Eixample (Passeig de Gràcia, Pau Claris, Diagonal, Gran Via) | 12: Elite Barcelona, Ford Models Barcelona, Generation Models, Mirrored, Nass Models, New Madison Spain, ONE Management Spain, Sight Management Studio, The Vanguard Management, Trend Models, Two Management Barcelona, View Management | L2, L3, L4 Passeig de Gràcia; L3, L5 Diagonal; L1, L2 Universitat |
| Eixample: Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample | 1: De Mil Models | L5 Hospital Clínic |
| Eixample: Sagrada Família | 1: MOT Management | L2, L5 Sagrada Família |
| Gràcia: Vila de Gràcia | 5: Blare Model Management, Francina Management, Miah Management, Mira Model, Salvador Models | L3 Fontana; L3, L5 Diagonal; FGC Gràcia |
| Gràcia: Vallcarca i els Penitents | 2: Ainhoa Quiroga Models, Le Troch | L3 Vallcarca, L3 Penitents |
| Gràcia: Camp d'en Grassot i Gràcia Nova | 1: Acting Publicidad | L4 Joanic |
| Sant Martí: Poblenou (Parc i la Llacuna) | 6: Bgency, Blow Models, Fifth Management, Towanda Models, Uniko Models, Viva Barcelona | L4 Llacuna, L1 Marina |
| Ciutat Vella: Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera (El Born) | 4: BENTŌ Models, Role Model Management, Traffic Models, Uno Models | L1, L4 Urquinaona; L1 Arc de Triomf; L4 Barceloneta |
| Ciutat Vella: Gòtic | 2: La Central Talents, Unit Model Management Spain | L3 Liceu; L1, L3 Catalunya |
| Sarrià–Sant Gervasi: Sant Gervasi–Galvany | 3: Fleming Models, Gimpera Models, Principal Models | FGC Muntaner, FGC Sant Gervasi |
| Les Corts | 2: Ana Mills Models & Talents, Lali Agency | L3 Les Corts; tram Francesc Macià |
The other four agencies (Angels Project, Ethnic Models, Isla Management and Sugar Kids) are not in the table because we found no office address for them. Several agencies are neighbours: Blare Model Management and Salvador Models share an address in Gràcia, Bgency and Towanda Models share one on Carrer de Pallars, and Uniko Models is a few doors along. Fifth Management and Viva Barcelona are both on Carrer de Llull in Poblenou, and Ford Models Barcelona and The Vanguard Management are on neighbouring blocks of Avinguda Diagonal. Three districts meet around Plaça de Francesc Macià, so Ana Mills, Gimpera Models and De Mil Models sit in different rows of the table although their offices are a few minutes' walk apart. Ten catalogue agencies (Angels Project, Blare, Blow, Elite, Fifth, Francina, Salvador, Traffic, Uno and View) also have an office in Madrid. The oldest is Salvador Models, founded in 1975; Francina Management dates from 1983, De Mil Models from 1996 and Fleming Models from 1997.
Thirty-three agencies have a women's board and thirty-three a men's board; 20 have a new faces board, 19 a talent board, 14 a kids board, 12 a commercial board, 4 a curve board, 3 a senior board and 3 a sport board. You will find agencies by board on the pages women, men, new faces, talent, commercial, kids, curve, senior and sport.
080 Barcelona Fashion
Barcelona's fashion week is called 080 Barcelona Fashion. It is run by the Catalan government through its Consortium for Commerce, Crafts and Fashion (CCAM), with Barcelona City Council as a strategic partner. Since spring 2026 it has been held in Port Vell, at the Marina Vela venue; before that the shows took place at the Modernista Sant Pau site.
| Edition | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 36th | 14–17 October 2025 | Sant Pau |
| 37th | 14–17 April 2026 | Port Vell and Marina Vela |
| 38th | 20–23 October 2026 | Marina Vela – Port Vell |
| 39th | spring 2027, dates not yet announced (as of 10 October 2026) | – |
The 38th edition has 26 shows over four days: 25 designers and brands plus 080 Reborn, a circular fashion project. Spain's other fashion week, MBFWMadrid, ran on 18–22 March and 14–19 September in 2026. Dates for all the fashion capitals are in our fashion calendar.
Catalogues, e-commerce and advertising
Large fashion brands work from the Barcelona area. Mango's headquarters and its Hangar Design Centre are in Palau-solità i Plegamans, in the province of Barcelona: a product team of more than 500 people designs over 18,000 garments and accessories a year there, and the company says its headquarters buildings include space for catalogues and photo sets. Desigual was founded in Barcelona in 1984.
The city is also a busy film set. According to the Barcelona Film Commission, 2,758 productions were filmed in Barcelona in 2025, and advertising was the largest group with 949 shoots. Of the 587 productions whose origin was known, 87 came from abroad, mostly from the United Kingdom (20), France (9) and Germany (7). The district with the most filming was Sant Martí (600 shoots), which includes Poblenou, home to six catalogue agencies.
So a new face in Barcelona mostly goes to go-sees and castings for e-commerce, catalogue, lookbook and advertising work. Advertising also pays for usage rights, so before you confirm a job, ask where, for how long and in which countries the pictures will be used. We explain how to prepare in model castings: how to prepare.
Street shoots and light
Barcelona has no single filming permit. A small crew of up to ten people with no more than one tripod, which does not disrupt normal street life, needs only a free basic authorisation that can be requested up to 24 hours ahead. A larger crew needs a licence to occupy public space: the application is due at least five working days in advance and there is a processing fee of €89.80. In Park Güell only scientific or educational filming linked to its heritage is allowed. If your agency sends you on a test shoot in the street, ask the photographer whether the permit is in place.
There is light for shoots in winter too: under the climate normals of the Spanish weather agency (AEMET) for the Barcelona airport station, December averages 141 hours of sunshine, January 151 and July 305.
How a Lithuanian model gets to Barcelona
The usual route is through a mother agency in Lithuania. It sends Barcelona agencies your digitals, measurements and an intro video. If an agency is interested, it invites you for a few weeks or a season, and your mother agency helps you weigh the terms. You can also apply directly, using the form or email address on the agency's own website.
As an EU citizen you do not need a work permit. If you stay in Spain for more than three months, you must register within three months of arrival and receive a foreigner identity number (NIE). Before your first job you also need a Social Security number (NUSS). All of this, along with commission and tax, is explained in the Spain guide.
Apartment, living costs and transport
For new faces the agency usually finds a place in a model apartment and deducts its cost from your future fees as an advance. The same goes for pocket money. We found no reliable public data on model apartment prices. As a guide, Catalan government statistics based on INCASÒL rental deposits put the average rent on contracts signed in Barcelona in January–March 2026 at €1,137.35 a month. In the districts with the most agencies it was €1,250.44 in Eixample, €1,081.25 in Gràcia, €1,100.03 in Sant Martí and €1,599.89 in Sarrià–Sant Gervasi.
TMB tickets
The metro and buses are run by TMB. Under the fares in force since 15 January 2026:
- a single ticket in zone 1 is €2.90;
- the T-casual, 10 journeys for one person in zone 1, is €13.00;
- the T-usual, unlimited journeys for 30 days in zone 1, is €22.80 (with a 50% discount applied); you must carry an identity document when you use it;
- the T-jove for under-30s is €45.50: unlimited journeys for 90 days in all zones, also valid at the airport metro stations. You need to register with T-mobilitat to buy it;
- the metro ticket to the airport is €5.90.
What to expect in your first season
- Most of your time will go on go-sees and castings for commercial clients. A few weeks without bookings is normal.
- The first season often ends with agency debt: the apartment, test shoots and travel cost more than you earn. Before you travel, ask how it is repaid if your contract ends.
- Check every deduction on your model statement.
- The most valuable result is catalogue and advertising clients who book you again, plus pictures for your book.