COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 19.
We’re opening an atelier’ she told me, and it was a tremendous
risk.’’The fact that Carlos and his wife decided to open an ate-
lier, in Fundão, showed how hard he and his wife believed in
his talent. Fundão, for those who’ve never heard of such place,
is a small town lost in the lavishing rural side of Portugal.
And, as he stated, to start a business in Portugal’s countryside
is incredibly difficult. ‘’That was probably the biggest risk
I’ve ever taken. To accept the challenge’’
Despite being the successful designer he is, Carlos’ biggest con-
cern now is to establish a connection between Carlos Gil, the
Portuguese Designer, and Carlos Gil, the International Design-
er. He admits it’s something risky, for a Portuguese designer
to go out in one of the most ravishing industries in the world.
With his wife constant encouragement, and his enormous tal-
ent, Carlos Gil became a constant in Trend Books all over the
World. ‘’Ever since I’ve been invited by the National Chamber
of the Italian Fashion, I fell nothing but love and support. We
used to come out in five-six fashion magazines per year, but
this year alone we’ve come out in 16, which means that we’re
getting the international stability we sought’’.
As Carlos previously told us, to open a fashion business in Por-
tugal’s countryside is a tremendous risk, especially 20 years
ago. But, even though the challenges he faced, he feels that,
like the rest of the most developed Portuguese areas, the coun-
tryside has developed slowly, but steady. It gives him a tremen-
dous pleasure and peace of mind to work in his hometown.
‘’What I feel, when working in Fundão, is nothing but peace of mind’’
Even though his major buyers are hours of flight away (Mid-
dle East, America and Asia), nothing makes the designer hap-
pier than working from his hometown. However, his life goes
way beyond the picturesque countryside town. All of his com-
mercial department is in Lisbon, the city of perpetual light.
Lisbon is a huge economic harbour, as most of Portugal’s most
influential businesses are headquartered in there. He claims to
be a man of the world, per say, thus, like most major fashion
powerhouses, he’s in constant travelling. For him, travelling
is more than just business. For Carlos, every trip he makes is
a golden opportunity to learn something new, to get in touch
with different cultures and, of course, to study the trends that
his costumers follow. ‘’Perhaps, the only luxury in life is to
travel. I love to travel because we get to know new things, we
get in touch with new cultures, new ideas.’’
TRENDFILE //
