It was a successful event, despite the weather and the Fortaleza da Luz was such a great setting for show as we had the backdrop of the beach behind the Catwalk. All who watched the show appeared to be in awe of designer Sarah-Louise Koessler’s hard work and unbelievable talent with her extraordinary “Welcome to my Wonderland” show which was brought to life five outstanding dresses and a suit which were modelled eloquently.

For those who do not already know SLK Designs, it is a high fashion brand located in the Algarve, Portugal. “The brand aims to create show-stopping pieces that make the wearer feel empowered.”

“SLK offers both luxury, avant-garde Haute Couture and a diffusion line with ready to wear pieces, which you can find online.”

This journey started with SLK Designs being commissioned by Swarovski for their “Wonderlab- Ignite your dreams” advert, SLK Designs is now collaborating with Swarovski to make this new impact Couture Collection. Sarah-Louise’s first official Catwalk show showcased SLK designs Spring/Summer 22 Couture Collection, which was sponsored by Swarovksi. The show is entitled “Welcome to my Wonderland”, and is a glimpse into the designer’s “creative world of fantasy”.

Additionally, she said, “My designs are more than pieces of clothing; I see them as wearable art and I feel like life is serious enough so I think we need a little bit of fantasy in our life.” Each piece is special and has taken hours to make, every garment has a story and I have decided to name every piece after a person who has helped me along the way, so the looks were called: Jasmine, Lynn, Tatiana, Daria, Natalie, Karen (her mother) and Ana.” All six looks were enhanced by the glistening Swarovski crystals which complimented the collection perfectly. All of the looks were enchanting and captivating and were designed with such skill, transporting me to a fantasy world. During Sarah-Louise’s speech she said she was grateful that they were able to sponsor her with crystals.

It was a great opportunity to see Sarah-Louise’s collection come together in person and each piece was unique, bold and daring and they all came together to create a cohesive look book and a magical fashion show. A huge congratulations to Sarah-Louise on her latest collection and for more information or to shop any of her pieces please see www.slksarah-louisedesigns.com. You can also check out her Instagram @sarah_louise_designs which has the full video of the Catwalk.

Author

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes