Don’t call it a comeback

Photography Ismael Prata
Art direction and fashion Filipe Faisca
Styling and production by Filipa Terrio assisted by Tjitske Stellema
Make up Antonia Rosa with Clarins assisted by Tania Dias
Haircut by Helena Vaz Pereira at Griffehairstyle
Hairstyling Madalena Costa at Griffehairstyle

Featuring Zoë Melo

Special thanks for location to Junta da Freguesia da Misericórdia and to Pedro Escara.

 Words and interview with Filipe Faisca by Guido Avelino
Interview with Zoë Melo by Michaela Doyle

After 10 long years away from Lisbon, model and multi-hyphenate creator Zoë Melo returned to the city she fell in love with to reunite with her close personal friend, Portuguese fashion titan Filipe Faisca. In an ever-so-mystical photoshoot, Filipe lovingly styled Zoë, who posed for Portuguese fashion photographer Ismael Prata. The outcome transports us to a nebulous place in time, inviting us to reminisce about what has passed and what is yet to come.

The photoshoot was done at the Palácio Cabral, next to Igreja de Santa Catarina. Defined by decorative art and adorned inside out with Portuguese tiles, it is a striking example of urban architecture from the first half of the 18th century—and a dreamy place to photograph Zoë in some of Filipe’s signature looks.

Like most projects Filipe pursues, there is no singular subject matter or condensible message portrayed: his relationship to the work is multifaceted and intricate. In a disruption of the status quo, in between eerie, faded lighting, Ismael Prata unraveled in his best flair a glimpse of Filipe and Zoë’s relation to art and fashion, as well as their relation to each other: the creator and the muse.

We also dive deeper to find out more about their personal take on life, expression and craft, as seen in their own words below.

Stay tuned for more from Filipe and Zoë in exclusive interviews, coming soon to ZOOT.

Filipe on the early days with Zoë…

My relationship with Zoë is much more about affection, I met her at a very different stage in my life. We met when I was very young, more rebellious, angrier, much more mainstream and just starting out. She was an androgynous woman who was a lot of that too, that I still like. I really like the mixture of masculine and feminine. I like this woman who does not define herself.

– Filipe Faisca

Filipe on expression…

Zoë is expressively visual. Her hands create motion. When she moves them the gesture is produced three or four times in slow-motion. This is seen in the photographs. And she is like a charm; you can hold her and you can move her. She can do everything you want, you know? It’s amazing.

– Filipe Faisca

Filipe on reverie…

Above all, transporting us to an idea of ​​the oneiric – of a dream, of what is not written, what is not spoken, what is not visible, what is beyond our eyes. The environment of the photos, they transport you to another dimension.

– Filipe Faisca

Zoë on the early days with Filipe…

I am not sure exactly how and when we met. It could be when I first went to Lisbon in 1989 to do a fashion show for Paulo Matos during MODA LISBOA or through Manuel Reis at FRAGIL or journalist José Couto Nogueira. But one thing I know for sure, we connected immediately after we first met and it did not take long for us to work together and share very special moments during a time Lisbon was becoming absolutely fantastic!

– Zoë Melo

Filipe on lighting and atmosphere…

There wasn’t a single inspiration behind the photoshoot. … It had a lot to do with lighting because photography is light and I wanted a specific light for photographs. And Ismael excelled at that. There are surprises. The room is a room that has a lot of history. It is closed to information—information that is and that is not. Therefore, in those photographs, you see a lot of things that you can only see if you are very attentive and want to see. You have to pay attention.

– Filipe Faisca

Zoë on stepping away from the cameras…

Actually it was by the end of 1999 in Los Angeles when I did my last photoshoot and after that, I never thought about modeling again. But during the pandemic, slowing down with travels and work, I had more time to focus on myself. I started a vegetable garden in our front yard and one day while gardening I thought that It would be great to do a fashion show in a runway that looked like a vegetable garden, so I could bring the attention to aging healthy, positive and gracefully. But nothing happened until I traveled to Lisbon and visited Filipe. It was profoundly special to hang out at his studio, to reconnect and meet his team. Suddenly we were already talking about my hair, clothes to wear, the space to do the photoshoot. I left very confident that whatever we were going to do, was going to be amazing. The vegetable garden runway…maybe next. 

– Zoë Melo

Filipe on the clothing array…

There is a mix. There are pieces that are iconic and that are from past collections. So they’re vintage, and there are other pieces which are recent. I always like to mix.

– Filipe Faisca

And final words from Zoë…

Based on Filipe’s unique one-of-a-kind styles, photographer Ismael Prata, the space and lighting … the entire team knew exactly what they wanted and we sure had a magical moment together. It was for me very special to model again for Filipe, have my make up done by Antonia Rosa and my hair cut by Helena Vaz Pereira. They are part of my modeling history in Lisbon and I can not express enough how happy and grateful I felt throughout the entire time.

– Zoë Melo

All fashion by FILIPE FAISCA, exept lingerie by INTIMISSIMI and golden jeans by LEVIS.

FILIPE FAISCA

@filipefaisca | filipefaisca.com

To boot…

Read ZOOT’s exclusive interview with Zoë Melo and Filipe Faisca, coming soon to zootmagazine.com.