In recent years, the “Made in Portugal” has gained increasing significance within the global fashion industry, particularly in the fields of textiles and footwear. Long known within the trade for its highly skilled artisans and technically advanced factories, Portugal has evolved from a quiet manufacturing hub into a sought-after partner for both emerging designers and major luxury houses.
Curious about how this momentum is shaping the next generation of fashion, we travelled to ModaLisboa to discover designers whose work highlights the creative and industrial potential behind the rising influence of “Made in Portugal.”
ARNDES by Ana Rita de Sousa won the first prize of the Sangue Novo, ModaLisboa’s Young Designers Competition back in 2021 giving us the opportunity to see her grow and evolve as a designer. ARNDES repurposes deadstock textiles for her collections’ manufacturing and prototypes, as well as pre-existing classic clothing, to create new pieces in an effort to minimize production waste. The goal is to create a lab setting that values experimentation and discovery.
Mafalda Simões took home one of the Sangue Novo prizes of the fashion week for her immaculate knitted pieces. Her work stands out for its strong connection to artisanal techniques and an innovative approach to manual processes. She is currently working on her master’s in Fashion Design from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Lisbon. There are very few designers who push the boundaries in knits, even though it makes up a large market segment. With her vision, Mafalda could really develop the segment in Portugal bringing it to new heights.
Mariana Garcia presented her mini collection alongside the show Sangue Novo “New Blood”, which showcases the young talents coming out of Portugal. Originally from Vila Nova de Famalicão, graduated in Fashion Design from ESAD. Her work is noted for exploring the relationship between body and movement. It was the most elegant collection I saw that felt slightly reminiscent of early Mugler or Azzedine Alaïa. However, Mariana is “new blood” and brings with her a purposeful vision of modern dressing.
PORTUGUESE SOUL BY APICCAPS is within the scope of the Bioshoes4all project, which pushes the industry to reconsider materials, processes, and their effects while opening the door for a new generation of shoes that are more sustainable, circular, and future-ready. This edition, dancers took to the stage in Portuguese shoes with consciously sourced materials from a group of innovative brands made up of Ambitious, Campobello, Helena Mar, Miguel Vieira, Penha, and Valuni.
Roselyn Silva is a designer born in São Tomé and Príncipe and raised in Portugal, she has spent over a decade developing a label that celebrates African design and honors her roots, becoming the first Black-owned luxury brand in Portugal. For Lisbon Fashion Week, the designer presented her collection at the Design Museum MUDE. Built around black and white, symbols of duality and harmony, combining rare African fabrics with silks and lace to create rich textures and timeless, sophisticated pieces that highlight authenticity and form the foundation of a conscious, enduring wardrobe.
Photography by Alexandre Azevedo
