Nuno Gama

He says he remembers things from all his life. Nuno is down to earth, somewhat sensitive, somewhat spiritual. His eyes convey more than his mouth could ever express, and we’re sure that, in our conversation of an hour and a half, the designer tends to telepathically project himself to another city somewhere in the world, wandering through artistic streets that would give him ideas for his next collection. He assures us that he doesn’t belong to anything or anyone. But, for a moment, we see the boy in the striped clothes from Azeitão. The one who fell asleep with the book Pelo Sonho é Que Vamos (Through the Dream Go We) on his bedside table. The one who lived surrounded by his grandmother Bina’s Torta de Azeitão roll cakes and who saw his parents’ love become perpetual. Everything disappears when we return to the present, in Nuno’s atelier, which is white and spacious, filled with pieces that mark his 30-year career. The rings that adorn his artist’s hands sparkle to the rhythm of his gestures, while the designer tells us the story of his life.

You hinted that your destiny might have been architecture, but you ended up working in fashion. How did this passion come about?
It comes from the fact that I went from being a "normal” sized kid to suddenly being a monster truck. At the time, there were no clothes for tall people, in fact, finding a size 43 shoe was a miracle. The trousers and all the tops were too short, nothing fit. I remember that when someone went out of town, they would try to find clothes for me, until there was the possibility of having clothes made to measure. When I realised that it was possible to choose the fabric, colour and pattern, I understood that it would be up to me to choose what I wanted for myself. I began to discover and get involved in this world, with the added advantage that I could sketch from a young age, and with great ease. 

Do you think that the way your parents dressed you at the time influenced the way you understood fashion later on?
No. I was greatly influenced by my family, I have a very special family on many levels. I grew up with the book Pelo Sonho é que Vamos (Through the Dream Go We) on my bedside table. I grew up surrounded by Grandma Bina’s Torte de Azeitão roll cakes. Among good, healthy people. My parents loved each other, they were madly in love with each other all their lives. So, in a way, I consider myself blessed and that clearly left its mark on me. I admit that getting the "upper hand” was never an easy task. It’s not that I was rebellious as a teenager, but I knew what I wanted and I didn’t like being told that the world was square. For me, the world was the entire universe and I wanted to discover it. Being forced to belong to hermetic, closed things with obligatory meanings was something I never liked. I remember that, at the time, my father loved history, so he would tell me fascinating stories. When I was out of his sight, I would take a box and make a horse out of it, a boat, a spaceship, whatever inspired me... There were lots of clothes in the attic for me to dress up in – uniforms, bullfighters’ outfits, things of all kinds and shapes – which also fuelled my imagination. I remember stealing those wooden sticks from my mum’s clotheslines to make swords and axes. I also held funerals for animals. I’d bury the sparrows inside the plant containers with pieces of cloth so they wouldn’t "die” of cold, I’d make a cross for them and give them a name. Once, my father was going to buy some orange trees and asked me if I wanted to go with him. I went with him and when we got there, there was a man selling a little white goat on a red cat’s lead. As I didn’t have any money, I couldn’t take it home with me. However, I went home and went to my piggy bank to count what I had. My godmother helped me with the remaining amount and I went to buy the goat. The man selling it found the situation so funny that he gifted me the animal. The goat went from baby to giant in the space of a few months. Then one night I went with my brothers to the typical ‘garage parties’. We went in a friend’s Volkswagen, but they wouldn’t let me take the goat inside. When we got back to the car, the goat had eaten almost the entire car. It bloated, its stomach burst and it died. I was very upset. I decided to have a funeral for it, not least because it was a very special being in my life. So, I persuaded my father to join the "ceremony”, even though it had to happen in the middle of the night (so no-one would see) and without a priest.

You were born in Azeitão, studied fashion in Oporto and have spent most of your career in the north of the country. The Nuno Gama atelier is now located in the capital. Where does your heart lie in Oporto or Lisbon?
A good question. My heart is where I’m happy, and I’m happy designing collections and spending time with clients. 

But it is the North that inspires you?
I don’t belong to anything or anyone. I’ve been in the North for 28 years... In a way, half my heart is Northern, but I’m not tied to that. That part of my life I see as a passage way, now I’m in another one. I can be here today, but tomorrow I might not. Today I can be inspired by Lisbon and tomorrow by Viana. As a matter of fact, I’m currently working on a collection that explores the capital’s light and incorporates elements from Viana, but which are also Japanese at the same time. The fun of it, and at least that’s what entertains me, is the way we cook various ingredients and combine them for a different result.

«I don’t belong to anything or anyone»

Was setting an independent course and winning over the public a lonely journey?
Of course it was, all this implies solitude. It’s not a part of my life that I can just switch off, I’m always on, always connected. There are many times when I refuse to go out because I have things to do and I want to concentrate, and when our answer is always "no” we are also no longer invited. It’s not that people do it on purpose, but rather that it’s normal. So, I’m talking about a solitude in which we need silence and space to do what we need to do. I don’t feel unloved or abandoned at all, just focused. 

Are you a perfectionist?
Of course. 

Looking back at the first collection you created, would you make any changes today?
No, because my first collection was very contemporary, even for today. At the time, I made a catalogue inspired by ecology and the concern for planet Earth, this was between the 1980s and 1990s, and, at the same time, by what is so characteristically Portuguese. I don’t feel nostalgic, I don’t think about what I would do differently in the past, but what I would do better in the future. 

Has a different designer been reborn after 1998, when the Nuno Gama atelier was ravaged by a fire that wiped out years of creation?
Yes, of course. Life is such an incredible challenge and I think it all makes sense from the point of view of learning and growing. Getting out of this selfish, small world where we sometimes think we deserve everything and that everything depends on us is important for realising that everything changes within a couple of hours. You realise that it’s not because someone wants it to be this way, but because life takes it upon itself to put you to the test. Suddenly, the rug is pulled from underneath us and we’re asked: "So, have you now realised that you’re not really centred after all and that you’re going to have to rise from the ashes?” That’s the good thing about life’s unpredictability. 

You could have given up...
Yes, I even considered suicide on several occasions. And when I think about it, I realise that it was a huge test of maturity. What makes us suddenly give up? What suddenly leads us into a situation like this? Having come out of this situation – I don’t know if unscathed, but at least stronger – has given me a radically different perception of life. The way I see everything around me has changed; for example, in the past I used to collect objects, whereas nowadays I no longer have that sense of belonging. I now collect things only in my head, collecting memories in my heart. You see, at the time, everything went downhill: my father fell ill and eventually passed away, and I realised that I didn’t want to spend much more time away from my family. My parents always supported me. Oporto was important, but I suddenly realised that maybe I should be closer to my family. My mum died shortly afterwards, a sudden death. I still think she died because she missed my father. Today they are in my memory, in my heart, but I realised that they are still there. I see them and talk to them every day, at any moment. This has indeed been a learning experience, letting go of the material to realise that there is something that connects us, something higher and stronger than us. This is life’s great treasure.

«We are lenient or permeable to everything that comes from abroad»

Do you follow your intuition in the creative process or are you rather analytical?
Both. My emotions run high and I’m extremely intuitive. The collections come to me; I’m just invited to be part of it. There’s a mystique here that isn’t me, that comes from elsewhere and suddenly, bam... things start to make sense. In all my collections I’m following a path in search of the essence, I’m searching for it every day. From nowhere, something guides me. Once I’ve found the concept, the analytical side comes in, where I analyse what sells, what customers are looking for, which prices are most appropriate, etc. 

In what way do the brand’s collections embrace sustainability?
In every possible and conceivable way. I also think there’s one thing that’s important: the way we relate to all living beings, which is closely linked to the respect we have for our fellow human beings. This makes all the difference. It’s great that the European Community is introducing a series of laws into national production, a series of clauses in favour of the planet’s quality of life. Nevertheless, we are still lax on other relevant issues. We have built an impeditive, regulatory social and economic system here at home, but then we are lenient or permeable to everything that comes from abroad as if it were nothing.

You’re putting on your first independent fashion show outside the ModaLisboa calendar in the year you’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of your eponymous brand. What do these three decades of work taste like to you?
They taste like a giant watermelon, tasty, juicy and full of memories, smiles and people. Over the course of 30 years, I’ve learnt not to give importance to what bothers, hurts or saddens me. In fact, I even try to underestimate the good, healthy things that make me happy. I think this is a healthy way to approach life. 

What does Portuguese fashion currently say about society?
I think we have several interpretations. When we work on fashion shows, we are increasingly including people of all genders and shapes. I do think we’re looking for something here, I’d say. I find it difficult to talk about the others, but I know that I want to continue doing what I love. I’m still fascinated by male empowerment and virility (even though I’m against machoism). I’m also still trying to figure out what it means to be Portuguese. Why are we like this? Why do we have this border and why isn’t it more to the right or more to the left? Why is our food different, why is our language different? My foreign friends say that the Portuguese are special because of a series of socio-cultural traits that make us different. I am intrigued by this and would like to try to understand it.

«I don’t think about what I would do differently in the past»

What do people say about Portuguese fashion on an international level?
Not much. Lack of awareness, lack of visibility and lack of national investment. A complicated subject. 

Do you see fashion as a gender-blind industry in the future?
I certainly hope not. Honestly, I think anything is possible. One thing’s for sure, when you look at human history, you realise that there’s always a stronger opposition to balance us out. We like to unbalance ourselves in order to balance ourselves again, it’s something that’s part of being human. But I don’t think it would make much sense to have a fashion that didn’t recognise genders, not least for the sake of our continuity, because the day there are no more men and women to procreate with, it’s all over. Now, I’d like to add the following: everyone lives as they please. If I have the freedom to be who I am, then I also have to respect the others. We don’t all have to be the same. 

What do you do when inspiration doesn’t come?
I go for a walk. I’m used to dealing with that. In fact, I find this process of not knowing what to do and then suddenly everything starting to make sense fascinating. 

If your creative process was a song, what would it be?
Cristo Redentor, by Lemon and Soul. When I hear this song, I visualise things right in front of me. Actions, movements, people, basically the elevation of the spirit to something transcendent. 

When you’re not wearing Nuno Gama, do you opt for Portuguese or international brands?
When I’m not wearing Nuno Gama, I’m wearing Nuno Gama. 

What do you still want to achieve on a personal and professional level at this stage in your life?
I would really like to create a range of perfumes and a cosmetics range for men. On a personal level, I’d like to find love again. And I think then I’d have an undefeatable battery to take on the world in front of me.