Portugal might not be up there with Paris and Milan as a global fashion behemoth, but that’s not to say there aren’t a bunch of designers and hotspots that should be on your radar. In capital city Lisbon – a place you’d be hard-pushed not to fall in love with within hours of landing thanks to its laid-back vibes, sunny architecture and cultural cache – a fashion week held biannually showcases the best the country has to offer, with the likes of Behen, Luis Borges, and loads more among them.

Portugal is also a landmark destination for some of the chicest, most considered design hotels you’ll likely ever stay at. Among them is the W Algarve, located in Portugal’s sun-drenched beachside region. The hotel opened in 2022 and has been something of a disruptor to an area – just 30 minutes from family-fave Faro – better known for its no-frills package holidays. Across the space, Portuguese design, like little traditional decorative tiles and sardine accents. 

Its connection to fashion doesn’t end there, though. The space is billed as a creative hub, and like other W hotels around the world draws in the international creative crowd. Alongside a series of restaurants and bars, multiple pool, and a curated line-up of DJs steaming up the already blistering Algarvian summer nights, it also boasts a bonafide fashion favourite in the form of Paper Moon – an Italian staple with a big sister in Milan, which is a go-to for editors, influencers, and models alike whenever fashion week rolls around.

In case you’re a fashion fan thinking of heading to Portugal, we’ve rounded up a list of the names to know on the blossoming creative scene.

FILIPE AUGUSTO

Filipe Augusto kickstarted his eponymous label after graduating from one of Portugal’s leading fashion schools back in 2016. Since then, he’s made a name for himself on the Lisbon Fashion Week schedule, turning out clean, considered menswear that unpacks and reimagines traditional masculinity – his tiny Speedo-style undies and classic vests becoming a go-to for a fashion-conscious community of queer people in the country and beyond.

VALENTIM QUARESMA

If you like your jewellery a bit subversive and occasionally pretty challenging, you should be looking in the direction of designer, artist, and sculptor Valentim Quaresma, who transforms his models into otherworldly beings through his fantastical, sci-fi-indebted creations. Quaresma is no new name to know, though – he’s been working away with precious metals and stones, and some altogether more unexpected materials for the last 30 years.

BEHEN

Joana Duarte is the designer behind Behen, a label she founded in 2019 that’s committed to conscious craft and creating in a sustainable way. Taking custom orders from her legion of fans, Duarte turns heirloom items - like old family linen and bedspreads – and turned them into bespoke garments, lending them a new lease of life through intimate embroidery and accents.