Photo: Frederico Martins
Styling: Fernando Bastos Pereira
Words: Cláudia Pinto
Being timeless. To resist the passage of time as if only the seconds change. It appears unreal, illusory: but it is what we long for. Us. Humans. Every day. Collectively or individually, we try to resist time, to become eternal.
Ten years ago, when Portuguese Soul magazine was first published, we had no idea how long we would be building this path. Now, after a decade, we can look back with a lot of pride. And more than that, we can honour our roots, see our work and feel that today, as on that day in 2010, our work stands the test of time. Over time.
This was our soul in 2010. Through the lens of Frederico Martins and the styling of Fernando Bastos Pereira.
Is fashion timeless?
What age are we living in? How has the pandemic influenced our era and our experiences? In an industry defined by seasons, and by the timers and stopwatches of new seasons, how do designers and brands adapt? Will timelessness be the answer — or has it always been the answer and we just didn’t notice, as focused as we are on the clock?
“We’ll always be experimenting, we’ll always change little things. This makes pieces timeless,” says the designer Filipe Faísca. On the other hand, Eduarda Abbondanza believes everything depends on how we look at the question: “it always depends on which type of fashion we’re talking about. Fashion, as a discipline, is timeless in the sense that it cuts across time, and also due to its inherent timelessness in responding to the context and society in which it exists.”Indeed, recent months have forced a rethink of calendars and strategies. Many brands have opted to revisit classics: iconic pieces that have persisted over the years. As for pieces produced by the fashion industry, there will always be those that react to the present, that are statements of the era in which we live and the circumstances we predict for the future. However, I believe it’s inevitable, and an obvious consequence of the period we’re going through, that we go back to working with a range of pieces based on a more elaborate structure. When I talk about this kind of design complexity, I’m talking about jackets, tuxedos: pieces we really want that we don’t have in our wardrobes.
Other questions are raised, however. “The fabrics used to be made to last longer and be timeless; they had greater durability. Today the fabrics are weaker, with inferior colours and less resilience. It’s a result of fast fashion that militates against timelessness,” says Filipe Faísca. “For us to be timeless, more resilient fabrics that last longer are essential.”
“We form such a strong emotional relationship with these pieces that when they’re lost or damaged it pains our soul.”
What are our hopes for the future? It may be tomorrow, or a year or two from now. Are we looking at an imposed timelessness? “I don’t believe that timelessness is the future. We’ll be working more with this idea, but creativity will always have to be there. We’ll always have to experiment. I don’t believe that pieces will be the same, but there’s a segment of the collection that’s going to be bigger than before — classics blended with collection pieces,” Filipe Faísca believes.
However, the designer thinks that “everything is evolving towards less wastage, not having such a huge mass of clothing. Therefore, consumers will opt for vital, timeless pieces.” However, Filipe continues, “the designer’s art will have to be more elaborate and thought-out: how can a detail become a classic?”
Conversely, the president of ModaLisboa thinks that awareness when purchasing leads buyers to prefer designer pieces that are timeless and more elaborate. “These pieces involve a more careful selection when buying because they’re an investment, but they’re also pieces with the potential for great longevity, as they were in the past. We form such a strong emotional relationship with these pieces that when they’re lost or damaged it pains our soul. This type of relationship was being lost, and should return now.”
