ZOOT Editors Pick by Anderson Vescah

Texture, form, and intent. Six distinct visions, selected by our fashion editor Anderson Vescah, reveal a new creative generation of designers emerging from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Lisbon — balancing technical precision with theatrical impulse.

Beauty Antónia Rosa and team
With Clarins Portugal

Hair Helena Vaz Pereira and team from Griffehairstyle

Specials thanks to DEMO FAUL and Faculty of Architecture

The Faculty of Architecture at the University of Lisbon is one of Portugal’s most fertile grounds for visual thinking and interdisciplinary experimentation. Between architecture, design, and fashion, it shapes minds that think with precision and create with freedom — merging conceptual language with hands-on creative practice.

As part of DEMO — the school’s annual showcase of graduating students — six creations were selected by ZOOT fashion editor Anderson Vescah for the strength with which they unite concept, construction, and finish. Between texture and expressiveness, they reveal a generation that thinks through the body and creates with intent.

The projects I selected were chosen based on several criteria: creativity combined with design, quality of the finishing, and how well the looks could be received by the fashion market.
Anderson Vescah

Designer Ana Almendra

Models Milena Cunha and Alanna from DA BANDA Management & Ana Beatriz from We are Models

“I called the collection Exuvia, a reference to the shed skin left behind by animals. With this concept I explored explored the meaning that clothing has for me. I created five looks as forms of armour — a damaged protection we carry with us every day. I combined 3D printing with hand knitting to construct each piece. […] I tried to create a narrative of transition between a more rigid knit, plastic chainmail, which is accompanied by rope, an intermediate material, and wool, which is more delicate. For the colour, I chose black to represent the absence of light, giving a darker tone to this secret armour that protects us both physically and mentally.”

Gustavo Calapez, from Haus of Etherea, delivered a burst of creativity. His work leans toward a more conceptual aesthetic, almost like stage wear, and is perfectly suited for fashion editorials.
ANDERSON VESCAH

Designer Gustavo Calapez from Haus of Etherea
Models Inês Martinho from Face Models & Alanna from DA BANDA Management

All pieces by Gustavo Calapez from Haus of Etherea: Floor length sheath skirt with Rorschach test print painted on an irregularly cut tail, made of 100% cotton deadstock twill and fully lined with mercerized cotton, also deadstock.

Button length opera gloves made of deadstock 1×1 cotton rib.

“For the ETHEREA F/W 25 – ????? collection, I went through a process of ego deconstruction and self-reflection. My goal was always to create something reflective of my identity, and that I could present myself with to the fashion world, however my earliest designs and research did not feel authentic. […] I began questioning how one can seek true identity and authenticity while being made of little impersonations of somebody else? All this visual culture, ‘frankensteined’ together, was merely mirror shards on which I saw reflected the values and qualities I wanted my work to have.
Falling deep into this identity crisis rabbit hole, I began exploring within the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis. […] There was the creation of the Rorschach test, a projective tool used by professionals to understand aspects of one’s personality and identity. Visually and conceptually, this territory turned out to be the wider horizon I was looking for […]
I always designed the collection conscious of its sustainability. All the main fabrics were sourced from deadstock, are 100% cotton, and the puffered garments’ stuffing is a recycled agglomerate of processed factory manufacturing leftovers. […]
It’s the randomness of textile paint splashes with the rationality of pattern making that created each unrepeatable silhouette […]
The final lineup presented at DEMO’25 seeks to transmit an increasing abstraction of the silhouettes, representing the feeling of being consumed by the doubt of not knowing who you are. […] At the end, viewers are invited to speculate about the meaning of what confronts them, just like in a Rorschach test.”

Designer Maria Miguel Borba

Model Anna Chiara from Karacter Agency

*Geometric fan dress by Maria Miguel Borda.*

“Metamorfose Lírica is a collection that was born out of my desire to explore the relationship between form, repetition and movement in the body. I felt the need to visually translate the tension between the static and the dynamic, between the body and what surrounds it.
The central idea guiding this creation was the representation of movement and the transformation of the plane into volume, through the repetition of pleating, not as mere ornament, but as a construction strategy. The body, in turn, appears here as a sculptural support, a three-dimensional territory that gives life to forms.
[…] I chose fabrics that could support the structures, with enough body to maintain their shape, but also flexible to allow movement. The reduced black and white palette was not just an aesthetic choice, but also a conceptual one: like Cristóbal Balenciaga, I wanted to focus attention on form, rhythm and shadow.
Inspired by nature and photography, each piece is unique, translating the creative moment into form. Just as a camera lens freezes motion, the collection eternalizes that which can never be repeated, materializing memory, where the past remains present in the way the fabric is manipulated.”

In the case of Ana Almendra, Sofia Soto Diaz, and Maria Miguel Borba, what stood out to me was their use of textures and how each of them uniquely worked with their chosen materials. The result was a rich, distinctive aesthetic.
anderson vescah

Designer Sofia Soto Diaz
Model Benedita Filipe from Face Models

*Colorful wool jumpsuit by Sofia Soto Diaz.*

“Suerte is a collection conceived from the premise of my own identity: the desire for hope placed in the invisible, the trust in destiny, and the inner force that drives me to keep resisting along the way. It is a collection born from emotion—intimate and profound.

It is primarily constructed through textile work and manual techniques such as felting, thus honoring inherited traditions. The pieces are crafted mainly from mohair and merino wool. The color palette, composed of saturated and vibrant tones, adds an expressive dimension. […]

Suerte emerges as a poetic reading of the everyday, woven from a perspective rooted in the Global South. In this symbolic universe, amulets, rituals, and that which has been forgotten or marginalized converge to shape an imaginary rich in meaning.”

Designer Anabela Melo

Model Nikita from Face Models

*Tailoring with striped shirting fabric by Anabela Melo.*

“My collection What remains of what was embodies the nostalgia of the transition from summer to autumn. This project was born out of a personal reflection on the transition – a moment of saying goodbye to freedom and reuniting with routine. The collection translates this nostalgia through streetwear, using visual and tactile references linked to the beach. In my initial research, I immersed myself in the visual imagery associated with the beach: parasols with striped patterns and their overlays, towels and textures. This research was essential not only for the selection of materials, but also for the choice of patterns and colours that form the identity of the collection. The colour palette chosen is reminiscent of sunset, the transition from day to night. Shades of orange and red evoke warmth and intensity, while light and dark blues bring the calm and freshness of the evening. Purple appears as a reminder of the melancholy of the end, while yellow, subtly applied to the stripes, adds a vibrant and nostalgic energy, reminiscent of the sunshine in the last hours of the day. The fabrics are all 100 per cent cotton, the striped patterned fabrics are made by Somelos in Portugal and the orange American terry knit is deadstock from Traponorte. The collection also proposes an inclusive approach to menswear that questions gender norms.”

Anabela Melo and Afonso Correia, on the other hand, impressed me with the precision of their cuts and finishes. Both managed to deconstruct classic tailoring and shirting, translating these traditional elements into a more contemporary language with subtle influences from streetwear.
Anderson Vescah

Designer Afonso Correia

Models Lanzar and Gany Camara from Face Models

*Monochromatic tailoring by Afonso Correia.*

“This small collection was my take on men’s formal wear and tailoring and its deconstruction. I knew in the beginning I wanted to work with blazers and to play around with the idea of the full suit and its continuity. While having some silhouettes that felt bold and strong and others that opposed that same idea with fluidity and vulnerability. For the materials I used cool wools and poplin from deadstock warehouses and second hand blazers and shirts, the main idea was to make from scratch the bottom pieces and upcycle the top pieces. My inspirations for this collection were two designers, Miguel Adrover and obviously Margiela, for their take on deconstruction and way of seeing fashion.”