2501 RUA DO UNIVERSO | COLLECTION

Introducing a new ready to wear and resort collection inspired by Founder & Creative Director Camilla Franks' travels through Portugal, brought to life in the city of angels.

Somewhere between today and tomorrow, on a little-known corner lies an unmarked road. A meeting place where possibilities coalesce and swirl, the veil between then and now is thin, and the threads of reality aren’t woven as tightly as other places.

On Rua Do Universo [Universe Street], you can be anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. One moment, you're in the Hollywood Hills sipping cocktails by the pool with film royalty, the next, you're deep in the heart of the Algarve with the salty tang of the ocean on your lips.

What happens next? Take a walk, embrace the unexpected… and find out.

SHOP THE COLLECTION

"Rua do Universo is my ode to Portugal. Like me, the Portuguese were natural explorers – global travellers always seeking out new shores, new worlds, new stories and new ideas.

"Visiting felt like reconnecting with my inner nomad and that childhood sense of adventure. It reminded me how wonderful it can be to ‘not know where you’re going’ or what’s going to happen next. So, I wanted this collection to be about freedom and possibilities.”

SHOP THE CAMILLA FRANKS EDIT

Cheers fill the air as stalls overflow with music, laughter, beer and grilled delicacies. I’ve arrived at the Saint Anthony Festival, Lisbon’s ode to the treasures of the sea. Here, it’s cool to be a fish out of water. Scents of the ocean vivify the winding serpentine streets and fresh flavours say ‘olá’ to vibrant colours. It’s oceanic bliss; a city-wide salute to these salty little splendours. A reminder to preserve your spirit. And when you feel the call, to swim against the tide.

GARDEN PARTY | NEW CAMILLA PRINTS | MODELS IN CAMPAIGN PHOTOSHOOT | PINK GREEN PRINT CLOTHING

Tag! You’re it! Time to toss the tiaras and dash through gardens like the wild faeries we are. It's a rose garden revolution; a cherubic coup d'etat. A mesmerising uprising that only takes a moment. Shoes off, hair unravelled, princesses with pluck become barefoot sprites. As pretty as a picture with the heart of a huntress, and the Palacio De Estoi garden as our picturesque playground. Find us blissed out in a bed of roses, climbing trees or skipping through scented paths. We fly with wings imagined, so catch us if you can.

The masterpieces of Mother Earth and mankind keep close company in the Queluz Palace gardens. It’s a joyous symphony of earth, stone and colour where the wild romances the refined. I wander through elaborate tilework celebrating botanicals in bloom. Flowers make melodies with Venus, Neptune and Bacchus. Marble statues curl tenderly into falling waters. It’s a love story that breaks all the rules, one where craftsmanship and natural beauty walk hand-in-hand.

After another mad day as a market magpie, I get swept up into a motley crew of vendors heading out for a hoot. We tumble down the stairs of an unmarked, side street bar. Hands are coarse, hair is messy and smiles are big and broad. Pull up a chair, grab a cerveja. Guitars belt out folk music in tribute to traditional lore. Let hearts thump, cockerels crow and faith, luck and justice be ours.

The June sun tickles my eyelids early and she never sets before 9.30pm. After a long, warm day I seek serenity at the PestanaPalace. My opulent chamber is a sweet serenade to the senses. Angelswhisper calming wisdom from fine frescoes. Golden cornices frame sprawling artworks and bring order to my tangled thoughts. The hypnotic domed ceilings lull me into a sublime slumber, where I dream in mint magic and rose mist.

Sunshine cascades through towering windows and the incandescent tiles of Queluz Palace come alive one by one, as if lit by their own personal spotlight. The effect is otherworldly. I am hypnotised and humbled. Each intricately painted ceramic square is an artwork in its own right. Pieced together, like so many puzzles, the fragments form fables from the homespun to the heavenly, stretching out together in a panorama of Portugal. Centuries of Azulejo stories cemented on ceilings, walls and now etched into my soul.