It would be an exaggeration to call it haute couture, but it’s fine if we talk about high patience. Let’s focus on a half-couture that comes to life in a discreet basement in Campolide, where Béhen settled in March, surrounded by dedicated hands that carry out silent work for hours, despite the radio insisting on providing ambient sound, or the Los headphones lock properly. “I have to ask the team for help to control the stopwatch. Because I would like to say how many hours it all took.”

The time it takes for an original creation to complete is more than just good material for fun facts: in this case it helps to frame processes, prices and the exclusivity and history behind each piece. The most recent creations will be revealed tonight, when the Saturday shows at ModaLisboa end.

Accustomed to appearing only once a year, Joana Duarte considered that the decision to bring forward the next hot season suited the strategy and the connection with the stores, although, she admits, the phases increasingly intersect and overlap. “The first performance was at the Workstation, which is the smallest, two weeks before we went into confinement. And then we returned to the presentation of the parade, which was at Estufa Fría. And then we hadn’t made it to summer. “It’s the first spring-summer collection I’ve done since our first show,” he recalls while handling the new pieces, whose motto arose from an old clay plaque that said “You are bad.” Provocation, mockery, a “very curious” phrase that seems to take up the story of “I don’t love you,” the motto of the previous collection. “I mean, are you going to offer a plate to someone who says, Are you bad?!” What do you mean? How was it said? That’s where we start.”

To break the bitterness and apply a generous layer of sugar, there is nothing like stopping by the Confeitaria Ideal Malveirense, or another sweet stop that sells the famous kissesSome colored cookies that also added to the research work, which extend to the invitation to the parade, and which materialize in one more key piece. “It greatly reflects the textile manipulations we carry out. For example, I’m going to show you this t-shirt. They are here for many hours. Everything was handmade using old lace and cutting scraps that we had here in the studio. And then we use the elements to connect with the t-shirt store. “Those kisses were made.” It is good that the future buyer kisses, because she takes with her at least 350 kisses. “And this one is for a woman, because we are still going to make a bigger one, for a man, a little longer,” which means, of course, an increase in the number of kisses.

In the small studio, three interns work on small details at a table so that everything is ready on time, in a state of preparation, oblivious to the morning interviews. Between Santarém, Porto, Coimbra and Loulé, it could be pure coincidence, but they were all born or raised far from the capital, perhaps closer to ancestral connections with threads and needles. Teresa plays with tassels, Leonor accumulates crochet miniatures, Bárbara masters a black fabric. In the background, Matilde operates the sewing machine. Catarina, the designer’s right hand, evaluates the progress (and imponderables) of a dress. “This flower was left out. So beautiful.”

For the “És Má” lot there are more curious details. On the one hand, it seems to suggest toughness, but it is also very feminine. The side ties, or details with the hangings that already come from the previous station, and other notes that were taken from Glória do Ribatejo, demonstrate this. With so much tablecloth, they didn’t know what to do with the corresponding napkins, until they created a miniskirt. Added to this is the renewed collaboration with Latoaria Maciel, in terms of accessories, and also the contribution of Penha footwear.

The collection returns to the ever-present question of recycling (like the quilts rescued from the trunk), and also the exploration of new materials. Natural fibers such as organic cotton and linen, as well as denim, predominate. “We have also worked to focus primarily on natural fibers. Except for the upcycling part, which sometimes ends up having a mixture of fibers here.” From India, a reference country on the Béhen path, where the first ideas began, comes a fabric that adds to this collection. A black quilt with small mirrors that ward off the evil eye.

“There is this mix, very elaborate pieces that involve many hours of manual work, what we call demi-couture, which are very detailed and are made to order. And then we have other fabrics, or we are trying to create that space, which allows us another type of production. But this is a path.”

One of the star teams will almost certainly be the Denim jacket/pants with crystal applications faithful to the Viana do Castelo embroidery. Both were embroidered by Joana herself here in the studio, and the pants alone took a month, a task that is still difficult to communicate to the client. But, as a general rule, the process follows other paths. “I make the drawings here, through files that I collect directly from the artisans or from other research that I do. And then the fabric and designs, all marked, are sent to the places of origin for embroidery.”

A few days before the show at Pátio da Galé, the collection is not yet finished and if this supposed delay is a stress factor, it also guarantees space to include some less expected creation at the last minute, which ends up making a lot of sense. – and have a brilliant destiny. It happened for example with a white shirt, also with tassels. “It was a test that we did a lot and it was one of the pieces that worked the most. Even for the stores we work with abroad, we always ship this one too. It depends, really. Sometimes these are the ideas that arise when we are about to prepare. “That’s when we can look at it all together and realize it even makes sense.”

Not even intentionally, the growing male audience was among those who requested the work the most. With the exception of the first mini-collection, Béhen has always featured men; As with ages in general, the possibility of customization broadens the spectrum. For “És Má” he thinks about gentlemen again, despite having only five of the approximately 18/19 looks that will be on display. “It was curious because I didn’t expect it. “I think it makes sense to continue developing this part because there are many requests.” Regarding the quality of materials and finishes, he considers that this is a very demanding client, which reinforces the levels of consideration. Especially since when the lights go out, Joana returns to the reality of a four-year structure that demands concentration. “Working in the creative area in Portugal is not easy, especially because there is not a very developed fashion culture, psychologically it is a tough industry. Our work is not only ModaLisboa, it is all year round. I think sometimes here in Portugal they forget that part a bit. “This is a startup that works all year round, not just with the parades.”

From the mother house to the Guilhermina House

Boxes, fabrics, rags and other scraps decorate this nursery of organized chaos. “I’m a hoarder,” she admits, as we move between prototypes that adjust to the necessary changes, like a cover that needs to be tuned.

If the project began with recycling, Joana Duarte quickly realized that it could not be like that: the techniques would have a say. “I didn’t really have a great idea about how to start the brand and have the project in my name. “What I wanted was to have the opportunity to try these techniques and continue my grandmother’s work.”

Their now iconic colorful lace bags, which began to be made by the matriarchs, are now becoming popular (speaking of bread, perhaps you still remember a set of very special accessories, present in the previous two seasons). “It starts as a Portuguese family work. My grandmother can’t help me much nowadays, but she still criticizes a lot. He pays attention to everything, the quality of the materials, the embroidery, but he can’t do it anymore. Although I think sometimes she doesn’t fully understand what I do. He can no longer attend the parades, but he watches them from a distance. Then we will show you calmly.”

There remains the fear of those who launched their own laundry in France decades ago and of those who know that it is impossible to manage a brand with the precision of embroidery. “There is a whole structure to manage. My grandmother always wonders that, if I have a job, if it is enough.” Orders may arrive, but the response does not always arrive at the desired pace, as production and commercial stock remains a challenge. “We cannot produce in the factory because we do not have sufficient quantities to place orders. We are already giving space to materials that allow us to offer another type of production. But finding that balance is what makes me most curious. “I’m not going to lie and say that it’s easy, it’s not,” says Joana, without training in Excel sheets and budgets. “It is very difficult for the structure to be maintained until we discover the right formula, it takes a long time. “Sometimes it takes years to find the right equipment, find the right product, find the right options and maintain the prices.”

Perhaps an unexpected impulse always brings the best of both worlds. On the one hand, the increase in visibility, on the other, the challenge of completing an artisanal creation in a timely manner: “Hence my problem with the website. “They are very complex pieces, everything takes a long time.” In one of the studio cars, the pieces that the brand’s guests will wear this Saturday are arranged, already duly labeled. Isabela Valadeiro, Carlos Ferra and “maybe Kelly Bailey” will sit in the front row of the Pátio da Galé, in Lisbon, dressed by Béhen.

The singer will not fail either Ana Mourawith whom he began to build bridges since the pandemic. Joana still remembers the first meetings between the two with masks on their faces. Then came the costumes for the Casa Guilhermina tour. And the stages, with the collaboration of theatrical productions that allow us to raise the baroque levels. Big pop names are also arousing interest from abroad, such as Bridges of Leónalthough it is not always possible to determine whether the stars actually wore Béhen clothing at some type of public event, which also conditions this statement.

It was through social networks, like “almost everything comes today”, that the rosalia Custom items for the Spanish singer. “I didn’t know if I was going to use the pieces, but then I posted a photo. “You have to be very lucky to receive the test.”

With the bar high, Joana will not forget another dream visit to the studio. In this case, two years ago, in the small work space he had under his parents’ house, in Santarém, where the singer expressly appeared. missing in action. to buy Béhen pants, and more.

The team’s headquarters would then move to Lisbon. Joana settled for a time on Rua Poiais in São Bento, returned to Ribatejo, settled in Intendente, and then in this same space in Campolide, where the Brazilian recently passed. ludmilla. “Being in Portugal no longer distances us from what is happening and from artists around the world. We constantly send things to Los Angeles, for tests, photo shoots, for a lot of well-known artists. Sometimes they are used, sometimes they are not. You need a little luck in the mix.”

Luck and miraculous white powders. We cannot say goodbye without practical advice, which is like useful information for those who buy delicate pieces like these, starting from light and old materials that are difficult to give in to the yellow tone. “Bicabornate and sodium pecabornate,” recommends Joana, who does not hide a very specific desire for a possible next stage. “In a future study I would like to have space for a laundry room.. It is an essential part of the process.”