SOURCING & SUPPLY CHAIN
WF
18
Pride of
Portugal
“
I
am probably a romantic type but I do not conform
to the image of the romantic designer who
dreamily whiles away his time in the workshop
waiting to be hit by a stroke of genius to then
frantically get on with it,” says Portuguese fashion
designer, Miguel Vieira. “Design is discipline and hard
work more than anything else. What helps me are my
good planning skills. I am strict with myself but also
with my 12 members of staff who co-design with me.
You have to have rules that everyone abides by.”
In September, Mr Vieira launched his spring-summer
2012 collection of footwear for men and women at
Düsseldorf-based shoe fair GDS. Although this was the
designer’s first foray into the German market, his
footwear and fashion collections have featured on
international catwalks including Paris, London, Milan,
Madrid, Istanbul, New York and Tokyo. Speaking of his
decision to exhibit at the German event, Mr Vieira says:
“We are launching our shoe line here first which is why
we deliberately opted to feature at GDS; I have wanted
to exhibit here for a long time. We primarily wish to
target high-fashion stores – boutiques whose ranges
suit our high-quality collections so we can also build a
good reputation in this market.”
Mr Vieira began designing fashion for women in
1988, launching his first collection under his own name.
A men’s collection quickly followed, solidifying the
designer’s signature style of minimalism with clear lines
and a prominent use of black and white. After a few
years of concentrating on apparel, Mr Vieira realised he
wanted to create entire fashion concepts – not just
clothing. “This is when things started to grow,” he says.
“The first line in fashion was joined by jeanswear and a
sports collection, then sunglasses, even furniture and so
on. Today, I work with 12 teamsters on 15 licenses that
are now distributed to 100 sales outlets in Portugal and
over 300 points of sale worldwide.”
Fashion designer Miguel Vieira is a
household name in Portugal and his
creations are sold internationally. His
success comes from discipline and
hard work, and his designs are both
elegant and sophisticated.
Miguel Vieira showcased his spring-summer 2012 shoe
collection at the GDS fair in Germany.
CREDIT: GDS/CONSTANZE TILLMANN