English Version | Editor's Letter: The Butterfly Effect

“Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquanted with the butterflies.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Direção criativa e styling de Alexandre Dornellas. Fotografia de João Viegas.

As the world leaps from catastrophe to catastrophe, perhaps there is something we can learn from the fragile but hopeful transformation of the butterfly. Perhaps that is why, by the way, the butterfly has had a return as symbolic as it is omnipresent in this year's fashion trends. There are many inspirations in iconic references from the past — from Elsa Schiaparelli, with her Papillon Prints in 1930, to Mariah Carey, with her sequined Ungaro top in the spring/summer of 2000, as well as the apotheotic dress of Cher at the Grammy Awards, in 1974. The fascination with butterflies has always been present in the history of fashion, and has been the subject of several reinterpretations over the years. In 2022, though, it appears that the industry's zeitgeist has been particularly touched by the butterfly, resulting in new manifestations of the butterfly trend in pop culture, fashion shows, and Haute Couture. Symbol of femininity, transformation and freedom in different cultures, and regardless of revivals, the butterfly effect in Fashion in 2022 also has a direct parallel with the social and cultural moment we are experiencing. The butterfly metamorphosis narrative has accompanied us throughout this year, not only in Fashion but above all in the way we have been reinventing ourselves and adapting to all the changes the world has imposed on us.

Fotografia de Branislav Simoncik. Styling de Joana Dacheville.

We dedicate this issue to metamorphosis and all the strange phases that are part of it, and to the real Butterfly Effect, not only in Fashion but in a deeper sense: change as a series of interconnected events that affects everything and everyone anywhere on the planet. Change is one of the rare certainties in life. Or, to put it another way, uncertainty is the greatest certainty in life. The Butterfly Effect (a mathematical construct behind Chaos Theory) describes how the flapping of a butterfly's wings can lead to a cyclone in another part of the world, it argues that all our smallest actions can have big consequences. A network, a cascade of actions of kindness, of empathy, of generosity, can also create an immense network of transformation in the world. If we could quantify all the ramifications of each of our small gestures, the web of change would be as surprising as the butterfly effect cyclone. One of our biggest mistakes is underestimating our individual potential. Ideas can change the world, but they can only do so when we act on them. And it's everyone's small gestures, every day, that build the whole.

Fotografi a de Anna Archen. Maquilhagem de Alena Moiseeva.

Translated from the original on The Butterfly Effect issue from Vogue Portugal, published October 2022.Full story and credits on the print issue.