the narrative.” His 2013 spring/summer show made use of everything from satins to leathers to heavy printed materials, elegantly combining feminine tailoring with masculine prints.
So, what’s next for the 36-year-old designer? He has already conquered television, acting as a guest-judge on Project Runway Canada. The Arthur Mendonça brand is already making a mark on the American and European markets. Perhaps if we look to his predecessors we can divine the answer. Like Yves Saint Laurent before him, perhaps his future lies east.
Far from having fallen into success inadvertently, it is apparent that Mendonça is an ambitious man. Within a year of receiving his first awards, the designer ventured out to display his clothing at fashion shows around the world. Beginning with a wildly successful showing at Los Angeles Fashion Week in 2005, he immediately began to prepare collections for display in London, Montreal, and São Miguel. When these shows were met with similar acclaim, Mendonça brought his work to showrooms throughout New York and Toronto, where his dresses sold to celebrities such as Rihanna and Nelly Furtado. This is not to say his career has been without difficulty. In 2009, following a strong year for Mendonça (but a weak year for the stock market), he was forced to take a two year hiatus from fashion design, spending his time traveling and studying fashion from the side-lines. However, the young designer seemed undiscouraged, and in 2011, he held a luxurious “Return-fromBankruptcy” show at the Trump International Tower.
77