You only have to look at the calendar for the Fall/Winter 2021 edition (or should I say the second take of the edition) to realise that Portugal Fashion supports a balance between promising young fashion designers and the established ones, celebrating national talent even when they have already succeeded abroad. This is demonstrated by the fact that Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida, the duo behind Marques'Almeida, are presenting their work in the city where they met each other. Although many of our favourite designers, such as Estelita Mendonça, presented their collections in the first take in March, this second chapter deserves special mention for its complete selection, where identity meets sustainability and coherence.

Among the presentations we are looking forward to watching, we must highlight Huarte, who will probably pay homage to the sea and the coast of Portugal, Ahcor and its creative universe defined by intense colour and drama, and Kensal, who, taking its creative universe as a starting point, will incorporate new features to show how the brand has evolved. These Bloom designers go hand in hand with Hugo Costa among many others, who took also his first steps in the young talent platform and delighted us with an appealing collection in October. And you should all pay attention to Marcelo Almiscarado, winner of the Bloom contest 2020, in whom the Portuguese event puts all its trust.

But if we talk about collections that can't be ignored, we must stop at Rita Sá and Marques'Almeida. The former being a young sustainable fashion brand that amazed us with its small but perfectly executed collection half a year ago. Sometimes it's better to take some time than running very fast. And there's not much to say about Marques'Almeida, who received the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers in 2015 and has proven to remain true to its recognisable streetwear spirit, which opts for sophistication or urban aesthetics depending on the time and the emotion they feel. We will have to wait until April 24, the last day of the event, to watch their proposal.

Portugal Fashion has achieved something that may seem easy but it’s not. Least of all in a sector where creativity clings to a system that tends to the excessive pursuit of stability, rejecting format changes. In October we travelled to Porto to share with you all the details of the last Portugal Fashion face-to-face edition which, always respecting strict security measures and health-care protocols, helped us to find joy again during the three days that the event took place (thanks to the magic of David Catalán, Marques'Almeida's spectacular show and the great discovery of the edition, Ernest W. Baker. Now, we get ready to follow the shows from our sofa. In an entertaining and dynamic formula that takes advantages of the benefits of the video format, turning the exceptional situation we are facing into a break, proving that fashion is stronger than ever.