March 2, 2015
By Contributor
Images Courtesy of CENIT
Porto, Portugal – James White was the final winner of European Young Designers Porto Fashion Show 2015, which brought to Portugal young people graduated by some of the best fashion schools in Europe. In this third edition, Carla Pontes, Silvia Suarez Arranz, Giuseppe Perri, Julia Fraille and Milla Lintilä were also awarded.
The menswear collection #001, inspired by ice and its thickness and colour variations, has guaranteed James White, from United Kingdom, the title of best European young fashion talent at Porto Fashion Show. With that he also won a total prize money of 8,000 euros (3,000 euros for winning the country award and 5,000 euros for being the final winner).
James White, Winner of the 2015 European Young Designers Contest
In the final runway show, which took place February 25th at Alfândega do Porto, integrated in the professional trade fair Modtissimo and Porto Fashion Week, Carla Pontes, who won the first prize to Portugal, also shinned with the autumn-winter 2015/2016 collection, Orbit. «It is really good to have this kind of acknowledgment», said the young designer graduated by Modatex, who, for the first time, will show her collection in Lisbon, in the next edition of Portugal Fashion. «It was good to see the other contestants and to understand the different languages of each country», she added.
The award to Spain was given to Silvia Suarez Arranz. The ex-flight attendant, also graduated in Social Education, is committed in having a career in fashion and after the Fashion Design degree at IED Madrid is launching her own brand, La Handmade. «Fashion is my passion. And fashion should be a daily work», stated the Spanish designer, who in Oporto presented a collection where she frees herself from the uniforms that for many years were part of her life. «To win is very special but I believe it was a team work», she underlined.
The fashion world is also very recent to Giuseppe Perri, who for years worked as assistant in the Italian Parliament. Graduated by Accademia Koefia, his collection, inspired in romanticism and in the tradition of the best Italian couture, has guaranteed him the first prize to Italy. «Obviously I’m very happy because it’s another confirmation that I chose the right path», he said.
The first prize to France was handed to Julia Fraille. The 23 years-old young designer, graduated by Atelier Chardon Savard, presented in Porto Fashion Show “Hang On”, a collection that reflects the mountain universe, mixing extreme sports and urban style. «This was my first fashion contest and I’m very happy for this acknowledgement and for the opportunity to be able to share it with my colleagues and my school», she assumed.
Milla Lintilä was the winner for Germany. Graduated by Esmod Berlin, the young designer has already worked for renowned brands, such as Alexander McQueen, where she was an intern, and Balenciaga, where she worked as assistant to a senior designer. Her collection, a version of the Sonora Aero Club pictured by the artist Charles Dellschau, has got the jury attention. «I will pay my huge student loan», said Milla Lintilä regarding the prize money of 3,000 euros that she took home.
The winners of the 3rd edition of Porto Fashion Show were selected by an international jury, presided by Paulo Vaz, president of CENIT, and composed by fashion designer Luís Buchinho, representing Portugal; Jaime de la Figuera, consultant of Madrid professional trade fair Momad Metrópolis, representing Spain; French journalist from Le Fashion Post Catherine Toffaletti; Brigitte Nutz, project manager apparel fabrics and fashion from Messe Frankfurt representing Germany; Giovanni Conti, design professor and researcher from Politecnico di Milano representing Italy; and Julie Driscoll, portfolio director of fashion trade fair Pure London, representing United Kingdom.
«In general, all countries had a very good and a very strong application. That made the jury decision quite difficult», underlined Luís Buchinho, who also said that Porto Fashion Show «also reaffirms Oporto as a city where we start to make decision for the future of European fashion».
In addition to the presentation of the collections to the jury and the final runway show, Porto Fashion Show’s programme also included a visit to five well-known Portuguese companies – A2 Asdrubal J.A, Adalberto Estampados, Crispim Abreu, Pizarro and Polopique – that impressed these European young designers. «It is impressive how companies with such a huge dimension are in these small towns and are able to have all these production phases under one roof. I hadn’t had such a close contact with the textile industry as here and I find extraordinary the machinery quantity needed to reach this perfection in the final product», reveled Natacha Aedo Dúran, contestant of Esmod Berlin, from Germany.
CENIT – the Textile Intelligence Centre is a non-profit organization created by the sector associations ATP – Textile and Apparel Association and ANIVEC/APIV – National Association of the Apparel and Manufacture Industry, focused on the promotion, dissemination and information of and to the Portuguese textile, apparel and fashion industry. Porto Fashion Show, under which takes place this young designers contest, is a project by CENIT supported by EU funds that also involves the promotion of international conferences and exhibitions related to fashion world.
