Fashion brands have long pooled in places like New York, London, Milan and Paris, causing the creative expression of the industry to centre on these viewpoints, while destinations such as Spain, Germany and Portugal have been traditionally more focused on production and craftsmanship, finding themselves featured on the “Made in” section of the label. But as fashion grapples with a sustainability problem, as an industry producing 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon emission a year, it may be time to look towards production countries for new ideas. A young generation of Portuguese and international designers at Lisbon Fashion Week that has grown up around textile production is looking for better ways of making clothes.
“I am exploring this technique I started at university where you used heat on recycled fibers,” says Constança Entrudo of her eponymous brand. “Instead of weaving the fabric I just deconstruct the concept of weaving and I try to get the threads together with the use of heat and machinery technology.” Entrudo grew up in Portugal before studying fashion at London’s Central Saint Martins and working as a textile designer for Balmain and Marques’Almeida. Although her designs have the pastel and texturised charm of synthetic staples like faux fur coats, they are made from recycled wool, sourced from the factories in the north of the country.
Constança Entrudo. Courtesy of ModaLisboa
The Portuguese art scene also serves as a reference point for Entrudo’s collections. The designer admits to using Pedro Barateiro’s book How to Make a Mask as an inspiration for creating layers and lenses through which to show her AW20 presentation, which premiered on Saturday at ModaLisboa—opting to construct eight installations instead of a traditional catwalk. “There is a very interesting art scene here,” she says. “I don’t consider myself a fashion designer, I studied textiles and materials.”
A focus on new techniques was a running theme throughout the younger designers of Lisbon Fashion Week. João Magalhaes worked with textile designer Maria Appleton to create their two-tone silk looks, while Guilherme Curado took over their digital printing that lent a science fiction edge to the western silhouettes.
João Magalhães. Courtesy of ModaLisboa
Beyond refreshing takes on craftsmanship, smaller fashion weeks are a place where new ideas can be better heard, because up-and-coming voices are not expected to compete with heritage houses. This can be very attractive to young brands that don’t necessarily follow the rules, such as Awaytomars. The label may have been founded in 2015 by Brazilian duo Alfredo Orobio and Marilia Biasi, but when it comes to the designs they send down the runway, those are the product of a crowdsourcing platform with more than 2,000 active users. Despite all of the designers contributing to the collections, the brand consistently offers clean lines and irregular, colourful patterns. Although Awaytomars is based in London, it produces most of their garments in Portugal and stands out easily among the relatively uncluttered schedule of Lisbon Fashion Week.
Narrowing the gap between production and presentation is common motivation among designers to stay in the smaller fashion capital, but there is also a desire for something different. “Lisbon is an up-and-coming city, if not an ongoing trendy city,” Entrudo says. “ It can be cool to get away from the usual scene and the usual brands. I used to live in London, but it is easier for me to be here and I want to have the same opportunities worldwide.”
Awaytomars. Courtesy of ModaLisboa