BEST PORTUGAL BRANDS
Ana Águas article
Carla_M. Jewellery redefines the art of jewelery with sustainability and innovation
Each piece of Carla_M. Jewellery It is a reinvented story, an artistic gesture and a statement that luxury can and should be sustainable.
Em 2009, Carla Matos exchanged the stability of a career in telecommunications for the creative uncertainty of design. What began as a gesture of personal reinvention became a brand of contemporary jewelery recognized internationally. Through carla_m. Jewellery, Carla creates handmade pieces from reused industrial materials, with a sustainable approach, artistic and deeply Portuguese - both in production and in the values it carries.
Carla's work is driven by a continuous search for new aesthetic and functional values. Instead of precious metals or traditional stones, The creator uses unexpected materials like natural rubber, acrylic, Carbon fiber, EVA foam and metal meshes - many of them with industrial origin. These materials are seen not for what they are, but for the creative and sensory potential that contain. Through the practice of upcycling, The artist transforms residues and obsolete components into jewelery pieces with emotional meaning and strong aesthetic presence.
Your approach challenges sector conventions. From the beginning, Carla proposed a jewelery that goes beyond economic value, focusing on the concept, in individual history and expressiveness. A CARLA_M. Jewellery nasce, like this, of a sustainable DNA, which tries to reduce, reuse, retrieve and recycle, not only materials, but also ideas about what is beautiful, useful and valuable.
This ethical commitment did not go unnoticed. Em 2010, Just a year after the beginning of your new career, Carla was selected to join the Portuguese designers collective represented at the New York and Tokyo Moma store. Invitations were followed to other prestigious museum stores, Like the Pedrera (Barcelona), o Museum of Modern Art (Chicago), MAK (Austria) and at Triennale di Milano. International, was present at reference fairs such as bijorhca and premiere class (Paris), Joya (Barcelona), White Milan and Ecostyle (Frankfurt). In Portugal, Your work was at CCB stores, Foundation of Serralves and Events such as Moda Lisboa and Portugal Fashion.
With necklaces, rings, Hand -made bracelets and bags, The brand pieces are produced on order in the creator's studio, in a meticulous process that combines research of materials with artisanal execution. No Stock: Each piece is unique, born of a careful selection of raw materials obtained in warehouses, retrosaries, hardware stores or suppliers specializing in jewelry.
The brand is especially designed for women who value originality and ethics in fashion. By promoting individuality and aesthetic freedom, CARLA_M. Jewellery seeks to inspire women to express themselves without limiting themselves by social conventions or market trends. This focus on female empowerment is a central pillar of the project, both in creations and brand communication.
Recognition for your work is not limited to the universe of jewelery. Em 2021, Carla Matos received the Fumin Merit Award in the Fine and Visual Arts, assigned by the Portuguese matrix. That same year, was named “Climate Pact Ambassador” by the European Union, position you performed until 2023, reinforcing its role as a defender of sustainability and environmental responsibility in the creative industries.
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