ModaLisboa unveils ModaPortugal Links initiative connecting European designers and Portuguese industry in Porto.

ModaLisboa has announced the upcoming edition of ModaPortugal Links, an initiative organized by CENIT (Centro de Inteligência Têxtil) in partnership with ANIVEC (Associação Nacional das Indústrias de Vestuário e Confeção). The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 11, at the Palácio da Bolsa in Porto. The gathering will bring together young European fashion designers, the national textile and apparel industry (ITV), and international experts for "a meeting dedicated to creativity, innovation, and sustainability," according to a statement published on its website.

Associação ModaLisboa will manage the event's artistic curation and production. The organization positions itself "as a strategic platform linking education, design, and production, highlighting the relevance of the national ITV and its role in building a more responsible and technologically advanced fashion industry," adds the statement provided to FashionNetwork.com.

ModaPortugal Links will feature the European Young Fashion Designers Competition, showcasing 18 promising talents selected from eight leading European schools. These institutions include Aalto University (Finland), Institut Français de la Mode (France), Polimoda (Italy), ESAD, the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, and Modatex Porto (Portugal), London College of Fashion (UK), and HEAD Genève (Switzerland).

Between December 9 and 10, the 18 young designers will visit five leading ITV companies and technology centers: Citeve, Inovafil, Irmãos Rodrigues, Pedrosa Rodrigues, and Valérius 360. This immersion program will allow them to learn about "cutting-edge production processes, sustainable models, and practices that reinforce Portugal’s position as an international benchmark in textile innovation." The designers will then present their collections to an international jury on December 11 at the Palácio da Bolsa in Porto.

The competition final will be presented as a runway show and will conclude with the awarding of prizes to the winners from each country, along with the distinction of "Best Collection" in the ModaPortugal Links Fashion Design Competition, as detailed on the ModaLisboa website.

The ceremony will also include the presentation of the "ModaPortugal Business Excellence Awards." These awards honor Portuguese companies that have demonstrated excellence over the past year in categories essential to the industry’s future, including Brand, Exports, Industry 4.0, Investment, Sustainability, and Turnover.

The statement notes that the event forms part of the Lusitano Project, which is funded by the PRR-Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Next Generation EU European funds. This reinforces the ongoing commitment to fostering a more sustainable, competitive, and innovative fashion industry.