Teen Vogue landed at Lisbon Fashion Week, also known as ModaLisboa, for a front-row look at the new wave of designers defining Portugal’s style identity and the institutions supporting their growth.
A few hours north of Lisbon, in Porto, lies a legacy of craftsmanship where the footwear industry, led by its formal federation, APPICAPS, has been the unsung engine behind the shoes seen on runways for America's hometown heroes like Willy Chavarria, Kallmeyer, and Libertine. Taking what they’ve learned and carrying that same spirit of innovation in a city pulsing with creative energy, local designers in Lisbon are embracing the spotlight. Standout collections from BÉHEN, Francisca Nabhino, and Drionadream signal Portugal’s emergence as fashion’s next hotspot.
Backstage at BÉHEN’s Fall/Winter 2026 show, brand founder and designer Joana Duarte speaks to the intention and identity of her creations. Her latest collection is a beautiful interplay of light and shadow featuring delicate, almost luminous embroidery set against darker, weightier silhouettes. But the details of this collection tell a deeper story. “All the beading is real glass, not plastic”, Duarte candidly shares, pointing to a headband she was working on backstage. The beading “is entirely done by hand –no machines” and the motifs are inspired by the Algibeira, a traditional embroidered pocket or pouch from the Minho region of Portugal, anchoring this collection firmly in its roots and Duarte’s cultural narratives. After growing up in Portugal, she earned a degree from Kingston University's Faculty of Architecture and then interned in India with a brand affiliated with the World Fair Trade Organization.
Through her experiences, she brings a structural sensitivity to her work and a keen interest in ethical production and artisan collaboration. As she fondly put it, she is “weaving every life experience” into her garments, as evidenced throughout the collection. In looks three and four, small mirrors are intricately placed using a traditional Gujarati technique by women artisans now based in Lisbon through the Homelore project, a collective and workshop supporting South Asian crafters. Elsewhere, looks two and six draw on the “traditional attire of Nazare and its symbolism linked to the sea.”
Francisca Nabhino’s eponymous label is a refreshing counterpresence in contemporary fashion, notably with her latest collection, LUCKY. Nabhino explores themes of freedom and self-preservation, while sanctifying historical artistic traditions. This collection was characterized by its playful, yet intentional visual language–featuring bubbly hues, recurring star motifs, and zany prints. She also takes on the heavy task of designing the in-house footwear and jewelry. Nabhino’s academic background informs her approach: she holds a license degree in Art History from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and a master’s degree in Fashion Design from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Lisbon. When describing the inspiration behind the collection, she shares, "Lucky is about individual identity and the freedom to shape your personal taste through references and memories.” This foundation is evident in the collection’s references, particularly in several prints inspired by the work of Portuguese artist, Almada Negreiros. Through LUCKY, Nabhino reflects a broader movement among emerging Portuguese designers—one marked by a deep reverence for the nation’s artistic legacy. This engagement with cultural heritage enables a design process that feels both instinctive and grounded, balancing innovation with authenticity.
DRIONADREAM’s “Cristal Clear” collection is a visual study on the tension between expectation and lived experience, positioning itself somewhere between illusion and reality. In a conversation following the show, designer Dri Martins explained that her goal was to “create something fun, cool, and undeniably sexy, while still carrying a deeper meaning”— a balance that was visible on the runway. A central symbol of the collection was the corset, a garment traditionally associated with restriction and physical constraint. It’s “reimagined here as something unexpectedly comfortable, a piece that can empower the body rather than constrain it,” Martins continues.
This dance between perception and reality extends beyond silhouette. Garments that appeared soft turned out to be unexpectedly rigid. Martins’ work distinguished itself amongst her Portuguese peers because her collection continually changed the viewer’s assumptions to provoke inner dialogue. While there is a deep respect for tradition amongst Portuguese designers, and Martins personally believes in the country’s creative potential, DRIONADREAM questions the structures that may limit innovation. Her background involves a BA in Fashion Design from ESMOD, where she developed a passion for 3D technology that she often used to challenge conventional design methods. Martins concludes that, “ultimately, 'Cristal Clear' reframes comfort as something fluid and subjective, not a fixed ideal, but a personal experience that shapes how we feel, move, and exist in our bodies.” Her brand is a symbol of the space that the Portuguese can occupy in the Global fashion community—futuristic, yet, thoughtful.
Portugal’s fashion industry is tightly interconnected, with institutions that actively uplift and support its innovators. APPICAPS plays a central role as the country’s footwear and leather goods association, backing both global production and local innovation. In doing so, they’ve been a supporting partner of ModaLisboa, the federation that organizes Lisbon Fashion Week. For years, they’ve quietly produced footwear for luxury brands like Loewe, but in recent years, they’ve shifted their focus to producing footwear for brands like Martine Rose, Willy Chavarria & Campillo, and strengthening their presence at Lisbon Fashion Week, actively uplifting more of the independent stars in fashion for their runway collections.
Paulo Goncalves, Executive Director of APICCAPS, shared his thoughts: “From a strategic standpoint, APICCAPS considers it highly relevant to partner with young designers, as they bring a forward-thinking vision of the market, capable of connecting the technical expertise developed by the industry over generations. We believe that combining modernity and tradition is a winning approach.” This support was visible at Lisbon Fashion Week, where APICCAPS-produced shoes appeared across multiple shows, reinforcing its commitment to elevating emerging brands and continuing the theme of looking inward for inspiration.
As recently witnessed this Fall-Winter season, the Portuguese culture of design is rooted in historical craftsmanship, cultural heritage, and the preservation, yet advancement of those practices. What’s so beautiful about this buzzing center is that it relies on itself to sustain, forging a strong visual identity and opening the floor for community-based ethical design, which is what fashion truly needs right now.
