Interviews: Patrícia Domingues
They don’t always know how fashion came into their lives, but they know exactly what they want to do with it. Here are three Portuguese names that grabbed the world’s attention. They are persistence, dreaming, change. They are the future of now.
BÉHEN by Joana Duarte
www.behenstudio.com

What got you started?
BÉHEN was born of a desire to create a project that was a response to a number of real problems. It began with an interest in the political arts that focused on ethical and sustainable production, and a trip to India. On my return, I felt I did not identify with the fashion industry and was ready to lock design in a drawer and throw away the key. But the feeling of urgency and to try to change the direction of the industry, even if only a little, was stronger. And that is how BÉHEN came about, very focused on saving the many stories and trousseaux of those who welcomed me.
What keeps you going?
A little bit of stubbornness and a desire to bring about change. Even if it is only a little, we can change someone’s world.
What is the message you are sending with your work?
I am showing that fashion can be sustainable with minimum impact on the planet, working with older fabrics and producing in an ethical manner with local communities. The fashion can be a force for good and a vehicle for change. It is the desire to show that folk art must be included in design and that increasingly fashion must help preserve and promote techniques and arts that are the culture and which are fundamental to some communities. It is wanting to tell the stories of all the women involved in the project in a fair and innovative way.
All of this contributes to the future. A proportion of the sales is used to help with the education of Syrian children in Lebanon, a family I have been following for a number of years now.
What does success mean to you?
As a project, it is to be able to support and offer employment opportunities to a lot more women, to involve other creatives, to contribute to the promotion and preservation of Portuguese folk art and to join forces with other projects that share the same values. That is success, and to get the chance to hear at first hand stories from around the world, many of them very similar to those of Portugal and which I hope to continue sharing.
It is now 2050. When you look back, what would you like to see in relation to your work?
That I never lost the energy to continue the struggle! For more transparency in an industry that often hides, to improve the working conditions of those who have none, and for all women, who without being able to speak the same language, see a little of themselves in others even on the other side of the world.
Tell us about a time when you were truly happy with your work.
BÉHEN is the equivalent of a storyteller, but it is first of all a listener. I have a close relationship with all the women involved in the project, so it is a source of pride and motivation to hear just how much they believe in BÉHEN. I say it is first of all a listener because it spends time listening to the stories of the loves and disaffections and of the towels in their trousseaux.
But it is the direct impact that BÉHEN has had on the life of others that makes me happy. Offering job opportunities to those who have none, and especially giving them time to learn, here our partners at the Aga Khan Foundation have been essential, about how to crochet with the lines of several stories and that are now linked as a result of the Foundation.
I have never managed to put so many stories in a single image, but it is recognition of my grandmother at seeing her doilies (and those of my great-grandmother) or the embroidered tablecloths transformed into items of clothing that fill my heart. Despite she still doesn’t understand how I’m a fashion designer using old materials, she makes a point of coming with me when I’m buying towels and linen sheets just to make sure the linen is of good quality and that the embroidery has been done well. She is my official quality control manager, and the best storyteller.
How do you see the future of fashion?
Honestly, it depends what day it is. On the one hand, I think I can be positive and see there are ever more brands and projects adopting interesting measures that can create a new path and change how people think; on the other, there is the question of consumerism and of a population that is used to buying at a pace and in quantities that are unsustainable.
What part would you like to play in this future?
Regardless of the path the industry takes, I will always fight for what I believe. BÉHEN is a project in itself, but the cause, the motive is always ethical production, the involvement of local communities and producing with the least possible impact on the planet. But BÉHEN is more than just a clothing brand, it is also an agent for changing how we consume, the perceptions of Portuguese folk art and about the possibilities when these are combined with the world of design.
What is the role of the consumer?
To learn again about the importance of clothes that take time to make! Practically everything around us is mass manufactured, without stories; but I believe that consumers are increasingly becoming aware of this, and not just in relation to fashion, but in every sector. We have to learn again about the clothes we wear, and be more aware of the impact each project / brand has on communities, but also in ourselves and in the feelings of connection with the many stories that shape a garment.
What examples from the past will help us build this future?
With BÉHEN I focus essentially on the materials and traditional techniques, and this is at the root of everything I do. I believe the solution really is in the past in terms of production and quantity, but also in terms of design and the emotional charge that is in each piece. If it is mass manufactured, it will not reflect the love songs and tales from other times. This is the energy clothing had before, especially clothes made at home and by hand, and which took time to make and more than 10 working days to deliver. I think it is possible to restore at least part of this concept. Obviously production today is quicker, but the materials and design can recreate this energy that was felt before and which even if it arrives in the post, contains a whole world of stories.
What do we need to urgently rethink/relearn about the fashion industry?
The concept of time! And the role of the designer in an industry that needs new solutions and the responsibility to protect arts and techniques that are essential to the survival of cultures and communities the world over.
Constança Entrudo
www.constancaentrudo.com

What got you started?
I went to London when I was 17 and had a number of different experiences: from working in shops and restaurants to interning at Marques’Almeida and doing a short course in textile design at Central Saint Martins. All of these experiences helped me start on the road to becoming a textile and fashion designer.
What keeps you going?
The opportunities that emerge along the way, the people I have got to know and who have helped me a great deal, my untiring team and the fact that I really enjoy what I do and that I believe in my project.
What is the message you are sending with your work?
Through the production and extended research processes, my work seeks to cherish the importance of time and error in the creative process. All this happens in a very liberal way, and always with a touch of humour.
What does success mean to you?
I believe it is when we manage a good balance between achieving the goals we set and feeling good about ourselves.
It is now 2050. When you look back, what would you like to see in relation to your work?
I hope that by then my work will have developed a lot, that the brand has grown while always upholding the values underpinning it and that I have succeeded in changing mentalities to my way of thinking.
Tell us about a time when you were truly happy with your work.
When I presented my end of course collection in London in 2018. It was the first time I showed my work in public and officially, and it was with this collection that I began to explore the textile techniques and designs that I still use in my work today. I am also very happy when I get messages from customers who are pleased with the items they purchased. I am always receiving messages that leave me feeling very fulfilled.
How do you see the future of fashion?
I have often said that I believe the future of fashion will evolve alongside the future of the “world”. We are heading towards a world that is more united, “equal”, sustainable and aware. The fashion industry will follow this evolution, or even better, will more than follow it. I truly believe it is always capable of anticipating it.
What part would you like to play in this future?
I hope to be able to continue warning society of the importance/consequences of its attitude as a consumer, to change minds and preconceptions through my pieces and to use high technology to develop more sustainable textile production methods.
What is the role of the consumer?
Consumer behaviour is a consequence of what is available in the market. With the fashion industry on the road to a future that is more sustainable and slower, and the fast fashion industry is increasingly questioned by Millennials and Gen Z, I believe consumers will absolutely be able to make conscientious choices that will have a positive impact on the future.
What examples from the past will help us build this future?
Catastrophes like the collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013 or all the social movements that have emerged in recent years, such as Black Lives Matter, which are fighting for equal human rights and for the deconstruction of many of the prejudices that have been instilled in our society for many years. The current Covid-19 pandemic and the enormous crisis that is accompanying it will certainly enhance our values in respect of sustainability, and the materialist culture will be increasingly questioned as well as excessive consumption and irresponsible commercial and production practices. I think we can see this as an opportunity for small brands to come to the fore and for larger brands to reinvent themselves.
What do we need to urgently rethink/relearn about the fashion industry?
Excessive consumption, transparency of production processes (knowing the origin of the materials that are part of the collection’s production process) and beauty standards and any number of preconceptions the fashion industry has imposed on society for years.
Studio Cut by Helena Pereira
www.studio-cut.com

What keeps you going?
I get joy from sharing my vision of fashion and without doubt the feedback I receive from people and the success of the brand.
What is the message you are sending with your work?
Just what I said: sharing my vision and attitude towards fashion.
What does success mean to you?
For me success is intrinsic to the development of CUT. To be present around the world in two years. The feedback the brand has got. The proposals and challenges I receive. In just one week we shipped orders to South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and the United States. To me, CUT is what success is.
It is now 2050. When you look back, what would you like to see in relation to your work?
30 years is a long time. But I will look back and think that I did my best and that what I did was part of everyday life for people all around the world.
Tell us about a time when you were truly happy with your work.
It might seem strange, but the journey of the past two years has been filled with very happy moments. All of them victories that were unthinkable when I launched the brand. Perhaps the first collection had a special flavour, precisely because it was the first.
How do you see the future of fashion?
Under the circumstances of today, it is a future that cannot be glimpsed. However, I think there will be a lot of soul searching over things that have been discussed for a long time. The question of sustainability, the use of recycled materials and slow fashion will increasingly be seen as the necessary routes to follow.
Every season these ideas gain more supporters around the world.
But I believe that despite all the constraints we face just now, people will continue to look for and purchase quality and differentiated pieces.
What part would you like to play in this future?
I would like to carry on as I am, to follow the course I set out for the brand. And to continue being a part of the daily life of people all over the world who show themselves in the brand concept.
What is the role of the consumer?
Fashion is a creative industry, but in common with all other industries, it is a business. As a business, the consumer has the most important role. There is no industry without consumers. The creative process is sustained by consumption, were it otherwise what would be the point of creating collections that nobody would buy?
What examples from the past will help us build this future?
Again, the discussions and the changes will have to address the sustainability of the production and material processes. The pollution and industrial waste that are a part of the production process. Mass production without any respect for the social and human rights of those affected.
What do we need to urgently rethink/relearn about the fashion industry?
We always have to rethink and transform fashion to make it more sustainable and human, able to interpret it and adjust accordingly.