DUARTEHAJIME
Hajime (はじめ) is the Japanese word meaning “beginning” (初め, 始め). In the Japanese traditional martial arts such as judo, it is a verbal command to “begin”.
Inspired by the streets, trips and sports, DuarteHajime intends to give a colorful energy to everyday life. It focuses on mixing and creating different textures essentially through the use of unique prints, natural and technological fabrics, and knitwear. The brand’s pieces are designed for someone with an active lifestyle that values garments with design and an urban appeal, while contributing for a better world.
Previously known as Duarte, in 2023, the brand started a new chapter and rebranded into DuarteHajime.
Ana Duarte (Lisbon, 1991), the brand’s founder and Designer, studied Fashion Design at the Faculty of Architecture in Lisbon and finished her Master of Arts in Menswear Design and Technology at the London College of Fashion, with distinction, in 2015.
In October 2016, she presented the “SS17 Knock Out” capsule collection at the Sangue Novo competition, at Lisboa Fashion Week, and won an Honourable Mention Award, starting to be part of the official Lisboa Fashion Week calendar. In 2018, she presented the “SS19 Monaco GP” collection at Riga Fashion Week, and integrated the United Fashion showroom, where she participated again in 2021. Ana Duarte won the C.L.A.S.S. Icon 2021 Award: annual competition for visionary creatives who combines design, responsible innovation and communication.
With a passion for drawing and illustration, Ana Duarte is a professional illustrator with 6 published books. All the DuarteHajime brand’s prints are exclusive, made by the Designer, adapting to the concept of each collection.
Ana Duarte is a Guest Professor at the Lusófona University in the Fashion Design Course, since 2022. In 2024, she was a nominated for the Golden Globes as “Personality of the Year” in the Fashion category and in 2025 she won the New in Tow (NIT) “Designer of the Year” Award.
