On Wednesday of last week, I stepped into Armando Cabral’s Mercado where I had the opportunity to speak with Cabral himself- hearing of his history, beginnings, and overall journey as he has paved a way of success for himself in the fashion business.
If you don’t know his name, you most definitely know his face… Originally from Portugal, Cabral ventured off to London for his university days where he studied business. While over there, he kickstarted his modeling career where he found great success- later working with brands like Dior, Gucci, and Calvin Klein.
The Mercado
Deciding to continue to follow his heart, Cabral on a whim designed a few shoes of his own. Before he knew it, one thing led to another and two big time stores were placing purchase orders… Never really creating the shoes with the intention of selling them, Cabral spoke of how he stayed up all night with a friend constructing everything from the ground up- learning important lessons along the way. After a long night spent in excel, he had finally created what we now know as Armando Cabral.
As the business continued to grow, he specialized in shoes, with other additional items ranging from clothing to jewelry. Drawing inspiration from a product’s storytelling ability, Cabral created the Mercado, or market. Following his value of community and collaboration, he carries other artisans’ pieces within his store.
Overall, Cabral aspires for the Mercado to “feel like home”. With his clever and aesthetic setup, he even has furniture pieces placed around the showroom, so one is able to sit, relax, and stay awhile if they choose to do so. The catch? It’s also a market! So, while in this homey environment, you are able to buy anything in the store, from the books on the table to the artwork on the walls.
Back To His Roots
Always creating with quality, luxury, and his own personal values in mind, Cabral decided to take his latest collections to a new level- diving deep into his African heritage. With numerous amounts of symbolism sprinkled within the collection, Armondo Cabral looks deeper than the cloth. What may appear as an abstract pattern to our outside eye, might really represent the African symbol for unity (refer to the black and white shirt pictured below).
Inspired to find out more, I approached Cabral after he gave a brief on himself and his business. Always maintaining a sustainable mindset, I approached him and questioned the makeup of his pieces. A huge proponent of natural materials, I was pleasantly surprised by his answer- Armonda Cabral keeps everything as natural as possible, and it was apparent as I worked my way around the store. He explained his conscious belief system, detailing the idea of only producing things beneficial to this world.
Words of Wisdom
As Armondo Cabral so graciously shared his journey with us, he was sure to remind us all of our own personal value and place in this world.
“The world is your oyster. So, take it and run with it.”
While wrapping up, Cabral encouraged us to chase after whatever it is that sets our souls on fire- following whatever dream and striving to make it a reality. Although sometimes difficult, he recommended we do whatever we want, with everything we have- don’t cut corners. Finally leaving us with this:
“Everybody has their own story and you have to tell your story in the best way you can.”
– Armando Cabral
