ModaLisboa refreshes the Portuguese fashion scene with its 52nd edition

By

Triana Alonso

Published
Mar 8, 2019

After a month dedicated to the four major fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris, it's Lisbon's turn. The 52nd edition of ModaLisboa will pick up from Paris, running from 8 to 10 March with a clear mission to promote national design and emerging talent. 

The event's organisers have announced a busy programme: 31 collections, 21 runway shows, nine designers in the LAB category (dedicated to emerging talents), and six finalists in the Sangue Novo competition. In terms of location, while the Pavilhão Carlos Lopes will once more serve as the event's principal venue, ModaLisboa will also be exploring three new spaces. The first of these is the recently opened Carpintarias de São Lázaro, one of the Portuguese capital's new cultural hubs, which welcomed the happenings of four designers from the Workstation platform on Thursday, 7 March, and will host a series of fashion conferences during ModaLisboa. Presentations will also be taking place in The Mustik Warehouse and the Tem-plate concept store, situated in Marvila, a neighbourhood known in some circles as Lisbon's very own version of Soho. 

The first runway shows will kick off on Friday, 8 March, with the final of the Sangue Novo competition, as well as presentations from Duarte, Carolina Machado, Valentim Quaresma and Ricardo Preto. The second day will begin with four shows from Constança Entrudo, João Magalhães, IMAUVE and David Ferreira, all part of the the event's LAB category, followed by ModaLisboa regulars Carlos Gil, Awaytomars, Kolovrat and Luís Carvalho. The day will close with a presentation from menswear brand Ernest W. Baker – founded in 2016 by Portuguese designer Inês Amorim and Reid Baker of the US – at Tem-plate. Finally, ModaLisboa will conclude on Sunday, 10 March, with presentations from Nuno Gama, Andrew Coimbra, Gonçalo Peixoto, Olga Noronha, Nycole, Ricardo Andrez, Aleksandar Protic and Dino Alves.

"Insight" was the theme chosen for this year's edition of the event. "We want to extend this challenge to everyone working in the fashion industry, from designers and professionals to amateurs and intellectuals, to reflect this act of courage called 'insight': the moment when we look at the reflection of fashion in the mirror, at what is hidden beneath it and at the fashion identity which is ultimately reflected in ourselves," explained Eduarda Abbondanza, president of the ModaLisboa association. Current mayor of Lisbon Fernando Medina further highlighted that "the event is reaching out beyond its limits" and that this is a way of "communicating the spirit of Lisbon as a cosmopolitan city." In any case, this year's ModaLisboa is undoubtedly aiming to up the impact of Portuguese fashion and culture on a global level.