The 11th edition of UModa took place on 29 May at 9.00 pm at Espaço Guimarães, with free admission. Collections inspired by the theme ‘(Dis)connect’ reuse materials and promote sustainability.

Fashion Design and Marketing students from the UMinho School of Engineering presented their final-year collections at a fashion show held on 29 May at the Espaço Guimarães shopping centre.

For this 11th edition of UModa, the students showcased five original collections, comprising 81 looks featuring garments and accessories. The event was free to attend and was also streamed on YouTube. The organisation was handled by first-year students on the Master’s in Design for Fashion Communication at UMinho.

This year’s fashion show has the theme ‘(Dis)connect’. Through the metaphor of a common thread, the young designers explore how relationships, memories and emotions are built, transformed and sustained, in a balance between presence and absence, closeness and distance. The collections to be presented are titled DNA, Arcanum Cordis, Nós, The Body Keeps the Score and Superconexão. Several pieces take as their starting point the reuse of materials and upcycling, using repurposed fabrics, reflecting a more conscious approach to fashion design and sustainable consumption.

“UModa serves as a showcase for the work we carry out on our bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes; we open our doors to the public to proudly display our students’ creativity, rigour and vision,” says the lead lecturer, Inês do Amaral, from the Department of Textile Engineering at UMinho. Over the years, this has served as a launchpad for young designers, providing practical experience in design, production and promotion, as well as contact with industry professionals, she adds.

This fashion show is being held for the first time at Espaço Guimarães, at the invitation of the shopping centre itself, strengthening the link between academia and the community and bringing the event to a wider audience. “It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome UModa, which showcases the creativity of young national talent and combines fashion with sustainability. It is important that we contribute to the visibility of initiatives such as this and provide different experiences for those who visit us,” says Susana Ferreira, director of Espaço Guimarães, owned by Klépierre.

https://www.youtube.com/@UMODA