ModaLisboa: A Growing Platform for the Next Wave of Fashion Talent

Co-organised with the Lisbon City Council, the 64th edition of Lisboa Fashion Week took place from 6^th to 9^th March 2025 under the dynamic theme ModaLisboa Capital, celebrating the city’s creative richness and growing influence on the global fashion scene. With a generous 300’000-euro investment from the municipality, the event underscored Portugal’s commitment to positioning its fashion industry as a sustainable and forward-thinking powerhouse. Sustainability was indeed high on the agenda, inspired by the current movement of the European fashion industry towards a sustainable transition and the transformation of regulations, to ensure a more responsible, ethical, fair and creative practice.

Over the years, both the event and the city itself have blossomed into cultural hubs, where designers push the boundaries of contemporary fashion while embracing Portugal’s deep-rooted traditions in textile craftsmanship. The multiplicity of voices, aesthetics and conscious approaches to production shows that Portuguese fashion is constantly evolving and thriving. But what sets the Portuguese fashion industry apart is its close-knit ecosystem – designers and manufacturers, predominantly in the north, work hand-in-hand to innovate responsibly and efficiently.

The heartbeat of the event pulsed through Pátio da Galé, a privileged and historic venue in Lisbon’s Praça do Comércio. This edition didn’t stop there; fashion presentations also took place at MUDE – Museu do Design, fostering a deeper connection between fashion and culture, as well as the newly reopened Centro de Arte Moderna da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (CAM), where designers experimented with new presentations formats and invited the public into their creative world.

ModaLisboa kicked off with the second phase of the Sangue Novo competition, spotlighting emerging talent with the support of footwear brand Seaside. Five young designers, selected in October 2024, presented collections developed over the last semester, with the mentoring of the judging panel, that reflected not only their conceptual evolution but also their commercial viability. Sustainability remained a strong theme, with leading Portuguese manufacturers supplying cutting-edge materials to bring their visions to life.

Duarte Jorge, the mind behind Hellabuv, clinched the top prize – a master’s degree in Fashion Brand Management at IED Firenze and a 4,000-euro grant. He will join ModaLisboa’s Workstation after his graduation, following in the footsteps of past winner Inês Barreto who debuted her collection this year after her 2023 triumph. Runner-up Gabriel Silva Barros secured a coveted three-month internship at RDD Textiles, where he will develop a collection with innovative materials, along with a 1,750-euro grant to support his journey.

The IED Graduate Fashion Show brought an avant-garde twist to the event under the theme Nostalgia for the Future. Six promising designers from Italian and Spanish IED campuses explored the ever-evolving nature of fashion, balancing melancholy with a futuristic outlook – proof that fashion is as much about imagination as it is about tradition.

Meanwhile, on the prestigious Sala do Risco runway, Portugal’s biggest names in fashion design took centre stage. Industry veteran Alves/Gonçalves returned with a powerful collection, but the show everyone was waiting for belonged to Constança Estrudo. The Central Saint Martins graduate, who first made waves at London Fashion Week in 2020, delivered a breathtaking Autumn/Winter 2025 collection. Renowned for her deconstructed woven fabrics and handmade techniques, Estrudo elevated second-quality materials through intricate textile constructions, collaborating with eco-friendly textile company RDD Textiles to craft some of the knitted pieces and the striking show set.

Closing out the weekend, Portuguese Soul by APICCAPS – the Portuguese Footwear Association – made its debut at MUDE, blending design, know-how and responsible production in a compelling presentation of national footwear brands. “We strongly believe in the future of our industry,” said Paulo Gonçalves, APICCAPS Communications Director. “We will invest 600 million by the end of the decade, specifically in the fields of automation, digitalisation and sustainability.” With two major projects underway bringing together more than 100 companies, including technology centres, universities and businesses, Portugal’s footwear sector is on the cusp of becoming a major global reference in sustainable fashion.

Lisbon is a city where ideas take shape, and talents find space to grow. It’s a catalyst for creativity, where tradition and innovation merge seamlessly. Compared to the larger fashion capitals, ModaLisboa may have a more intimate calendar, but it carries immense potential as a creative and economic force. With is unwavering commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship and cutting-edge design, Lisbon is making its mark as a true capital of responsible fashion and innovation.