The 61st edition of MODALISBOA closed at the Pátio da Galé in the heart of Lisbon, which saw not only several fashion shows, but also presentations, an exhibition and talks on various topics including circularity in fashion. The theme of the MODALISBOA À LA CARTE edition is intended to be a playful invitation fuelled by the act of sharing. Fashion is conceived as a seasonal menu with several courses. Between shows, exhibitions and presentations, a sampling of different styles where the mise en place is organised by MODALISBOA, but creativity is served by the different designers. Collections with different visions represent the new generation of fashion design. A reflection on the present and future of its territory and, consequently, on the identity and social issues that are currently driving the creation.
The production of the collections was supported by MODALISBOA’s various textile partners: Calvelex, Fabrics4Fashion, RDD Textiles and Riopele. All the designers have in common a concern for the use of production processes with the lowest possible environmental impact. Many new talents used prints made from natural processes and fibres, recyclable materials and 3D prints. And now it only remains to present this edition’s designers to watch out for.
1. MODALISBOA presents the sustainability of DuarteHajime
DuarteHajime is the brand with a new name founded by Ana Duarte (Lisbon, 1991), which after the Sangue Novo contest and several awards (in 2021 it won the C.L.A.S.S. Icon Award) is characterised by prints created by the designer herself. DuarteHajime intends to redefine the concept of streetwear, focusing on sustainability through natural and technological fabrics. Hajime is a Japanese word meaning ‘beginning‘. In traditional Japanese martial arts, such as judo, karate, aikido and kendo, it indicates the verbal command to ‘begin’. The brand in 2023 started on a new path (from Duarte to DuarteHajime) while maintaining the same vision, telling stories in an urban perspective and style, with attention to quality and materials all Made in Portugal and sustainable.
2. Filipe Cerejo and a new masculine sensuality
Filipe Cerejo started his fashion journey in Porto and then moved to London, where he graduated in Fashion Design from Middlesex University in 2021. His graduation collection was also exhibited at the British Fashion Council and ShowStudio. In 2022, he won the Polimoda prize within Sangue Novo, ModaLisboa’s competition for young designers. This recognition then gave him the opportunity to win a Master’s degree in Collection Design at Polimoda in Florence. His design vision is intended to evoke an idea of sensuality and unique identity, offering a new perspective on menswear.
3.Constança Entrudo presents a Dadaist collection at MODALISBOA
Constança Entrudo, one of Lisbon Fashion Week’s most experimental designers, let us into her studio in the heart of Lisbon. Her S/S 24 wants to highlight the dangers of global warming that has erased the existence of winter. The garments in the collection are designed to reflect this dramatic change. Imagine an office where traditional dresses and striped poplin shirts are subjected to rips and cuts, and their fragments woven into torn, unstructured jersey tank tops. The designer works on the concept of reappropriating of discarded and randomly riassembled objects, as happens in Dadaist art.
Thus the prints in this collection are derived from still life photographs of everyday objects, including the playful juxtaposition of Christmas bows with seashells and other marine-inspired motifs. Or intricate sculptures depicting office ballpoint pens intertwined with threads. These sculptures and photographs of discarded objects suggest the invisible exchanges of everyday life. An ironic and critical look at consumer culture and waste.
4. Ivan Hunga Garcia winks at Land Art
Always in the sign of experimentation, we recall fashion as the creative expression of Ivan Hunga Garcia. The designer is becoming known for his couture research thanks to the Botanical Apparel project, which debuted at Lisboa Fashion Week (Sangue Novo competition) in March 2022. The designer works on the concept of incubating textile materials and Land Art that becomes clothing, a tribute to ancestral heritage.
5. Lidija Kolovrat embraces beauty and the unexpected
Intersections of art, fashion and film for Lidija Kolovrat with the brand KOLOVRAT, which defines its language through deconstruction and urban culture. The brand has always cared about the impact of its creations, both for the environment – valuing sustainability and upcycling – and for its customers. Kolovrat believes that clothing reflects our inner world, our sacred geometry and symbolic language. «Intuition, spirituality and innovation are the way to achieve the uniqueness of the piece that will be co-created for each person, so that each person can empower themselves with their true self and embrace the sense of beauty and the unexpected», says Lidija Kolovrat herself.
Photographer: Manuel Scrima
© Riproduzione riservata
