At the end of last year we attended the ModaPortugal event in Porto. Portugal’s renowned for its excellence in manufacturing, creating over 135,521 jobs and exporting to 182 global destinations. ModaPortugal aims to not only showcase the historic and well established manufacturing industry, but to highlight and partner with new design talent from all over Europe.
Each designer showcased 3 looks each presenting them to a team of international judges. The jury made up of industry professionals picked a winner from each country and also an overall winner in clothing and footwear who each received 5,000 euros.
The overall winner was France’s Zhikai Yang who produced an exquisitely made collection inspired by his south china heritage. The fabrics were crafted in the village where he grew up, everything from the indigo dye to the weaving techniques referenced the past, but in a very contemporary and modern style. It’s refreshing to see young designers revitalising old crafts, keeping those techniques alive and maintaining their relevance in today’s fashion marketplace.
We also loved the menswear range from Frank Lin, Germany. An Instagram influencer himself, his inspiration comes from the portrayal of ourselves on social media and the rise of a more gender fluid menswear look. His range of soft tailored pieces was inspired by a softer masculinity and well styled looks made a true statement from the other collections.
For women’s, Spain's Carolina Kosiski, was a standout collection with a beautifully tailored range in a palette of soft nudes and stark black. Each piece was impeccably made with nods to classic tailoring in innovative contemporary silhouettes.
There was some fantastic new talent on show really highlighting the craftsmanship of Portuguese manufacturing. Bringing designers and industry together to showcase the best of the Portuguese fashion world.
You can find out more about the event and the winner’s on ModaPortugal’s Facebook page here.