Marques Almeida Is Hosting An Open Casting For Its Cult Reissued Archive Show

Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida, the wife-husband team behind Marques Almeida, were champions of diversity before it became a buzzword. Their model line-up has always comprised friends of all heights, sizes, skin tones and personalities, instead of agency hires. For autumn/winter 2019, the duo is casting the net wider than its immediate community in the hope of extending the Marques Almeida family.

In collaboration with concept store 50m in Eccleston Yards, Marques Almeida is hosting a casting party to find individuals to model its new exclusive line of reissued archive pieces. Attendees of the July 4 event in Belgravia will be asked to share a picture of themselves on Instagram using the hashtag #MAFamilyCast. From these social applications, the team will hone the line-up for its seasonal presentation in London on July 19th.

“We want the Marques Almeida family to be inclusive of all, with a completely gender fluid approach and an inspiring mix of real people, which is something we’ve always felt strongly about,” Marques commented on the label’s open invitation. “Our approach has always been about using real people and championing their talents and passions through our work.”

It’s not the first time the 2011-born brand has released re-editions of its cult pieces. In 2018, when the couple decided to show in Paris, they left Londoners with a pop-up shop stuffed full of the colour-saturated designs that had resonated with “MA girls” – the brand’s name for its most avid fans – the first-time round.

“I always think there’s this pressure to do something new every season, but actually, there are so many great things in our archive that people forget we ever did,” Marques told Vogue at the time. “We also know that there isn’t one system that will suit everyone.”

This willingness to go against the grain is what garnered the Portuguese creatives a strong following of MA girls in the first place. Could you be next in line?The open casting will take place at 14/15 Eccleston Yards, Belgravia, SW1W 9A on July 4 at 6.30pm. Email rsvp@50-m.com to secure your place.