FASHION WEEK RECAP
As you might know, already I love visiting Portugal and would definitely want to spend more time in the Portuguese sun. This time around I was excited to come back again for Lisbon Fashion week! Last year I went to the Fall/Winter 2019 edition, you can find my report here.
It was an honor to be invited again for the spring-summer 2020 Lisbon Fashion Week by ModaLisboa Collective. Together with my assistant, we have admired 22 shows in 3 days. This 53rd edition was more focused on the vision of fashion in the future, new trends, technologies, and talents. The collection of Spring / Summer ’20 is more sustainable, gender-neutral, and full of vibrant colors and futuristic prints. In this report, you will read all about our highlights!
ARRIVAL: IBEROSTAR
On Thursday 10th of October, we arrived at Lisbon Central Airport. One of the drivers of the Moda Lisboa crew took us to the 5-star hotel Iberostar, which is a beautiful hotel located in the center of Lisbon. After unpacking we got ready for a welcome cocktail party on the rooftop. It was the perfect opportunity to meet fellow guests from all over the world and people from the industry.
DAY 1
On the first official day of Fashion Week, we got picked up to go to the location of ModaLisboa which was a Military Old Uniforms and Equipment Manufactory. It was an unique atmosphere that brought the Portuguese Culture with Fashion. The 1st show was Sangue Novo, a collective for young Portuguese designers. My outfit was inspired by fall’s dark floral trend.
SANGUE NOVO
Modalisboa held an annual competition for young designers all over the world to present their talents on the Portuguese runway. Sangue Novo stands for ‘New Blood’ as they want to shine a light on new talent in the fashion industry. The jury selected 10 finalists, here are our favorite highlights.
Flávia Brito
Her conceptual works around fashion and objects are presented in Hidden Structures: a collection that is based on the perceptions of the social surveillance system in public spaces.
Ferencz Borbala
She created a new aesthetic with secondhand clothing and used plastic waste, questioning the way society thinks about waste and value. The outfits were inspired by Michelangelo Pistoletto’s work: “The Venus of the Rags” with a contemporary yet sporty appearance.
Louis Appelmans
The statement over eyes Buckethead trend is here to stay. Appelmans based his collection on the story of a character the ‘Ace of Spades’, the image of power and charisma, to portray the issue of ego and individualism we face in society today.
Beatriz Julião
RE-PRESENT is a collection by Beatriz Julio with a connection between the past and future. This is shown by giving new life to reused denim and fierce voluminous pieces.
HIBU
The Hibu fashion show was very unique in comparison to the rest as we saw the wardrobe change on the runway! It was a new take to execute a show and we were very surprised. The collection CRU-L is a contemporary primary-colored denim collection that can be worn by women and men. The no-genre element during the wardrobe change was nice to see as it is crossing multidisciplinary references. CRU-L stands for a relaxed minimal look with durability, utility, and comfort as its main focus.
DAY 2
NUNO GAMA
‘CATIVATION’ by Nuno Gama, is a collection that shows the beauty of nature and the reflection of the impact that humans have on the earth. It was not a seated fashion show, we could explore the surroundings of the area where the models were positioned like in an art gallery. There was also a live performance and the music intensified the experience.
IMAUVE
The IMAUVE capsule collection stands for comfortable, sophisticated pieces using natural fabrics that create a flowing silhouette. On this season’s runway IMAUVE based her collection on two selections of bright colors: bright pink, orange, lime green, and neutral colors: ivory, tan and black. Just like last year, I had a conversation with the founder and creative director of IMAUVE: Inês de Oliveira. She told me she was inspired by a Mexican masterpiece of modern architecture Casa Luis Barragán.
JOÃO MAGALHÃES
I HATE PEOPLE BUT I LOVE YOU- is a collection by João Magalhães and explores the future connection between man, nature, and machines that question its boundaries. He was inspired by the vision of Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto. The collection looks very millennial with holographic and vinyl pieces and funky accessories such as a mouthpiece and a phone chain.
DAY 3
OLGA NORONHA
Last year Olga Noronha had an extraordinary show where dancers presented her work with an entertaining performance. This season Olga Noronha exhibited important pieces of her collection ODE (2016) at COLETIVO 284. These beautiful gold sculptural works re-imagine the human body. The models wore various headpieces. It looked really royal glamorous.
CAROLINA MACHADO
The Carolina Machado show has to be my favorite this season. Besides the gorgeous collection, I really love the change of scenery to have the show outside at the Santa Engrácia church.
After the show, I met Carolina for the first time. She mentioned that the collection ‘Dolce Vita’ was inspired by her recent holiday to Capri, a beautiful island in Italy a must-visit, where she saw pieces of modern architecture and traditional elements. The main color palette was bright pastel shades combined with shiny, loose fabrics with tie-dye prints. If she had to pick one favorite look it would be the full white outfit which was the first outfit she created. I would love to wear every single look! The collection made me so excited about an Italian summer again, take me back!
Dress // Shoes // Belt // Sunglasses
GONÇALO PEIXOTO
After last year, I was really looking forward to seeing the Goncalo Peixoto show.
‘Embrace for Impact’ is a collection focused on a woman’s sensuality. Ready for summer these bright vibrant colors and safari prints give a fun twist to statement pieces. I’m already looking forward to seeing the next show 🙂
CARLOS GIL
A lot of people anticipated this show and it was worth the hype! Carlos Gil presents the Ideal Nature SS20 collection with a vision of a strong feminine touch of nature by incorporating a canvas painting view with floral details, stripe prints, organic shapes, and bursts of colors. There were many magenta-colored pieces like my outfit of the day 🙂 After the show, I met Caterina from British Vogue. It was so nice meeting her and we totally matched with each other and the collection.
LAST DAY
Once again, we had a blast this season in Lisbon! Big thank you to Modalisboa Collective for being the best host to make this a memorable experience yet again.
Before our flight back, we had to visit the exclusive concept store TEM-PLATE first. We met the founders Rune Park and Robby Vekemans during the cocktail party on the first day. They showed us around their shop, which is a new luxury retail experience by offering a curated mix of high-end designer clothing and accessories. A millenial paradise with exclusive collaborations, limited editions and design objects.
The founders styled me in one of their LOEWE pieces for the photo. Thank you for having us!
