MODALISBOA FOR GOOD

MODALISBOA FOR GOOD – Embracing Fashion with Purpose and Innovation

MODALISBOA FOR GOOD, in collaboration with the Municipality of Lisbon, made a vibrant and profound mark on the fashion landscape with its latest edition held at Pátio da Galé from the 7th to the 10th of March 2024. This 62nd Lisboa Fashion Week was not just a showcase of style and creativity; it was a powerful statement of cultural consciousness and social responsibility, encapsulated in the inspiring theme: FOR GOOD.

The event unfolded as a celebration of 18 esteemed names representing the best of Portuguese creative industries, resonating deeply with the diverse communities that form the essence of ModaLisboa. Underpinning the entire event was a collective mission to do good not just as a response to contemporary challenges, but as a steadfast commitment towards creating positive impact—for design, for the city, for people, and for the planet.

A notable highlight of this fashion extravaganza was the FAST TALKS, a platform for engaging discussions and dialogues among national and international speakers focusing on fostering ethical growth and sustainable practices within the fashion industry. The program also featured the eagerly anticipated SANGUE NOVO competition supported by Seaside, where six talented young designers vied for prestigious awards, embodying the spirit of innovation and fresh perspectives.

The fashion shows and presentations by ModaLisboa designers showcased a diverse mix of conceptual designs and performances, reflecting a strong emphasis on creativity and innovation. Collaborations with sectoral associations, partners, and national brands further enriched the program, reinforcing a global outlook on fashion infused with artistry and vision.

ModaLisboa FOR GOOD—a call for collective action, inclusivity, and sustainability within the fashion industry. The event championed the use of sustainable materials, ethical practices, and design thinking geared towards a brighter future for all. It served as a testament to the art of creating something timeless, beautiful, and impactful—embracing freedom, self-expression, and social consciousness.

Despite the challenges posed by the legislative election period in Portugal, the resilience and dedication of the organizers to uphold the event date showcased their unwavering commitment to fostering positive change through fashion. The proactive approach to raising awareness and promoting early mobility voting underscored the event’s broader mission to catalyze meaningful transformation across all spheres of society.

MODALISBOA FOR GOOD was not merely a fashion event; it was a cultural manifesto—a vibrant tapestry of creativity, dialogue, and innovation woven together to shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for the fashion industry, the community, and the world at large. It embodied the essence of doing well and doing good—a harmonious blend of artistry, purpose, and forward-thinking ideals that resonated throughout the event, leaving a lasting impression of hope, inspiration, and positive change.

MODALISBOA FOR GOOD. A beacon of creativity, a catalyst for change.

SANGUE NOVO

Bárbara Atanásio – ModaLisboa X RDD Textiles Award. Graduated in Textiles from António Arroio school in 2016, and in Fashion Design from Modatex Lisbon in 2023. In a multidisciplinary work of upcycling, deconstruction, and humor, Bárbara explores the utopia of memory and the conceptualization of daily life. She interned with Valentim Quaresma and Marques’ Almeida, and has been participating in the Mercado P’la Arte since 2022.

Çal Pfungst, transdisciplinary artist based in Portugal. His practice intersects Writing, Theatre, Installation and Fashion. He has a BA in Theatre (ESMAE, Porto) and is graduated in Fashion Design (Modatex, Porto).

Through a phenomenlogical and deconstructivist approach, Pfungst develops an experimental work that transposes methodologies in the search for new forms, relations, narratives and limits for clothes.

ISZA – ModaLisboa X IED – Istituto Europeo di Design Award. From a very young age, Ana Luisa Marinho found in drawing and art a way to express herself, when words are not enough to do so. Throughout her growth, she realized that fashion was a way to combine art with the body, fascinated by its capacity for immediate expression and impact that it can cause. Since then, she wanted to build a career in this direction, while maintaining the goal of being a multidisciplinary artist. Therefore, she joined the Fashion Design course at Modatex in Porto, ending in 2023.

Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gabriel Bandeira moved to Portugal to finish his Fashion Design bachelor’s degree in ESAD – Escola Superior de Artes e Design, in Matosinhos.

During his stay in the country, he has participated in many events and worked with diverse brands, contributing to the local culture. With the help of several personalities, he found his place in the Fashion industry, flowing through design, arts and also working as a model.

Gabriel has recently created his multidisciplinary project M.PLATEAU, where he expresses himself through different media, and often collaborates with other artists

Born and raised in Madeira Island, Maria do Carmo graduated with a BA in Fashion Design Womenswear from Central Saint Martins, in London, in 2019. The Covid19 pandemic brought her back to her home where she decided to launch her own brand, Maria Do Carmo Studio. Through the use of upcycling, Maria Do Carmo Studio produces creative and sustainable collections that include accessories made from all sorts of existing and recyclable materials. She creates unique and exclusive pieces based on a free design process, where the material is the base for all design. Her collections are surrounded by the ideas of sensuality, fluidity, texture, color and experimental use of materials in creative and unexpected ways, encapsulating a unique expression of femininity and pure naivety.

Diogo Mestre graduated in sculpture from Faculdade de Belas Artes of Universidade de Lisboa — where he also pursued a minor in photography — in 2022 and in the same year started his master’s degree in Fashion Design at Faculdade de Arquitetura of Universidade de Lisboa. His work focuses on the experimentation and manipulation of materials, creating a link between art and design. Diogo, through MESTRE STUDIO, seeks to tell his story through his creations, which aims to relate to the user’s body and, mainly, to communicate with the viewer.

From an early age, Ana Rita de Sousa, ARNDES’ designer, showed interest in expressing herself through textiles materials. Graduated in Fashion Design by Modatex Porto, in 2019, and with a previous specialization in Plastic Arts applied to Performance and Shows by Soares dos Reis School, she completed her training with an internship at the atelier of designer Luís Buchinho. In 2021, she won the first prize of the Sangue Novo, ModaLisboa’s Young Designers Competition, which allowed her to attend the Master’s in Collection Design at Polimoda, in Florence.

ARNDES is a brand aimed at an audience that values craftsmanship and unique silhouettes. It creates a commitment that articulates the aesthetics, functionality, quality and impact of its products throughout their life cycle, based on environmental, ecological and social sustainability. In order to reduce production waste, ARNDES reuses deadstock fabrics for the samples and production of her collections, as well as existing classic garments, transforming them into new garments. The idea is to have a laboratory environment where exploration and experimentation are valued.

Joana Duarte is the Founder and Designer of BÉHEN. Joana studied in London at Kingston University, after graduating from the Faculty of Architecture, in Lisbon. She deepened her interest in ethical production and working with artisan communities, which led her to India to intern at a Fair-Trade fashion brand member of the WFTO. After her time in India and the Masters in London, the Designer returns to Portugal and to the family stories and embroideries that fueled the creation of BÉHEN. This was the beginning of the mission to protect Portuguese Heritage.

In March 2020, BÉHEN presents for the first time at Lisboa Fashion Week. In 2021, BÉHEN wins the 1st US Embassy’s AWE Female Entrepreneurship Award, and in 2022 the Golden Globe for Fashion Personality of the Year. BÉHEN continues to develop ongoing work with craftsmen, ancestral techniques and communities, while investing in the intersection between tradition and technological innovation to ensure know-how longevity.

Filipe Cerejo began his Fashion journey in Porto, but moved to London, where he gained a BA in Fashion Design at Middlesex University, in 2021. His graduate collection was showcased in the British Fashion Council and ShowStudio.

Following his graduation, Filipe took on the role of Menswear Designer at ASOS in London, where he honed his craft and deepened his Fashion Industry knowledge. Since then, he has kept developing new projects and finding ways to invigorate his vision and creative process.

In 2022 he won the Polimoda prize of Sangue Novo, ModaLisboa’s Young Designers Competition, earning him the chance to pursue a MA in Collection Design at Polimoda in Florence.

His vision in designing garments extends beyond aesthetics; it’s about evoking emotions, bringing sophistication and seduction, embodying a narrative, embracing a feeling, and expressing a unique identity, offering a fresh perspective of menswear.

Ana Duarte (Lisbon, 1991), founder and designer of the DuarteHajime brand, studied Fashion Design at the Faculty of Architecture in Lisbon and finished her Master of Arts in Menswear Design and Technology at the London College of Fashion, with distinction, in 2015. Currently, she is a guest teacher at the Lusófona University in the Fashion Design Course.

In October 2016, she presented the “SS17 Knock Out” capsule collection at the Sangue Novo competition, at Lisboa Fashion Week, and won an Honourable Mention Award, starting to be part of the official calendar, in the LAB platform. In 2018, she presented the “SS19 Monaco GP” collection at Riga Fashion Week, and integrated the United Fashion showroom, where she participated again in 2021.

Ana Duarte is the winner of the C.L.A.S.S. Icon 2021 Award: the annual competition for visionary creatives who combines design, responsible innovation and communication, capable of raising contemporary consumer awareness of the new values of sustainable fashion.

With a passion for drawing and illustration, Ana Duarte is a professional illustrator with 5 published books. All the DuarteHajime brand’s prints are exclusive, made by the designer, adapting to the concept of each collection.

DuarteHajime intends to redefine the concept of streetwear, creating a Cool Lifestyle. The brand focuses on sustainability and mixing and creating different textures essentially through the use of unique prints, natural and technological fabrics, and knitwear. DUARTE pieces are perfect for someone with an active lifestyle that values garments with design and an urban appeal, while contributing for a better world.

Ivan Hunga Garcia is establishing xem name into a couture investigation atelier within fashion as an expression medium. In fashion design and textiles, the “Botanical Apparel” project has debuted in Lisboa Fashion Week (Sangue Novo contest) in March 2022.

Between pattern cutting and physical incubation of materials, the concept of “Land Art” demonstrates a crucial component to understand the scale and thought involved in an ephemeral perspective of costume design and creative direction.

Lion of Porches has teamed up with paatiff for a capsule collection that combines technology with an aesthetic and functional vision of workwear. Using artificial intelligence tools, the collection, which was presented at the last edition of ModaLisboa, is now on the runway. From virtual to real. This project, conceived entirely in Portugal, is a fusion of sustainability, where durability prevails, and textile waste is minimised thanks to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in design. This partnership not only challenges traditional fashion paradigms by integrating AI into the creative process, but also reaffirms the commitment to tradition, emphasising quality and local production.

The Creative Process – Artificial intelligence was the starting point for uniting the universe of the two brands, Lion of Porches and paatiff, and creating a common database of references and wearability. This was followed by the design process and a special focus on the selection of materials, with particular emphasis on cotton and denim, key elements in the workwear universe. These materials were chosen not only for their durability and comfort, but also for their ability to embody the essence of manual labour and tradition. Virtual prototyping, which makes intensive use of AI, aims to achieve the most realistic fitting possible, with all the finishing details defined before the first textile test begins. The transition from virtual to real marks the final stage of design, where artificial intelligence gives way to human skill in realising the garments, emphasising the intersection between technology, tradition and human creativity at the heart of Fashion Design.

Ricardo Andrez, graduated from Cooperativa Arvore and the Citex (currently Modatex), in Oporto, explores images and products, with the motto: Thinking about Fashion is thinking about the body. Andrez established his own label in 2006, with men´s fashion forming the focus of his research. Since then, he has reinterpreted sportswear and streetwear, creating a colourful, healthy and structured universe.

In 2008 and 2009, he presented his work at Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week, Barcelona Fashion Week and ModaFad (Barcelona), and in March 2010 he joined the official calendar of ModaLisboa, where he started to present his collections seasonally.

He was awarded with PasaFad Best Collection, ModaFad/Book Barcelona. In 2010, was also awarded with the “Silver Shoe” MMM Munich Boqueria, Barcelona, and with the prize “Best Breakthrough Designer – Man09”. In January 2013, he gained the Menswear Prize for the Who´s Next Blog Contest and exhibited at Who´s Next Paris 13.

SUPPORT UKRAINIAN FASHION INITIATIVE

Despite the Russian war in Ukraine, Ukrainian fashion designers continue to create in challenging conditions and the Ukrainian fashion industry demonstrates its resilience and resistance.

After the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian Fashion Week launched the “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative to help Ukrainian designers. Thus, the last three seasons of UFW for the first time during its 26 years of history took place, not in Kyiv, but on the international catwalks, allowing Ukrainian fashion brands to introduce their collections created during the war on the international fashion scene. Currently the 54th season of Ukrainian Fashion Week takes place, which is the fourth UFW International Season.

Within the “Support Ukrainian Fashion” Initiative by UFW 67 Ukrainian designers have introduced their collections within fashion shows and presentations at 11 fashion weeks in Europe and the USA: at London Fashion Week, Berlin Fashion Week, Copenhagen Fashion Week, MBFWMadrid, Vegan Fashion Week (Los Angeles), Budapest Central European Fashion Week, Malta Fashion Week, Vienna Fashion Week, Brussels Fashion Week, Transilvania Fashion Festival. In March, Darja Donezz, Omelia and Nadya Dzyakpresent at Lisboa Fashion Week.

It is extremely important to give visibility to Ukrainian fashion brands now in the background of the ongoing war providing the opportunity for them to get orders on the European and international markets. It therefore will save companies, businesses and workplaces of hundreds of workers (seamstresses, clothes constructors, stylists, managers) and support the Ukrainian fashion industry during the war.

IED – GRADUATE FASHION SHOW – FUTURE STARTS SLOW

The future is becoming extremely complex, but if recent times have taught us anything, it is that we must pay attention to the past, observe what surrounds us now and face the challenges ahead with commitment, creativity and responsibility.

This is how the six fashion collections presented in Future Starts Slow have been conceived. Six visions designed from the observation of our emotions, memories or bodies. The students graduated in 2023 at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Italy explore what fragility means, the fear of transformation, the importance of self-knowledge, the respect towards our natural environment, the value of feeling or the memories of our experiences to transform them into unique garments, made with dedication, craftmanship and passion, mark of the Italian Design culture.

At ModaLisboa IED presents a reflection of a generation that understands the importance of listening to your inner itself, caring and channeling a slow future through fashion, but aware that a better future is yet to come.

COLLECTIONS:
Fragile, by Annarita Biava
Surrounded by Nobody, by Christian Bogliano
Stain, by Angelica Siddi
Aire, by Matteo Rosellini
Vitruviana, by Maria Chiara Sorbino
Tutti hanno paura, by Alessio Dolfi and Carlotta Mora

With a background in cinema and fashion, Lidija Kolovrat defines her language through deconstruction, urban culture and arts. Her passion is to create meaningful garments to all of those who seek a differentiated style, in tune with their true, inner self.

In 1990, she founded KOLOVRAT, a brand that cares about the impact of its creations, both for the environment — by valuing sustainability and recycling — and for customers. Kolovrat believes that clothing reflects our inner world, our sacred geometry and our symbolic language. “Intuition, spirituality and innovation are the way to achieve the uniqueness of the piece that will be co-created for each one, so that everyone can empower themselves with their true selves and engage in beauty, daring and a sense of humor needed to embrace the unexpected.”

For Kolovrat, being part of the community means reinventing itself and achieving excellence in creations that combine the vibrancy of a dynamic society with the commitment of an ethical business.