My name is Rita and I am an energetic fashion designer. I am a dreamer and a creative thinker.
I studied Fashion Design in Lisbon University´s Faculty of Architecture Urbanism and Design for five years and graduated with distinction from the Master’s degree, winning the Ana Salazar award for best classification.
I am always ready for a challenge, so I have decided to move to New York for six months where I was chosen to work as an intern for Alice + Olivia. Living in New York was a great experience and allowed me to be part of one the biggest and most important fashion industries. I grew not only personally but also professionally learning so much about the design process and about brand development.
Living abroad for the first time left me wondering. What else is out there? I wanted to see the world and expand my horizons! I am open minded, curious and always ready for a challenge, so I applied for Emirates and moved to Dubai where I worked for two years. This was an amazing adventure. I traveled to incredible places, met people from many different cultures and gained experience with customer service.
Fashion is my passion though and I was determined to stay connected with the industry. For that I created my own project called MONDOVANT where I design and construct bags and backpacks. Not only did I get to see the World and get inspired by it but I also had the opportunity to buy materials and fabrics from different countries and different markets, using them for my own designs. For more than a year I was traveling to the biggest textile markets in the World and gathering materials for my bag design project. All bags are designed and hand made by me allowing me to get experience and to learn several techniques involved in the construction of such pieces.
It was tough combining both Emirates and MONDOVANT, but I am a very driven and focused person and I develop ways to efficiently achieve, or even exceed, my goals. I love designing new pieces and play with shapes and materials. I am persistent and motivated to work hard to improve my skills and grow professionally.
Where am I now? Well, I moved to Gdansk in Poland to work as a woman´s wear designer for Reserved! I am in charge of the t-shirts and blouses line for YFL (young fashion line). I am embracing a new challenge and looking forward to see the opportunities this will bring me.