• Access MTN B2B
    Montana Colors
    Would you like to stay up to date on the latest MTN world news?
    Products, graffiti, murals, festivals, art and much more.
    About Us Points of Sale Contact Documentation
    MTN-News
    Mtn-World Blog
    MTN Ideas
    MTN Jobs
    Search...
    en
    Español English Català
    Montana Colors spray paint brand Montana Colors spray paint brand
    Spray
    Spray
    See all
    Graffiti & Fine Arts
    MTN 94 Hardcore Water Based Mega Nitro 2G Máximo MAD MAXXX K-750 Alien Pocket
     
    Micro
    MTN Caps
    MTN Caps Buckets MTN Cap Packs
    MTN PRO
    Color Paint Primers & Varnishes Decoration & Handicrafts Fine Arts Other Finishes Automotive Paint Signage - Marking Industry Prefills Putties
    Limited Editions
    Delta x Ruyzdael Saber Taki183 Jace Sabe Burns124 Royyal Dog Muelle Open Arms Madsaki
    MTN MURAL
    MTN Mural
    Markers & Refills
    Markers & Refills
    See all
    Markers & Dabbers
    Acrylic Marcador 94 Graphic Markers Technical Markers Street Paint Markers & Dabbers Street Ink Markers & Dabbers Chalk Marker
    Empty
    Markers Dabbers
    Packs
    Acrylic Marcador 94 Graphic Markers Technical Markers Pack Chalk Marker
    Refills
    Water Based Paint Street Paint Street Ink Refills MTN Liquid
    Tips
    Markers Dabber Tips 94 Graphic Markers Tips
    Accessories
    Accessories
    See all
    MTN Apparel
    MTN Socks Accessories T-shirts Sweatshirts Shorts
    Merchandise
    MTN Headlamp MTN Summer Towel MTN Tool Belt MTN Swatchbooks MTN BOX MTN Mugs MTN Water Bottle MTN Systems MTN Stickers Pandora
     
    Wall to Wall MTN Puzzl6 MTN Kids Mute Silver Cap Keychain
    Protection and Safety
    MTN Protective Face Mask MTN PRO Gloves MTN Nitrile Gloves MTN Ninja MTN Hand Cleaner
    MTN Books
    A4 Marker Book A4 Black Book A5 Sketch Book A5 Sketch Book /Landscape Notebook
    Special Collections
    Pull&Bear® x MTN Kappa x MTN MTN x Garage Beer Co. Hardcore 25th Anniversary 25th anniversary
    How to
    How To
    See all
    Graffiti Caps Fine Arts Decoration & Handicrafts DIY & Professional
    Distribution
    International Distributors
    See all
    Montana Shops
    See all
    Retail Shops
    See all
    Montana Colors
    About Us
    See all
    Points of Sale
    See all
    Contact
    See all
    Documentation
    See all
    MTN-News
    Mtn-World Blog
    MTN Ideas
    MTN Jobs
    Online Store
    New
    MTN Apparel
    MTN Markers
    MTN Accessories
    MTN Systems
    MTN Caps
    MTN 25th Anniversary
    Graffiti Courses
    Montana colors
    Selling Points
    See all
    R+D
    See all
    Tramontana Magazine
    See all
    Delivery and shipment
    See all
    FAQs
    See all
    Keep D Planet Clean
    Documentation
    Information
    Cookies Policy
    Contact
    MONTANA COLORS S.L.
    C/ Anaïs Nin, 12, P.I. Pla de les Vives, 08295 St. Vicenç de Castellet, Barcelona, Spain
    Tel: (+34) 93 833 27 87
    Search...
    Login
  • Return

    We Were There - X: 1995 – Trans-Europe Export

    ALL EYES ON BARCELONA: WALLS, TRAINS AND SPRAYPAINT 


    In the mid-90s, Barcelona was a magical destination for European graffiti writers. The permissiveness of the authorities and the lack of regulations to control graffiti in the city made it a small paradise that included several subway lines and overground railway systems, namely the Renfe and the FGC, in addition to acres of abandoned industrial areas. 


    When the Game Over store opened in 1993, visitors had a meeting point: a way to connect with the local scene, discover good spots to paint and hook up with local writers. 


    The 1994 Aerosol Art event also helped to foster an extensive network of connections that led to the creation of new magazines and the organization of extended summer excursions using the InterRail pass, a single pre-paid ticket that allows travel to all cities on European train lines.


     



     


    INTERRAIL STOP NUMBER ONE 


    In 1995 it was common for a group of writers to appear each week with their backpacks at the Bunker store (formerly Game Over Shop) - Montana Colors' first official point of sale. The routine was simple: arrive in the city, buy paint, check into the hostel and go to paint as soon as possible. But Barcelona was a little different. Many preferred to make the city their first stop on the InterRail route, due to the price and quality of the paint that could be bought at Bunker. After several days painting in Barcelona, the InterRailers returned to Bunker to stock up on fresh paint to use on the rest of the trip. 


    This was the first example of the international export of Montana Colors, and an almost unintentional phenomena. Traveling writers became brand ambassadors. They painted with Montana in Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Milan, Bern, Amsterdam and anywhere else the rail ticket would take them. The brand would be recognised in the graffiti scene in each city. A domino effect resulted as yet more European writers flocked to Barcelona.


     



     


    A SPONTANEOUS EXPORT PHENOMENON 


    Blef and Dafne were two writers from Genoa, Italy, who came to Bunker by way of the editor of AELLE Magazine, the first Italian publication that Barcelona Game Over Magazine would exchange photos with. They had previously visited the city to paint, but in 1995, their visits would become business trips as they came expressly to fill their backpacks with spray paint, returning home on the same day. Blef and Dafne bought paint for the writers in their city, and a rudimentary import route was set up. 


    Many other writers ended up doing the same, not all of them foreigners: writers from other Spanish cities where quality spray paint was hard to find came to buy in bulk.


    “I got a Game Over magazine here in Switzerland and wrote Kapi letters to exchange photos and so a friendship began. The first time we went to Barcelona was in 1995, we were on InterRail and we wanted to visit several Spanish cities starting with that one. This is how we first got a taste of Montana paint and got to know the city scene first hand." 


    Bruno “Rayo" Corral


     



     


    SWITZERLAND, SCOTLAND & HOLLAND


    Loading backpacks and duffel bags had its obvious limitations. So the first entrepreneurs emerged who pictured importing paint in bigger way: buying directly and legitimately from the Montana factory - respecting international import documentation, minimum orders and so on. 


    Lucerne and Edinburgh in Scotland were the first cities to receive a formal export of Montana paint, through the Swiss writers Bruno Corral and José Navarro and the Scotsmen Adam Yowell and Chris Young. Soon after, orders came in from every other European country where graffiti had been established, thanks to writers’ relationships with their local scenes or shops that could move it on. Henxs Shop in Amsterdam is a great example. This pioneering store, run by Henk Kramer, started out as a market stall selling spray paint, and in 1996, began selling Montana products, establishing itself as one of the first stores outside of Spain that carried the brand. That same year, distributors began to spring up that would serve larger territories and supply several cities simultaneously.


    “I’d place orders by fax and Jordi Rubio sent us a whole truckload that we welcomed at my cousin José  “Spide” Navarro’s company in Lucerna, Switzerland. We made six or seven orders from 1995 to 1999. We stored the paint in my cousin's warehouse to hide the business from my parents since they didn't like the “graffiti thing”. We sold the cans to people from all over Switzerland who came to see us, many who painted trains and freaked out when they saw the range of colors. At that time in Switzerland, Sparvar was more common, but Montana was a very different quality and tone. Writers came to our town from big cities like Zurich, where we found the first shop that would take and distribute the paint. It was the first store in Switzerland to sell Montana. Through the store, the brand reached many more people because when we sold in our storage room, only those who knew about us came. We also sold the cans at hip-hop jams. We’d fill the trunk and the writers would buy from us right there. At the jams they did in the German part of Switzerland, lots of visitors came from Germany. I remember how some people from Frankfurt, who would later become the first distributors there, came across Montana aerosols for the first time, at a massive party in the city of Biel.


    Over time, we ended up selling to writers from all the countries neighboring Switzerland, but mostly from Germany." 


    Bruno "Rayo" Corral


     



     


    CUSTOMERS ON COACHES 


    In the second half of the 90s, when the distribution network was taking shape and it was no longer difficult to find Montana products in most of Europe, coach trips organized by writers from the north of the continent still appeared at the door of the Bunker store, almost exclusively to buy paint. Writers considered that taking a trip to Barcelona to load the suitcases with cans, paint in the area and return home was more worthwhile than buying the same paint locally thanks to transport and import costs.

    Share
    January 08, 2021
    Categories
    Categories

    Montana Colors Dealers

    17

    Products

    72

    Projects

    60

    We Are Montana Colors

    40

    We Were There

    21
  • Download our app
    Google PlayApp Store
    SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
    Follow Montana Colors
    Follow MTN Ideas

    Montana colors

    Selling Points

    R+D

    Tramontana Magazine

    Delivery and shipment

    FAQs

    Keep D Planet Clean

    Documentation

    Information

    Cookies Policy

    Contact

    RETAIL SHOPS

    VIEW 

    Online and physical stores

    Access to our pro site
    MTN b2b Reseller information
    Apple PayMastercardMaestroAmerican ExpressVISAPayPal
    MONTANA COLORS S.L. · C/ Anaïs Nin, 12, P.I. Pla de les Vives, 08295 St. Vicenç de Castellet, Barcelona, Spain · Tel: (+34) 93 833 27 87 · [email protected]
    Legal Disclaimer Cookies