Portuguese brands are expanding beyond borders, moving from the digital realm to physical stores in prestigious locations, and conquering international markets. Discover what makes their creations unique and true objects of desire.
In a world where fashion increasingly mirrors identity, Portugal is asserting itself as a protagonist of a new creative chapter. Brands such as ISTO., Cata Vassalo, +351, Josefinas and Constança Entrudo are thriving in the domestic market while also attracting the discerning gaze of international consumers. Portuguese fashion is in fashion – and it’s no coincidence.
These brands embody a new kind of luxury: conscious, artisanal, soulful, and rooted. They share a strong authorial character, a respect for time (from creation to production), and an aesthetic approach that blends contemporary minimalism with the Atlantic spirit that defines our culture.
Cata Vassalo
Permanent address
This past June, Cata Vassalo opened the doors of her new store in the Amoreiras Shopping Center, Lisbon. After the success of her temporary kiosk in one of the capital’s most iconic shopping centres, the Portuguese jeweller, known for her headpieces, hairbands, earrings and necklaces, inaugurated a permanent space of around 20 m2 that leaves no passer-by indifferent: from flower-filled window boxes to an elegant moss-green counter highlighting golden pieces, a clothing rail with unique garments, and shelves lined with eccentric necklaces, XXL earrings, crochet bags with sparkling embellishments, and pearl hairbands. And because personalisation is what sets a luxury brand apart from a traditional one, on the second floor of this new shop there is a private showroom for brides and bespoke orders, accessible by appointment only (from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.).
This new store symbolises the brand’s evolution: a space where tradition and modernity meet, and where every detail is designed to offer a truly personalised experience.
+351
From Lisbon to the world, with a Portuguese accent
With strong roots in Portugal’s capital and an identity that never hides where it comes from, just think of the name, +351 has taken a new step in its international expansion with the opening of its first store outside Portugal: a pop-up shop in the Marais district of Paris.
Founded in 2014 by Ana Penha e Costa, +351 combines comfort, sustainability and a laid-back aesthetic. The pieces, designed in Lisbon and produced in small batches in the north of the country, have already won over clients in Japan, Spain and the USA. Now, with this Paris presence, the brand reinforces its global vision without losing its Portuguese accent.
The pop-up, which remained open until the end of July, celebrated the easy-going lifestyle +351 represents, featuring pieces in organic cotton and a special edition with the slogan Soleil c’est la vie. The space also hosted collaborations and events with Portuguese music, art and flavours. A new chapter for a brand that, ten years ago, began with simple homesickness.
Josefinas
One step at a time
Some brands are born from a strategy, others from an ideal. Josefinas belongs to the latter. Founded in 2013 by a former ballerina and an unlikely businesswoman in the footwear world, the Portuguese brand began with a pair of pink ballet flats and a powerful question: “Why shouldn’t there be flat shoes with identity, purpose and beauty?” Today, more than a decade later, Josefinas’ shoes reach over 160 countries and are still handmade in Portuguese family-run workshops.
Unlike many success stories, Josefinas rejected mass production from the start and chose to grow slowly: pieces are made in small quantities, using raw materials of controlled origin, and each order comes with a card signed by the team.
The international market quickly recognised this value. In 2015, Josefinas reached the feet (literally) of figures such as Chiara Ferragni, Leandra Medine and Olivia Palermo, and since then, the brand has featured in top magazines, blogs and wardrobes. For a year, the brand tested a physical retail model with a shop in New York. Afterwards, it refocused on digital, where it maintains a close connection with a global community of women seeking quality, consciousness and a story to tell.
ISTO.
Portuguese basics with global ambition
Since 2017, ISTO. has been proving that dressing well can also mean being responsible. With radical transparency, local production and organic materials, the Portuguese brand challenges fast fashion and embraces a more conscious model, now with a growing international footprint.
Following several pop-ups across Europe, ISTO. opened its first permanent store outside Portugal, located on Alte Schönhauser Strasse in Berlin, strengthening ties with its German audience, one of its strongest markets. The Netherlands is also on the map, with a store in Haarlem.
Its reputation abroad continues to grow, with names like Ryan Reynolds, Ethan Hawke and Ramy Youssef spotted wearing ISTO. pieces. Staying true to its values (Independent, Superb, Transparent, Organic), the founders continue to expand thoughtfully and with purpose. The goal? To take Portuguese essentials ever further, without ever losing their way: quality, transparency and respect for those who wear and make them.
Constança Entrudo
Fabric as a work of art
With a singular aesthetic and deeply experimental approach, Constança Entrudo is one of the most exciting creators in the new wave of Portuguese fashion. Founder of the eponymous studio based in Lisbon, the designer trained at the prestigious Central Saint Martins and collaborated with names such as Balmain and Peter Pilotto before launching, in 2019, a brand that fuses textile research, identity and sustainability.
Her practice is defined by the unwoven technique, a textile construction developed thread by thread, often using surplus materials, which blends technology with artisanal knowledge. In Second Best, the Autumn-Winter 2025 collection, Entrudo explored the value of second place, elevating “lesser” materials into pieces of great visual delicacy, inspired by sport and emotional memories.
The designer’s success has crossed borders: artists like Rosalía and SZA have worn her creations, and international recognition accompanies the growing interest among the Portuguese public for soulful, authorial fashion.
For Constança Entrudo, luxury lies in the meticulous, conscious and intimate process between creator, technique and territory. It is in this textile and human gesture that she proposes a possible future for fashion made in Portugal.
What makes these brands so special?
There is a common thread that unites these different offerings: the value placed on what is made in Portugal, the commitment to sustainable production, and the courage to create from a unique identity, without compromise. There is no space here for copies or shortcuts. These brands build visual, ethical and emotional universes that connect with informed, discerning consumers who seek authenticity.
Moreover, the transition from digital to physical retail, with shops in strategic locations such as Chiado, Avenida da Liberdade or international capitals like Berlin and Madrid, reinforces these brands’ presence in the global market, where direct contact with the product remains an irreplaceable experience.
By Madalena Alçada Baptista
