Alfaiateria Eduardo
Peniche, Portugal
2023

A class act all the way. New window displays for Eduardo, a legendary tailor in Peniche.

Before

Eduardo is in his 80s, and has been a tailor since he was very young. His dream was to become a sailor, but his parents wouldn’t let him. Back when he started, he spent 3 years working as an apprentice, not making a cent until he had learned “enough” about tailoring. He later went on to establish his own shop, which in its heyday had 12 seamstresses. Now, after decades in the same locale, he works alone, and no one seems to want to follow in his footsteps. His shop already showed clear signs of decay, and needed to be dignified to honor his long and accomplished career.

Process

Super Eclectic took inspiration from the images in a thick old book Eduardo has; a comprehensive manual which he says contains everything there is to know about tailoring. The idea was to reproduce the sewing patterns depicted in this book, drawing them directly on the shop’s windows with special markers. In this way, the facade would expand and unfold into a canvas united by dots and lines, geometric figures that constitute a map- the architectural blueprints of a garment. The fonts were also based on this vintage tailor’s manual. In tune with the analogue essence of his workshop, the makeover was done entirely by hand.

Results

The shop has now a classic, elegant atmosphere. The new design was drafted in constant dialogue with Eduardo, and the materials were sourced from local shops. Following the analogue essence of his workshop, the makeover was done entirely by hand.
To present the store´s brand-new design, we held an a open event at a public square in downtown Peniche, together with Tozé, the shoemaker.
Super Eclectic would like to give a big shout out to our friends and partners from local creative studio Komuhn for collaborating in this project, and to Nordisk Kulturfond for their support.
Update: following advice from his family to rest and look out for his own health, Eduardo closed down his shop in August 2023.