From the Tigress Leap to First Steps: The Trailer for Essays That Will Revolutionize Your Inbox
Your fashion nerd in residence had a packed agenda this week. If you remember well, the previous edition said the following: "everyone will talk about the MET Gala, I will talk about it, but I definitely won't do it hot off the press, competing for 'viral space'."
So yes, the time had come to talk about the MET Gala, or at least that's what I thought... My agenda only included the final year fashion show for first-year students of the Master's in Fashion Design at the University of Lisbon. And for weeks it had been of immense anticipation and enthusiasm.
Not only because it was a super rewarding experience I went through as a student, but also because it's an event I've been following since long before being a Fashion student. Mainly, due to the enormous admiration I have for the Fashion Project Professor - Eduarda Abbondanza - founder and president of the ModaLisboa Association | Lisboa Fashion Week- also my professor and mentor.
With the initial idea of preparing this edition before Friday, the opportunity arose to integrate the preview visit to the exhibition "Vivienne Westwood - The Tigress Leap" curated by Anabela Becho - PhD in Design, researcher, professor (I was her student during undergrad in the Creative Thinking Stimulation Techniques course) and, obviously, I didn't miss such an opportunity.
And, as the saying goes, it never rains but it pours: Business Class is back and this Wednesday had its kickoff Zoom call.
Let's get to know a bit about each event, so we can later be up to speed on all or almost all the details...
Vivienne Westwood - The Tigress Leap
In the zeitgeist we currently live in, also in Portugal, punk is needed more than ever. And where will we find it? In the vaults of the former National Overseas Bank, MUDE - Design Museum, since 2009.
On a Tuesday morning in sunny Lisbon, we descended into the vaults and the curation and inherent research of "Vivienne Westwood - The Tigress Leap" elevates us intellectually.
This title sounds familiar, right? Translated, the book, with which the exhibition draws parallels, is titled "The Tiger's Leap - Fashion in Modernity" ("Tigersprung - Fashion in Modernity") by Ulrich Lehmann. The premise at the genesis of the book states: "The History of Modernity written in a philosophy of Fashion, set in the cultural framework of Paris.Not forgetting that Lehmann invoked, for his study, the dialectical figure of the 'Tiger's Leap,' originated by thinker Walter Benjamin (1940).
Paris where Westwood felt more connected with Fashion itself than anywhere else; History where Vivienne went to find elements to subvert its genesis. Something she didn't do in a mere broad sense, but also in the study of pattern making and construction, achieving new solutions to convey her messages.
Modernity in the temporal space of the 19th century enters into dialogue with the work of the British designer. These are Portuguese-made pieces for Portuguese women of that time. A nuance that is very much in line with Professor Anabela's body of work - creating connections to the History of Costume and Fashion in Portugal, innovative perspectives to existing narratives.
Being surprising for many, myself included, is the fact that all the Vivienne Westwood pieces featured in the exhibition are part of Portuguese collections, both from MUDE's collection - specifically the Francisco Capelo collection - as well as from private collections. But pleasant surprises didn't stop there. I won't tell you all of them yet, but I'll highlight that there were other dialogues... I'll even tell you that these include pieces by Schiaparelli and Comme des Garçons.
Before leaving your curiosity at its peak, I'll tell you that this exhibition features the following sections: Modern Pirates and Crinolines; Punks and Corsets; Vive La Cocotte; Bustiers and Pearls; Showroom; Tartans and Bustles; Anglomania; Unconventional Cuts and; Nature.
You know the contexts will come later - yes, you'll have to pay attention to your inbox in the meantime. Remember: the symbol of the Tiger's Leap was a top hat; in the Tigress Leap we have the shoes that appear in the cover collage of this text. When we return here, this is where we'll begin.
Business Class X The Fashion Standup
Although it might seem that Sophia Amoruso's Business Class isn't directly related to Fashion, let's remember her first brand Nasty Gal and the impact of migrating her project from eBay to her own e-commerce platform had on the genesis of online store dissemination in the Fashion industry.
In 2014 she was included in the revised edition of the book "Teen Vogue Handbook - An Insider's Guide to Careers in Fashion" and described in the title of the chapter dedicated to her as "The Superstar e-tailer." Amoruso is part of the "Digital" section, accompanied by names like Leandra Medine and Robin Givhan. Other sections include figures like Karl Lagerfeld ("Designers"), Anna Wintour ("Editors"), Karla Welch ("Stylists"), Karlie Kloss ("Models"), Pat McGrath ("Beauty") and Bruce Weber ("Photographers").
Let's return, then, to Business Class. In 2021, when my future plan was to have a brand as an independent Fashion designer, I knew I was missing a crucial piece of my puzzle - I needed to learn to be an entrepreneur and manage a brand... Business Class was the big decision of my life and, perhaps, the most responsible decision I made.
How do Business Class and The Fashion Standup intersect? Founding a project from home is often a solitary experience and having a digital community that shared similar situations and the continuous feedback from the team or flight crew, as we call Sophia and Melanie, is invaluable.
Taking the course again at this moment is quite natural. The Fashion Standup project is something I'm very proud of, but I want it to evolve. I want it to continue, being sustainable at all levels, including financially. Without losing the values, vision and mission that characterize it. And without compromising the accessibility of content to those who enjoy it.
DEMO FAUL - MA’s Class of 2025 Collections
Does creativity in Fashion exist without reinventing the wheel? Yesssss! And proof of this was the runway show presenting the final collections of first-year students from the Master's in Fashion Design at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon.
The renovated Portugal Pavilion hosted 25 collections of 5 looks each from the talents who marked the future of Fashion. With 25 collections, there are 25 students to guide, to mentor... How do you define an exceptional Professor? As one who helps her students express their freedom and develop their idiosyncratic aesthetic and visual identities, one by one. Without ever imprinting her own tastes or preferences on them. This personification is found in Eduarda Abbondanza or Professor Eduarda.
It was up to the students to move us, not only in their professional maturity for those still taking their first public steps, but also in the team spirit they transmitted to everyone present.
Spirit of unity present in the students' final thank you to the sound of the music "Ao Limite Eu Vou" ("and I already know that nothing, nothing will make you stop, you just have to fight, to the limit I go...").
The maturity of these Fashion rookies is everywhere: in collections exclusively of womenswear or menswear, or mixed; it goes from pleats to structured pieces; the approach to different techniques from knitwear to printing; the fact that I couldn't define marked trends that made us question where one collection ended or the next began; there were no fears of materials, there was boldness; in pieces thought through 360 degrees...
I must say it was magnificent to witness the presentation of work by members of the TFS community who closely follow this platform, such as Maria Cruz and Gustavo Calapez.
Although these details I've given you still seem like loose ends, I've already gotten to work to bring you first-person testimonies from these young designers.
Obviously, a photo of a single look from only four of the twenty-five collections is a very sparse glimpse... But this newsletter is a compendium of preview samples of subjects and themes to come.
I must say that not everything this week was perfect: I couldn't attend the undergraduate finals runway show, but that doesn't mean those proposals won't be reflected in The Fashion Standup.
What will follow in our newsletter's content calendar? Well, you've already realized that accidental sagacity always gets the better of me. So I can't make you many promises.
What I can tell you is that in the upcoming editions we'll have mono-thematic essays about: the exhibition "Vivienne Westwood - The Tigress Leap"; how the work developed through Business Class will catalyze the progress of the project and platform that is The Fashion Standup; the designers who were part of the University's Master's in Fashion Design runway show; and much more...
And yes, we'll have occasion to address the themes that surround and involve "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." Still, what you'll receive in your email a week from now is still a mystery.
To find out, you have to subscribe!
The time has come to say:
See you next week!
With love,
Vera Lúcia
Captions
Feature Image - Collage made by the author. (from left to right). Vivienne Westwood Gold Label. Shoes. Spring/Summer 2000. Summertime Collection. Brocaded silk, leather. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Author's boarding pass for Business Class. Photograph of Maria Cruz's collection process.
Visual 1- Collage and photos: author. Photo 1- (from left to right) Worlds End/ McLaren/ Westwood. Coat, pants, sweater. Fall/Winter 1981-82. Pirates Collection. Cotton. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Worlds End/ McLaren/ Westwood. Vest, culottes, sweater. Fall/Winter 1981-82. Pirates Collection. Cotton taffeta, cotton flannel. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Worlds End/ McLaren/ Westwood. Vest, shorts. Fall/Winter 1981-82. Pirates Collection. Cotton. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Worlds End/ McLaren/ Westwood. Coat, blazer, pants. Spring/Summer 1982. Savage Collection. Cotton, cotton taffeta. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Worlds End/ McLaren/ Westwood. Top, shorts. Spring/Summer 1982. Savage Collection. Cotton. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Worlds End/ McLaren/ Westwood. Coat, pants. Fall/Winter 1982-83. Nostalgia of Mud Collection. Wool fabric, cotton, ceramic beading. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Worlds End/ McLaren/ Westwood. Coat, pants. Fall/Winter 1984-85. Clint Eastwood Collection. Houndstooth wool, silk jacquard. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Vivienne Westwood Gold Label. Dress. Spring/Summer 1991. Cut, Slash and Pull Collection. Cotton taffeta. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Photo 2 - Vivienne Westwood Gold Label. Dress Fall/Winter 1999-2000. Showroom Collection. Silk satin, silk changeant, viscose, lurex, polyamide, metal. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection.
Visual 2 - Collage and photo 3: author. Photo 3 - Vivienne Westwood Gold Label Special Couture. 1998. Bustiers and Pearls exhibition section. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection. Photo 4 - Vivienne Westwood Gold Label Couture. Dress Spring/Summer 1998. Tied to the Mast Collection. Silk, metal, precious stones, cotton, tulle. MUDE, Francisco Capelo Collection.
Visual 3 - Collage and photos: author. Photo 5 - Photo in the context of the author's participation as a Business Class student, for the first time, in 2021. Photo 6 - Photo in the context of the kickoff Zoom call for the 2025 cohort of Business Class.
Visual 4 - Collage and photos: author. Photo 7 - Look from Maria Miguel's collection. Photo 8 - Look from Maria Cruz's collection.
Visual 5 - Collage and photos: author. Photo 9 - Look from Ramilton Talmo's collection. Photo 10 - Look from Gustavo Calapez's collection.