Portugal Fashion Week Celebrated 25 Years in Fashion

Amid the panic and the Coronavirus pandemic spreading all over Europe and abroad, Portugal Fashion Week decided to hold its shows behind closed doors. This, however, didn't dampen their moods of not being able to celebrate their twenty-five years of local talent in the fashion industry. Throughout this quarter of a century, Portugal Fashion has showcased, nationally and internationally, 1,986 collections by 171 designers (all with different nationalities, renowned and upcoming designers), and 143 brands (clothing, footwear and jewellery).

First up was Susana Bettencourt, the Portuguese knitwear designer hailing from the Azores Island and trained in London at Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion. "My Fall/Winter 2020-21 collection represents a mix of three collections. All materials are recycled, and I made sure I used fabric scraps to create my knitwear monsters, as I like to call them," stated the designer backstage. 

This season, the collection was presented as an open backstage, as dressers dressed up models in public. Oversized silhouettes characterised knitwear dresses in bold yellows, while semi-transparent dresses were denoted by an interwoven pattern of blue and white ribbons and some rope-like material. Cocoon-like layers permeated a cosy black and white sweater dress, while braided details were found interlaced on a white and blue knitted jumper. 
At David Catalan, the namesake brand founded by its designer and Almudena Bretón, the designer presented a collection which veered on a mix of a British-infused preppy style and sport-leaning aesthetic.

Tailored elements, such as straight-legged trousers and suits, were paired with football scarves, bucket hats, baseball hats and puffer jackets. Fleece was mixed with an anorak-like material on some looks and with denim on others, while PVC was used to construct longer brown coats. The palette varied, including both warmer tones of reds and yellows and cooler tones of teals, blues and greys, as well as neutrals. It felt as if rugby players had met up with some boys from college. 

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