The faces of ModaLisboa Core

The calm before the show

Kieza Kanda at Central Models and Joaquim Arnell at We Are Models for HIBU.

Photography by Diogo dos Santos
Beauty by Antonia Rosa and team with Clarins

In a moment of quiet connection amid the storm of the backstage, the models at ModaLisboa Core posed for portraits with Portuguese photographer Diogo dos Santos. A self-taught photographer with a background in film studies, Diogo captured a sense of strength and vulnerability in the models (and one designer) who were dressed, made-up and ready for the runway—yet still with some of themselves shining through.

Through the lens of a medium format Mamiya RZ67 on Kodak Portra 800 film, the resulting photos embody the hard work of the designers, models and our own Antonia Rosa with the rest of the backstage team at the latest iteration of ModaLisboa AW23.

Nuno Baltazar

Hair by Vasco Freitas and team at Vasco Freitas Salon.

Nuno’s show reminded me of my past at the Jeanne d’Arc school, where there were a thousand representations of Catholic saints. There was a lot of emotion behind the scene. All about saints, lucky charms. I did a make-up with fake tears.

—Antonia Rosa

Sompa Antonio at Da Banda Model Management.

Call me Georgeous by Luis Borges
“Big Bang”

Hair by Helena Vaz Pereira and team at Griffe Hair Style with L´Oréal Profissional Paris.

Luis asked me to do something metallic because of the universe “Big Bang” theme of his collection. I did sparkling metallics in details on lips and eyes.

—Antonia Rosa

Molly98
“Sagrada Familia”

Luis Carvalho
“Touch”

Hair by Helena Vaz Pereira and team at Griffe Hair Style with L´Oréal Profissional Paris.

Luis wanted to capture the feeling in the make up / on the skin of going from the warm house out into the cold in winter: we go out and blush in the face with the cold, and the eyelashes I did in white to remind of the snow.

—Antonia Rosa

Wedmarley Robalo and Sompa Antonio at Da Banda Model Management.

Xiaodi and Francisco Cruz at Karacter Agency.

Olga Noronha
“A|Void“

Hair by Bruno Bessa Cruz for Pêlos Cabelos with L´Oréal Professionnel Paris.
Glitter at Rowe Beauty.

Diana Shalk at Karacter Agency. as WIND /AIR (fu).

Almost every sculpture that I do rethinks the female body. Not in the sense that they necessarily have to be worn, but in the sense that you can tell by looking at the pieces that they don’t need a body to feel alive.

— Olga Noronha

Mariana Vasquez at Elite Lisbon. as WATER (sui).

BUZINA
“Splice”

Hair by Helena Vaz Pereira and team at Griffe Hair Style with L´Oréal Profissional Paris

The new elements in this collection are the neon colours which hadn’t happened before in any previous collection. The giraffes had already happened but it was in a more subtle and peaceful way, and this time I wanted to use strong colours to create new sensations.

— Vera Fernandes, Buzina

Hibu
“1000MG“

Jewelry by Pipilarpi.

For the eyebrows for Hibu I took inspiration in Kumadori make-up used in Kabuki theatre. It uses lines drawn on the face to show emotion.

—Antonia Rosa

Marta Gonçalves, founder and creatice director of HIBU.

Duarte
“Hajime”

Hair by Vasco Lx and team with L´Oréal Profissional Paris.

Dilsa Pereira at Da Banda Model Management.

Joana from Duarte was inspired by the Japanese martial art sport Judo for her collection. I was picking up the theme by using the dominant colours green and black from her collection to draw lines around the eyes, a little like caligraphy.

—Antonia Rosa

Béhen
“The god of small things”

Hair by Helena Vaz Pereira and team at Griffe Hair Style with L´Oréal Professional Paris.

Joana Duarte from Béhen wanted me to create a very natural soft make-up; her clothes are very feminine. I did the same transparent beautifying make-up for the girls and the boys, to give all of them a beautiful glowing natural skin.

—Antonia Rosa

Filipe Augusto

Hair by Cláudio Pacheco and team at Chiado Studio with L´Oréal Professionnel Paris.

Valentim Quaresma
“Mythology”

Hair by Helena Vaz Pereira and team at Griffe Hair Style with L´Oréal Profissional Paris.

Milena Cunha at Da Banda Model Management.

After seeing how Valentim’s hair, jewellery, accessories and clothes, I thought of doing a detailed make-up, by just adding a golden touch to the upper lip.

—Antonia Rosa