Stivali celebrates Mother’s Day with an interview that praises the beauty of love, heritage and style, shared. Between generations, desire pieces and irresistible memories: Helena Harassment Maltez and her daughter Diana Cardoso in an intimate conversation with Stivali.
On the first Sunday of May, Stivali pays tribute to the emotional bond between generations, through an interview with two women who share a deep connection with Fashion – and with each other. Helena Harassment Maltez and Diana Cardoso have long been part of the Stivali universe, where each memory is dressed in symbology and meaning. Today, they share stories, iconic pieces and inherited values: a conversation in which beauty is intertwined with affection.
Explore the full double-interview and immerse yourself in a dialogue where aesthetics becomes heritage and gesture, memory.
Interview: Helena Harassment Maltez and Diana Cardoso
To mark Mother’s Day, Stivali invited Helena Harassment Maltez and Diana Cardoso, mother and daughter, for a conversation about fashion, style and the complicity that is built between generations. Through shared stories, striking pieces and a long-standing relationship with Stivali, they tell us about beauty – that of things and that of being – and how aesthetic sensibility shapes the look, gesture and choice.
How did your connection with Stivali come about?
Helena Harassment Maltez: My connection to Stivali is long, very long. When I got married for the first time in 1988, I intended to wear some embroidered jeans and my mother decided that I would have to go to Stivali to “save” the situation, she had been a customer since the time of the shoe store on Avenida João XXI. We went to Stivali, at the time in Praça do Areeiro, and so the outfit that needed a hem and a small arrangement was chosen, and they asked me when I would need the clothes… I replied: I’ll get married in two hours. So everything was resolved and I arrived on time for the ceremony. Before that, during the 80’s I did several things, including a collection of belts and my main customers were Frank and Manel who bought them for the shoe store, what a pride! My relationship with Stivali is decades old, it has been for two centuries and will continue! Diana, since she was born, has followed all these experiences. We are very close, and my friends and chosen family, are also hers (and lives versa)! Diana Cardoso: My connection to Stivali begins with my mother. Due to my profession, I had the privilege of walking with her everywhere and going to places like Stivali, which is a space with great importance for Fashion in Portugal.
What is the most beautiful memory you have with Stivali?
Helena: I don’t have just one, I have many beautiful memories and many stories. Stories linked to friendships, personal stories, professional stories, memories of laughter, memories of crying, memories of people who have already left. And, always the memories and stories of beautiful pieces that accompany me and are part of my life. And Diana’s. Diana: I have a lot of memories with Stivali. It’s a space where I go since I was little, younger, always with my mother and currently also alone.
How do your professional paths connect to the fashion universe?
Helena: My path from an early age has always been towards the fashion universe, and having crossed paths with some people, highlighting my dear friend Pedro Luz. The destiny was set, I went to work with him and it turned out to be a great school at many levels of Fashion and World. In Fashion, I did almost everything: sales, fashion shows, collections, magazines, consulting… I dressed a lot of people and I still do. And, I still like it! Diana: As a photographer, the world of fashion is always related to what I do.
The selection of Helena Assédio Maltez
Style Choices at Stivali
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Issey MiyakePleated Pants
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Issey MiyakePleated Blazer
What excites you most about your work?
Helena: Working with what gives me pleasure: the passion for beautiful things and pieces, and the privilege of helping people improve their lifestyle. Throughout my life I think about the people I have met and walked, what a privilege of life I feel I have had! Diana: Not having equal days. To come across different people and be able to translate moments into images.
What are we going to find most surprising in your wardrobe?
Helena: In my estate, which unfortunately has already lost many, many things, there are pieces full of history and many stories lived. I have a fringed jacket that when it was bought in Paris in the 80s, was already a vintage from the 70s, among some hats, a straw hat bought in Miami by Gianni Versace, now I love it, pieces from Japanese designers who are a passion, pieces from my favorite designers like Dries van Noten, many jeans that I insist are American and top, many jackets and fur coats, cowboy boots and assorted… pieces of a lifetime. Diana: I don’t know how to be more surprising, but you can find many iconic pieces that were part of my mother’s wardrobe, and today they are mine.
Do you share pieces of clothing or accessories? What?
Helena: We share many pieces and we don’t share more because we wear and wear different sizes. We mainly share jackets and accessories. Diana: Although we don’t wear the same size, I’m lucky enough to be able to share wallets, accessories, jackets and t-shirts!
How would you define your personal style?
Helena: I would say rock’n’roll chic! Diana: Simple. Mostly seen in black, but I like notes of color.
What is the most memorable purchase they have made – together or individually?
Helena: The first Chanel bag, an Issey Miyake jacket and another Valentino. Everything for life. Diana: I haven’t made that purchase yet, but when I do, I’ll tell you.
Diana Cardoso’s selection
Style Choices at Stivali
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Out of stock
Out of stock This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Out of stock
Out of stock This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageAlanuiCardigan Tom & Jerry
Do you feel that you influence / inspire each other?
Helena: Yes, in the elegance of dressing and in the kindness of being. Diana: Especially in values and principles. But my mother inspires a lot of people and obviously she inspires me every day.
What do you admire most about each other?
Helena: I admire the incredible human being, the light and kindness in my daughter, it makes me immensely proud. Diana: My mother is: strength and resilience. And I’m very proud to be an extension of my mother.
How would you describe your relationship in one word/phrase?
Helena: Love (for life). Diana: Even though it sounds cliché, my mother is my best friend.
What is the best advice you received as a mother / daughter?
Helena: For more love, we cannot interfere in mutual choices. Diana: Always believe in myself and listen to my intuition.
What does Mother’s Day mean to you?
Helena: In fact, Mother’s Day is every day, I think it’s another reminder for all the mothers sacrificed around the world. Diana: Mother’s Day is every day.
Do you usually celebrate this date together?
Helena: Yes, more for my mother, as I said Mother’s Day is every day. Diana: Whenever possible, we take advantage of Mother’s Day to be with family and bring 3 generations together.
Are there traditions/rituals that are repeated from year to year?
Helena: No, not really. We do it because we are together. Diana: I don’t feel like there are traditions, but it’s always a good excuse to have lunch together.
