Young talent sparkled in the “Imagine-a-Bag Challenge” contest. Sérgio Sousa, through his brand AREA 8, was the winning young designer, and José Pinto, in his brand ARIEIV, received the Innovation Award, as an honorable mention granted by Via Outlets. After the evaluation period of the candidate projects, the winning young designers were revealed. They will see their projects come to life with the support of Portugal Fashion and the Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet and Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlets.
All the projects in the competition went through a rigorous evaluation and analysis process by the jury, composed of professionals connected to the fashion and business areas. On behalf of Portugal Fashion, the panel included Mónica Neto, director of Portugal Fashion, Hugo Costa, designer and coordinator of the BLOOM platform and fashion designers David Catalán and Susana Bettencourt. Representing Via Outlets were Dayana Moreira, Marketing and Brand Manager for Via Outlets in Portugal, and Filipe Roçadas, Visual Merchandising Manager for all Via Outlets centers in Europe.
The partnership with the centers Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet and Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlets, of the international group Via Outlets, which materialized in the development of the contest “Imagine-a-Bag Challenge”, was announced during the March edition of Portugal Fashion.
“Imagine-a-Bag Challenge” is a contest entirely dedicated to young designers on the BLOOM platform, for the design of a multifunctional bag, made from sustainable materials. The winning designer will receive a prize of 3,000 euros, for development and production monitoring. The Innovation Award, defined exclusively by the Via Outlets group, will have a financial incentive of 1,500 euros for production, in a limited edition, of the project presented in the competition. The young designers will see the bag on sale in the Vila do Conde and Alcochete centers, as well as in a pop-up store of Portugal Fashion, during the October fashion week, for a symbolic value corresponding to the production of the piece.
The challenge launched was launched with the aim of supporting the production of a versatile bag, intended for the most diverse uses and, therefore, sustainable. It is intended, therefore, to bring designer fashion closer to shopping centers and, finally, to promote local talent and young creativity.
Applications for the first phase of the challenge ran until April 26, with the deadline for submitting projects being extended. After the announcement of the winning young designers, the final adaptation of the concept will follow. After the necessary reformulations of the designs, the bags will enter the budgeting phase and finally go into production.
ABOUT SÉRGIO SOUSA | AREA 8
Graduated as Technical Specialist in Footwear Design by CFPIC, in Felgueiras, and as Fashion Technician by Modatex, Porto, Sérgio Sousa worked as Clothing and Footwear Assistant for the designer Hugo Costa and as Photographer and Designer Assistant for SMK Denim & Co. In 2021 he specialized in Digital Commerce by IEFP.
He is the founder of AREA 8, a brand that was born from a passion for urban culture and is inspired by subcultures and countercultures. All products are designed and produced in the North of Portugal, using recycled materials.
His work reveals an experience from the creation of the concept, through modeling, cutting, making and Digital Marketing, to the final sale. It reflects an extremely attentive eye to detail and technicality, combined with method, focus, creativity and organization.
IG. @area8brand W. www.area8.pt
ABOUT JOSÉ PINTO | ARIEV
José Pinto has a degree in Fashion Design from Modatex and the Fashion School of Porto, having done an internship with designer Hugo Costa and currently working as an Assistant for the duo Marques’Almeida. In 2019 she graduated in Styling through the Farfetch x Modatex partnership.
He founded his clothing brand ARIEIV in 2017, having presented collections of the same in several editions of Portugal Fashion, through the Bloom platform. He has a strong adaptability and versatility in the area of Fashion Design, as a result of the range of professional experiences that he has been accumulating over the years. collections since 2010), building true partnerships between production and design, and the growing popularity of Portuguese fashion on national and international runways.
IG. @_arieiv_
ABOUT VIA OUTLETS
VIA Outlets, owned by the Dutch pension fund asset manager APG, was established in 2014 to acquire and manage existing outlet centers across Europe. Its portfolio currently includes 11 centers with more than 1,100 stores in nine European countries. In Portugal, the VIA Outlets group includes the Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet, in Alcochete, and the Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlet, in Vila do Conde.
