Birmingham doesn’t usually spring to mind when thinking about the world of fashion. Paris, Milan and London are normally thought of as the centres of elegance with their trend-setting design teams.

However, in the suburb of  Harborne, Damian Marquez is helping to position Birmingham as a centre of sartorial elegance.

Damian Marquez designs. Photo: Garazi Gardner

Mexican born Damian has launched his highly anticipated and innovative Spring Summer 2012 collection. This blends Damian’s signature high-end tailoring with bright colours and directional street wear to create a unique range of clothing that enables outstanding looks from day to night.

At his Harborne studio, Damian designs and produces all garments by hand adding a bespoke quality to each of his garments. All items are made to order, ensuring exclusivity and a personal service. The new collection is made up of casual suits, over dyed denim separates, jumpsuits, shirts and swimwear – all finished with the British designers Latino flair.

Damian Marquez designs. Photo: Garazi Gardner

The label has become known for pushing boundaries without compromising affordability or wear-ability. It is these qualities – and attention to detail – that have allowed Damian Marquez to grow from season to season.

The Marquez brand is also an employment success story. Damian said: “I employ 2 full-time staff at my showroom in Harborne where we also do alterations and other tailoring services. I also have regular interns for various fashion courses around the city. I am always keen to keep all of my production within Birmingham and also use Birmingham based ‘creatives’ to produce my advertising campaigns. It is very rare for fashion labels to source outside London and get amazing results, but I hope to show that we do have some amazing talent in the city”

Damian Marquez designs. Photo: Garazi Gardner