Experimentation is the key word if you want to talk about Daniela Barros’ brand. Reshaping the human body with harmony and anarchy at once, here we have a designer who is not afraid to break the rules and cross the boundaries. A T-shirt is never just a T-shirt, a garment is never just a garment. We’ve talked with balanced Daniela, and through her words we understood how fundamental it is to calculate the present and the future, in order to build the avant-garde, or even the timeless piece.
How would you describe the Daniela Barros’ woman?
A dynamic woman, with a strong and and accurate personality.
And, in one word, how is the Daniela Barros’ brand?
Experimentalist.
Could you explain your creative process, from the idea to the catwalk?
It is very difficult to explain, because it is a very introspective process, even a little bit anarchical. But it has a structure: firstly, I collect the raw materials by impulse or simply because I like them, even when I do not know their exact destiny or even the techniques I will apply, nor the details in the production. After that, it’s all about the experimentation. Techniques, modulation, materials. A T-shirt is never just a T-shirt for me.
When were your passion for experimentation, and your aim to reconfigure the silhouette born?
It was all born in a very natural way. And somehow, it’s what has always touched me and configured my work.
What is the importance of working directly on the model?
When you do everything directly on the model, it is possible to reformulate the silhouette, and that lets you find new, interesting shapes through the exploration of the materials.
How do feel about the manufacture inside the fashion world and inside your own collections?
I create particularly special pieces that demand a great amount of hours of handwork. But I also have pieces that are made only industrially, and at the same time it is a very hard work to do inside the atelier: all the details and the finishes are fundamental when we are thinking about the piece.
All of your pieces all classical and experimental. Is there any that jumps off and for you is totally timeless?
The coats, mainly.
What is your opinion about the current fashion scene in your own country, Portugal?
Portugal does not have a very deep tradition in fashion design or designers, and maybe, for that reason, it is not seen as a ‘fashion capital’. Even now, with the fashion boom in countries without any tradition, like Eastern Europe, Portugal is merely seen as a country that is able to produce quality materials, but not so much related with the design scenery. In that logic, we can explain why in Portugal we have the last fashion week in the world, which is a negative fact, commercially speaking. So that is why there is a need to expose our work in other countries.
But is there some professional resentment towards the country where you were born? How do you think you are seen in Portugal?
I don’t feel any resentment at all. I develop and produce all my collections in Portugal, even knowing that it is not a country known for its design. I do believe that each day is a step forward in this field, and the internet makes everything global. Nowadays, it’s so easy to travel, everything is quicker. Portugal is my home and I’ve never felt the need of getting out of here; but I am not quite sure how I am seen over here, though.
Where do you want to be before you turn 35 years old?
My goals are the same, and at the same time they are changing. I know what I want today, but I am not sure if that is the same thing that I will want in some years from now…
