Irreverent and purposeful pieces
Words: Maria Martinho
Patrícia Moutinho is the creative mind behind Invitro Studio, a jewellery brand that blends photography, fashion, painting and family history. It seeks to present something irreverent, bold and disruptive, in a dialogue with time and a desire to be different.
She began with photography and audiovisual communication, studied and lived in Barcelona for five years, and upon returning to her home town of Porto, Patrícia Moutinho began working at the family business: Alcino Silversmith. The century-old brand, founded in 1902, which specialises in silver jewellery and decoration, allowed her creative mind and artistic spirit to take on new forms and inspired her to found her own brand.
Invitro Studio emerged in 2020, bringing together various art forms that express what moves and inspires her, in a unique and original way. “Initially, I was more dedicated to my photography and painting work, but as it grew, I began to create my first collections”, she says.
The first work, entitled ‘Inferno’, was released in 2021 and is inspired by the forces of nature and its organic forms, but with five collections already in her portfolio, Patrícia’s references are the Art Deco and Art Nouveau movements, a journey to the past that she frequently undertakes.
Painting and ceramics are part of her creative process, as are nature and its multiple textures — sea foam, tree leaves and even animal fur or feathers — or the irreverent and daring work of designer Alexander McQueen. “His fashion shows, the custom pieces he created with jeweller Shaun Leane, made me dream of blowing people’s minds and, one day, being able to shock and create things never seen before”, she emphasises.
Throughout the year she creates unique pieces, crafted from raw natural stones, sculptures made from stone that she finds and collects, and collaborates with fashion campaigns, producers, stylists and other artists. She works with gold, silver and natural stones, mainly in their raw form, with meticulous attention to detail, experimentation and boldness, resulting in surprising, striking pieces full of personality, where the distinctive shapes, rigidity of the pieces and desire to be different all stand out.
In the future, Patrícia Moutinho would like to open her own store — Invitro Studio by Alcino Silversmith — where everything will be inspired by our vision of the future, and where the furniture and displays will be totally disruptive. “We would also like to take Invitro to other parts of Portugal, such as Lisbon, and to other countries. But this is only the beginning — everything still remains to be done”, she says.
For now, you can find her pieces online at www.invitrostudio.com and at the three addresses of Alcino Silversmith in the city of Porto:
· Rua Santos Pousada, 76
· Hotel InterContinental — Palácio das Cardosas
· Rua das Flores, 259
