All you need to know about CULTURE, the new project by the Brhands Foundation. 

Brhands Foundation is taking another step into elevating craftsmanship and design and combining these two arts beautifully. Artisans and designers, side by side, with raw materials and a lot of creativity for some unusual collaborations. CULTURE is a creative hub, with Brhands Foundation behind it, that will bring the best skills and know-how with bold designs creating one-of-a-kind products that will tell a story!

You can expect luxury design brands like Boca do Lobo to be a part of the project!

It’s withing Covet Group, based in Porto, that this creative hub, CULTURE, was born. But what is this project? It was created to become the meeting point between thinkers and makers, for them to work as one.

CULTURE has the ambition to preserve as many national arts and crafts as possible, and for that to become real, it has gathered government entities, universities, polytechnics, professional centers, artists, artisans, and designers with the goal of joining forces and give visibility to the Portuguese traditional arts in the international market.

See also: Homo Faber: An Inspiring Showcase of the Best European Craftsmanship

Joaquim Paulo and João Barros, LUXXU’s CEO,  are two of the designers that are part of Brhands and that are the face of this challenge called CULTURE. According to Joaquim Paulo, “CULTURE project’s main mission is to be able to put, all in one place, the artists, artisans and designers and to create a synergy where there’s an exchange of knowledge and know-how, and being able to project it onto pieces and elevate craftsmanship through design for the whole world”. 

The designer explains that due to the “speed and growth of the in-house brands and the business some of this expertise was lost in the creation of new pieces. This is the moment where we took a break, we were able to understand that these values from these craftsmen are a bit forgotten and we want to give them life again through their knowledge and being able to train people, being able to have some artist residencies, always have an exchange of ideas and making these people the face of this project and not the designers or the brands that, usually, are the ones that have more visibility. We want to create this living space where they have all the tools and all the raw material available to be able to do what they feel like doing”. When questioned about how the young designers that are part of his team have been facing this project, Joaquim Paulo says: “Since we are a rather young team they have been facing this in a very exciting way because this isn’t something you learn in college, this isn’t taught in class, you must be on the field, you must be close to these extremely valuable people, these cultural agents that can teach us how to do”.

In this first gathering were represented the following entities:

• AARN – Association of Artisans from the North Region of Portugal
• Allen’s Portugal
• AORP – Portuguese Association of Jewellery and Watches
• APIMA – Portuguese Association of Furniture Industry
• “Portugal à Mão” Association – Centre for the Study and Promotion of Portuguese Arts and Trades
• CEARTE – Centre for the Professional Training in Craftsmanship
• CENFIM – Centre for the Professional Training in the Metallurgical and Metal-mechanic Industry
• CINDOR – Centre for the Professional Training in the Jewellery and Watches Industry
• Designer Raul Pinho
• Designer Toni Grilo
• Diário de Notícias
• FEUP – Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto
• FPAO – Portuguese Arts and Trades Federation
• Gondomar’s Institute of Employment and Professional Training
• Polytechnic Institute of Tomar
• Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave
• ISMAI – University Institute of Maia
• Oficinas Santa Bárbara
• Art Promoter Nuno Ribeiro
• Topázio
• University of Aveiro
• Vista Alegre

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