As part of Porto’s biggest fashion week, the NorteShopping Galleria joined Portugal Fashion to host an exhibition with the collections of the latest Bloom Competition winners, powered by Zeitreel Sonae, between March 18 and 27.
Focused on fulfilling the mission of providing differentiating and quality experiences to its customers, the Galleria was the stage for the collections of Maria Carlos Baptista, Marcelo Almiscarado and Huarte, the three names distinguished by the contest promoted by Portugal Fashion in partnership with Zeitreel Sonae. The competition is open to young fashion designers, bearing in mind their professional training, public promotion and integration into the labor market.
The reference shopping center in the city of Porto brought new audiences to the emerging national design, while reinforcing the importance of Made in Portugal creativity and young talent.
The three young designers also presented their collections in the 50th edition of Portugal Fashion, being part of the Bloom platform. Created in 2010, this platform moves away from the traditional concept of the runway, in order to provide new creators shows in a more informal, urban and multi-artistic environment.
Applications for the new Bloom pwd by Zeitreel Sonae competition are open until July 15, 2022, and are aimed at young finalist designers or recent graduates of Portuguese fashion courses.
The winners of the BLOOM Portugal Fashion pwd by Zeitreel Competition
MARIA CARLOS BAPTISTA
She was born in Coimbra and grew up with the dream of being a dancer. She attended a degree in Dance at the School of Dance (Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon), but dance was replaced by another passion – Fashion – with the Fashion Design course at Modatex Lisbon. The collection “Archetype”, winner of the BLOOM pwd by Zeitreel Sonae Competition, is the valorization of masculine articles worn by the feminine sex. It is the redefinition of new essentials in a closet, the accumulation of layers associated with encapsulation, a balance of the male universe, reinvigorating classic articles. The proportions are altered, creating exaggerated dimensions that contrast with tight and sticky layers; and the hyperbolization of all these factors is done through the palette and the materials used.
MARCELO ALMISCARADO
From his career, stands out the presentation of the end of course collection (ESAD) in the 45th Portugal Fashion, the internship with the designer David Catalán, the 3rd place in the PFN contest, the creation of McDonald’s uniforms and the 1st place in the MODAPORTUGAL competition. “Pasmo”, winning collection of the BLOOM pwd by Zeitreel Sonae Competition, starts from his grandmother, who by decorating the house with country flowers, ends up alienating them from their natural environment. From this de-contextualization, manual production techniques emerge: handmade weaving, knitting, crochet. In parallel, he explores the futuristic retro and the unknown: aliens. Religious references also appear: the robes of Francis of Assisi and St. Clare. “Pasmo” refers to the poem “O meu olhar é nítido como um girassol” by Alberto Caeiro.
HUARTE
From Logroño, northern Spain, Víctor Huarte studied Business and Marketing in Madrid, London and Brazil. He started his degree in Fashion Design at ESDIR school and moved to Porto in 2017, having finished his training at ESAD. Honorable mention of the BLOOM pwd by Zeitreel Sonae Competition, the collection “Afterlove” gives name to a dark place in the city center, decadent in appearance, little ornamented and with a lot of smoke in the air. An atmosphere of nostalgia is breathed and amusingly, people from previous centuries interact with each other, while dancing to the rhythm of the DJ’s music at the end of the room.
