It is with deep regret that Portugal Fashion mourns the death of designer Manuel Alves and offers its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and, above all, to our esteemed José Gonçalves.
The Alves/Gonçalves duo have been part of Portugal Fashion since 2000 and have been present on the platform’s national and international calendars, with shows in New York, São Paulo and Paris. In Portugal, the Alves/Gonçalves fashion shows, held in Lisbon and Porto, have always been marked by a strong artistic, scenic and irreverent sense.
For the Portugal Fashion team, it has been a privilege to have worked with the Alves/Gonçalves brand, and Manuel in particular, over the years. A creative, perfectionist and visionary spirit, who always accepted the riskiest challenges in the production of a fashion show.
With that said, Portugal has lost a designer, an artist and an entrepreneur. Manuel Alves was born in Montalegre and began working with José Manuel Gonçalves in 1984, when they decided to open two stores in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto to sell their men’s and women’s collections. In 1985, they presented themselves at the Palácio do Correio Velho and have been showing their collections regularly ever since. In addition to their journey as designers, they collaborated with the industry between 1989 and 1992, creating various brands for the national and international markets. They were also responsible for designing uniforms for companies such as Vodafone and TAP.
Native of Trás-os-Montes but passionate about Lisbon, Manuel Alves combined his love for the countryside and nature with an artistic vision of city modernity. His dogs and garden in Amoreiras were the source of his inspiration and balance, an inspiring message that he made a point of conveying whenever he made himself known in a more personal way.
For all these reasons, the death of Manuel Alves leaves ANJE, its leaders, the Portugal Fashion teams and collaborators, and also the platform’s designers deeply saddened.
One of the most famous names on the Portugal Fashion platform has passed away and, at this sad time, it is his talent and his joy of living that we would most like to remember.
