Considered a national reference in the creation of haute couture dresses, Micaela Oliveira revolutionized bridal fashion. Her main motivation is simple: to make women’s dreams come true. Having “revolutionized” the fashion for bridal gowns with the imprint of exuberance and always with well-defined objectives, Micaela recognizes today that her brand has been successful because of the hard work developed in recent years.
You nurtured a connection with fashion from an early age, having grown up in an environment linked to sewing. However, you decided to go into economics. What made you change course, leading you to opt for fashion and haute couture?
Economics was, in fact, the area I chose because I thought I wanted to be a more executive person, despite having always had a very creative and curious part. The fact that my mother worked in the area made me even more fascinated about it. I was always very self-taught, so I saw and then tried to reproduce and add some kind of technique to be more differentiating. It really felt like doing things, helping my mother, and realizing it. That’s exactly what made me change areas and, at this moment, thinking about it, it didn’t make any sense to have such a sedentary life. I have the privilege and honor of being able to experience special and unforgettable things and share moments that are marked in people’s lives. All this absolutely fascinates me day after day and makes me look for more and better.
When did you realize that, in fact, you were a creator and that fashion was your way of communicating?
When I realized that there was a big gap in bridal fashion, because, when I started, only large groups, deep down, sold bridal fashion; it was all very classic. There weren’t fashion designers more dedicated to bridal fashion, and brides wanted to be bold, they wanted something different, and I did a show like that, with a mix of nobler materials with more rustic ones, and quite sensual too. What I thought would be a show-off turned out to be a fashion show. It’s in a fashion show that a designer can give free rein to creativity, make unexpected combinations and, therefore, that’s what I did. To my astonishment, they were all sold out, and orders began pouring in. That’s when I realized that there was a gap in bridal fashion, and I embraced this area with great affection. I am very happy, and I feel very fulfilled because these are really important moments in women’s lives and there is this happiness of being able to participate in such a special day.
You started by creating wedding dresses. What fascinates you most in this universe? What do you consider to be your most special creation?
It’s all very subjective because I’ve actually lived through very beautiful moments, some more private, from public figures, and I had the privilege of being there and experiencing all that, but also some away from the spotlight. And these memories are mine and are kept in my memory and in the memory of those who provided them and who made those moments eternal, who immortalized those moments with me. I think, particularly, that each one in their own way is special. I have brides who make a huge impression on me for their personality or the way they were happy and surprised or cried at that moment. The way their father hugged them the moment he saw them dressed as brides or the way they looked at their mother. Also, when they just look at me and the mirror, and their eyes water. So, I think I’m very lucky, I’m really privileged, it’s a great honor to participate in these moments of happiness.
Micaela Oliveira wedding dresses have always had an innovative and bold character. To what extent is it considered a “revolutionary” in bridal fashion?
It happened in a very natural way, it was even the fact that it’s been a characteristic of me since I was a little girl, breaking a little with convention and mixing things that didn’t make any sense and that my mother even thought was silly. But the truth is, after that I caused several bridal fashion designers to emerge. When I came out, there were very few that I was aware of. There were really so few that I had a huge boom, and it was really in bridal fashion, contrary to what you might think, because people usually associate me more with public figures. I was already the most researched person in bridal fashion in the country, according to the best magazines. I think that’s why I’m considered revolutionary; I really changed the way brides present themselves. And the fact that I can look at a bride, identify her main characteristics, her most pronounced personality traits, look at her entire physiognomy and enhance what is best about her and disguise what she feels less comfortable with makes the pieces special and differentiated. Despite having my imprint, they also have the taste and personality of those who use them.
How was your entry into the world of haute couture? What was it like to adhere to new concepts of luxury and refinement?
I’ve always embroidered a lot and I remember being little and embroidering things I saw at Chanel with leather embroidery. I would buy the skin, the studs and the beads and then embroider everything by hand. The fact that I found different things funny made me take this path, because it wasn’t normal, it was out of the ordinary, and that was what attracted me. I think normal things are easier and less complex, and I like challenges and bettering myself. I visit a lot of fairs a year, New York, Las Vegas, Colombia… and I really enjoy getting to know local handicrafts when I travel. I think this makes everything so much richer. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for new and exquisite things.
In the ladies who seek you out, do you still identify the dream of girls wanting to be princesses? What fascinates you most in a client who seeks you out?
What fascinates me most about my clients is the affection and admiration they have for me. It fascinates me to realize that I am working in a relaxed way and to see the looks in their eyes when they look at me in such an observant way. I believe that they value me even more and that they feel even more attracted to me and my work due to my way of being.
You live in the North. Has Porto served you as a special source of inspiration?
Undoubtedly. We have a river, we have a sea, we have everything. Here in Porto, we have everything, and it is a beautiful, wonderful, and inspiring city. I have any number of inspiring things here. Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. We are blessed with this planet and so we must defend it too. I use a lot of recyclable materials; more and more people have this sensibility and try to monetize the dresses they buy for other occasions. It is important to be aware and not buy fast fashion, because we are not being environmentally friendly.
At an international level, after going through Angola Fashion Week and Mozambique Fashion Week, how has your way of making fashion been received?
Before speaking at Angola Fashion Week and Mozambique Fashion Week, I would like to mention that I was the guest of honor at the opening of the second largest bridal fashion show in the world, in Turkey – the most important one being in Barcelona. They are the biggest producers of bridal fashion in the world, and I was invited to open the event. It was really incredible, there were 2500 people seated, more than two dozen countries invited, 35 mannequins and a catwalk measuring 30 meters long and 6 meters wide.
In addition to the Fashion Weeks in Angola and Mozambique, I was also invited to run shows in Bahrain, Martinique, the Dominican Republic, London, Madrid… there were already several countries where I was invited.
I was also invited to exhibit a dress at the Pavilhão de Portugal at Expo Dubai, with a work I developed with filigree proposed by me to the Municipality of Gondomar, which was accepted. I was also present at the Cannes Film Festival, I did a Micaela Oliveira red carpet show, where I dressed several celebrities. I also did a private show for clients at Chopard.
Regarding international figures, I recently dressed Nicole Scherzinger, from the Pussy Cat Dolls.
Your work has already been distinguished several times. How did you feel?
I was recently awarded a medal of merit and also received a diploma during the Queen’s Jubilee, an honor awarded by the Parliament of England. She did me a lot of honor, naturally. There are many things I am proud of, but this was also very important to me.
Besides developing bridal and formal dresses, what do you still have to achieve in the world of fashion?
I’ve done Portugal Fashion, fashion shows and productions all over the world, and things have always happened to me in a very natural way; invitations came up and I embraced some. Right now, in the short term, what I really need are my new facilities. I’ve missed them for years now and I’m really looking forward to it.
If you had to define your brand concept in a single word, what would it be?
My brand is transversal to all women, from a more classic woman to a more exuberant one. I have sweetness in sensuality, that is, I can combine sweet sensuality with classic irreverence. I manage to play a game of seduction that my clients love. An independent woman, who knows what she wants, well resolved, at ease with life, who is not afraid of judgment and free, above all.
