DONNA NOIR X GORILA

 

 

Chewing on memories. DONNA NOIR dives into the retro-pop iconography of GORILA chewing gum to create a nostalgic, wearable and aromatic capsule — where each piece awakens the senses: from colour to scent, from print to memory.

 

 

Art direction and styling Jacinto Paiva

Photography Isabella Glock

Beauty Antónia Rosa 

Featured designer Margarida Gonçalves founder of DONNA NOIR

Collab DONNA NOIR X Gorila 

Models
Inês Martinho from Face Models ⋅ Sebastian Hubert from Karacter Agency  
Special appearance Jacinto Paiva and Julie

Words Eduardo Alves
Interview Marjorlane Crouigneau

Special thanks to Arte D’Lavar

 

 

 

When it comes to childhood, few icons hold as much visual and olfactory weight as Gorila chewing gum. Colourful, collectible, fleeting in flavour but eternal in memory — traded in schoolyards, forgotten in pockets, revived through scent. It’s that nostalgic and cultural charge that designer Margarida Gonçalves, founder of DONNA NOIR, chose to incorporate into her creative world — giving rise to a capsule that is sensory, visual and emotional.

Known for a sculptural, monochromatic and provocative aesthetic, Margarida swaps black for pop in this bold collaboration with the iconic Portuguese brand. A collection that doesn’t just dress the body: it awakens senses, summons memories, and reframes the past with irreverence.

 

 

Hi ZOOT Magazine, I am Margarida Gonçalves. I am from the south of Portugal – Algarve. I’ve studied Social Education. I’ve been travelling in Africa, from North to Sub-Saharan countries, since I was 19, involved in dialogue between cultures, cooperation for development, volunteering and so on. It was my kind of love for life, and still is. But after becoming a mother, life changed, and it wasn’t a thinking choice – I just started sketching, and everything started to make sense.

MARGARIDA gONÇALVES / DONNA NOIR

 

 

 

 

ZOOT: When did you decide to launch your own brand, and what motivated that decision?

MARGARIDA GONÇALVES / DONNA NOIR: During the 2020 lockdown, I started sketching. At that time, I wanted to bring out my alter ego through fashion — that’s how DONNA NOIR was born.

 

 

ZOOT: Why “Black”? What significance does it hold for you?

MARGARIDA: Black, since I’ve known myself, was always the colour that fit me. Nothing towards the gothic or dark side — if there’s a colour that is born with you and you just can’t let it go, it’s black, in a beautiful and powerful way. That’s what it means to me — it’s an emotional thing, you know.

 

 

ZOOT: If you had to describe the world of DONNA NOIR in three words, what would they be?

MARGARIDA: I would say, with no particular order: woman, dark, sexiness.

 

 

 

 

I’m not that person who starts by designing or sketching in 2D. I usually start with an idea and go straight to pattern making. Usually, the formulas to get where I want begin in my mind, as I try to find a way to materialise what I have in my head. So the way I do things — especially when creating pieces — starts from a concept, a briefing, or something that really sparks in me, from something I saw or did, and then it comes to life. The croquis doesn’t always come first — or if it does, the process of making it always changes it.

MARGARIDA GONÇALVES / DONNA NOIR

 

 

ZOOT: How do you source your materials? Do you have any favorites you consistently gravitate toward?

MARGARIDA: Maybe I’d say there are phases of inspiration, mood, and the style of pieces you’re doing — and in each phase, at least for me, I can be a bit consistent. For example, I definitely gravitated toward black fabrics for a while. Then I was exploring the world of stretch and Lycra materials — the kind that can hold and shape the female body. Also, at one point, I was fixated on shoulder pads, and I made my own pattern for two models. So yes, I think I can be a bit obsessive when it comes to trying materials.

 

 

 

 

As I said before, my background is in Social Education and cooperation for development — and of course, sustainability moves me deeply. I mean, my actions as a consumer are my business card in that regard. I’m not a consumer of fast fashion — and if I ever am, it’s minimal. I do recycle at home. I care about water waste, whether it’s in my place, at a hotel, or wherever I am. And obviously, I bring that to my work and career. I think I act the same when it comes to my creative process, because it reflects the way I live. I just keep simple things on the table: I buy fabrics from Europe, I continue sourcing from Portuguese manufacturers, I like to walk around deadstock places, I pay fair when it comes to production and to those who make my clothes, I keep slow batches of stock or try working with pre-orders — and I do it with passion.

MARGARIDA GONÇALVES / DONNA NOIR

 

 

ZOOT: You recently collaborated with GORILA, the iconic Portuguese chewing gum brand founded in 1975 by Lusiteca. How did this collaboration come about, and what drew you to work with them?

MARGARIDA: I was the one who thought of it. Me and my artistic director, Ruben Branches, were having one of our huge, crazy conversations, throwing around hundreds of ideas… and I just blurted it out: “GORILA!” Let’s propose a great collab — they’re the best when it comes to childhood, nostalgia, etc. He was like, “Great! Let’s go, send the email!” — like everything had to be for tomorrow. But in reality, it took me a year and a half just to contact them, plus another year to launch. So yes, it took too long to come out. But I learned a lot from it, and I’m so glad I didn’t let go — we made it!

 

 

 

 

ZOOT: What were your main sources of inspiration for the DONNA NOIR x GORILA collection? Were you able to explore the GORILA archives? And how did the prints for the collection come to life?

MARGARIDA: Exactly. First, I asked for all the files they had from the very beginning — like, 50 years ago until now — and they sent them. Tiago Pereira, the Marketing Director, was the person from GORILA who believed in it from the very first approach. He had the vision too, and gave me the freedom to be creative while always respecting GORILA’s DNA and identity. Ruben Branches also had the visual ideas — he led all the campaigns and steps of the collab — so we were perfectly in sync, and that made all the difference. The retro-pop is there, the irreverence, the DNA — it’s all there. That’s why this collab is one of a kind.

 

 

ZOOT: This collaboration features bold all-over prints, a departure from your typically monochrome aesthetic. Was that shift challenging for you?

MARGARIDA: That’s an awesome question — it was exactly what I wanted. It was the centrepiece: challenging myself with a completely different world. I hadn’t done anything like it before, and I really had no idea where to go — that was the fire behind it. The graphic designer, Luiz Saber, was great — he did the all-over prints like no one else could. I gave him the briefing and voilà — we reached another level of expectation. I’m truly happy with the result.

 

 

This collaboration with GORILA is all about nostalgia! I see it as a sensorial experience — you wear it, and the memories are there, even from the encapsulated essence we deliver in the pieces. It was made and presented through fashion, which has a huge impact on people’s lives and how they communicate — even before speaking, or how they feel through it. So I wanted to manifest it through what I know how to do.

MARGARIDA GONÇALVES / DONNA NOIR

 

 

 

 

ZOOT: Unlike many fashion brands, you focus on one-off pieces and limited editions rather than seasonal collections. Why have you chosen this approach?

MARGARIDA: Because I don’t know how to do it differently — my brain definitely works in another way. I don’t see how useful it would be to make seasonal collections, or 20 or more pieces for each one. I don’t see it as meaningful or pleasant for me, or even a necessity for someone else. So being myself and placing me in the right position as a creative person means doing spontaneous designs, according to what I’m living as an artist — and enjoying the ride. I’m not a clothing brand; I create auteur pieces. I design my deepest taste. I create for someone who tells me a story that clicks inside and makes me learn more and more about myself, while exploring new skills. Hard work, I’d say!

 

 

ZOOT: You often travel to Marrakech and Dubai. How have these cities and their cultures influenced DONNA NOIR’s aesthetic or philosophy?

MARGARIDA: That’s so great! I have so much to say about it, really — too many lines, I can’t even start. I’m so passionate about travelling. I’m a very sensitive person, and since I was a girl, I’ve been travelling to Arab and African countries. I won international awards — from Egypt to Japan — for dialogue between cultures. I’ve dedicated my time and studies to cooperation for development, women’s empowerment, the MDGs — Millennium Development Goals from the UN, etc. But after some years, I found myself in a completely different lifestyle. For a while, I guess I became blind to world issues, and fashion placed me in a new set of priorities. I saw Dubai as a safe place, a land of opportunities, and I started calling it my second home. Marrakesh came later — I’m also selling there, in Gueliz. I think the energy of a country or city chooses us. Arab energy and Muslim countries still click with something inside me. They give me deep insights. There’s a fine line between Western culture and Arab culture, and I’m still looking for where I truly fit in.

 

 

 

 

ZOOT: Fashion and personal wellness often go hand-in-hand. What does your everyday beauty and skincare routine look like? Any favorite products you’d recommend to our readers?

MARGARIDA: I’m not that much of an expert, unfortunately — cleaning and hydrating. Every kind of hygiene is irreplaceable for me — I mean teeth, skin, hair, nails, etc. As long as I have that under control, it’s fine — the rest I adjust. I’d say that to keep my serenity, I started fighting — boxing is what makes me feel strong, active and grounded.

 

 

ZOOT: What was the last book, film, song, or piece of media that left a strong impression on you—and why?

MARGARIDA: Music, music and more music. It turns me on, and I fall in love with many songs that make me create according to the mood. The intensity with music is so powerful.

 

 

 

 

ZOOT: Finally, would you like to share any thoughts on the current political, environmental, or social climate we’re living in?

MARGARIDA: I try to escape from these kinds of issues lately. As I said, I’m a very sensitive person, and today DONNA NOIR takes all my energy — after my daughter, who is everything I have. In my thoughts, as long as I’m doing my part on this tiny scale, I can live with that. When you are an altruistic spirit, as I was, and life puts you on a totally different mission, you’d better give the best you have — and that’s what I always do when someone crosses my path.

 

 

ZOOT: I’d just like to ask one more question to better understand your journey. Are you self-taught in fashion, or did you learn patternmaking, cutting, etc. in a fashion school?

MARGARIDA: I’d say self-taught — besides the fact that I started studying fashion at LSD School and took a patternmaking course, along with many online courses. Then I spent two years learning everything in an old manufacturing workshop in the suburbs of Lisbon.

 

 

Thank you very much Margarida!

 

 

 

To boot….

 

DONNA NOIR
@donnanoir I www.donnanoir.com

 

GORILA
@pastilhas_gorila