The history of Menkes dates back to 1950, when Jacobo's father, Marcos Menkes, founded the business in Madrid before settling permanently in Barcelona in 1960. Since then, the store, currently located at Gran Vía 579, has been a reference in theatrical wardrobe, dressing everyone from royalty to Russian ballet artists.
“"Our Barcelona store sold the first costumes after Franco's death, but now Carnival is marked by TV series."
Beyond popular festivities like Carnival or Halloween, the family business has diversified to compete with Chinese 'low cost' manufacturing. Menkes specializes in high-quality wardrobe for major productions, supplying shows in Broadway (including collaborations with Woody Allen), Las Vegas, and the world's leading cruise lines.
Multiculturalism, rooted in Jacobo Menkes' family origins (with Brazilian, Polish, and Russian ancestry), has been key to their artistic creation. The company, which also has branches in Bilbao and Valencia, maintains its vocation as a tailor shop serving the arts, offering rental, creation, and sale services for pieces that allow customers to “reinvent themselves for a day”.
