For Cátia Lemos, getting dressed is about much more than deciding what to wear. It is about understanding who we are, how we see ourselves and how we want to be seen. As the founder of Kora Image Consulting, Cátia brings together two subjects she has long been fascinated by: fashion and psychology. Her approach to personal styling begins not with trends or rules, but with the person standing in front of her.
Her route into the industry, however, was anything but conventional.
Before becoming an image consultant and personal stylist, Cátia trained as a lawyer and built a career in tax and legal consultancy. She later studied theater, alongside courses in nonverbal communication and other disciplines that expanded her understanding of how people express themselves. Eventually, she found image consulting, a field that brought many of these interests together.
There was no single defining moment that led her there. Instead, the transition came through a period of exploration during the pandemic. Like many people, Cátia began questioning what she wanted from her professional life and decided to explore different possibilities. Theater was one of the first directions she pursued, but it was through trying different things that she discovered the work she wanted to build.
Today, through Kora Image Consulting, she helps people develop a more considered relationship with their personal image. And she is quick to challenge one of the most common misconceptions about her profession: that an image consultant simply dresses clients according to their own taste.
For Cátia, the process starts somewhere entirely different.
"Who is this person?" is the first question she wants to answer. What does their everyday life look like? What do they feel comfortable wearing? What are their preferences, and what do they want their image to communicate?
One of the ways she begins exploring this is through a digital selection exercise. She presents clients with a range of clothing and asks them to choose the pieces they feel drawn to. Their selections gradually form a visual collection that offers insight into their aesthetic preferences. It is a starting point for understanding the individual, rather than imposing a predetermined idea of what looks good.
It is an approach that reflects a broader belief: personal style should be personal. A wardrobe can be beautiful, current and perfectly assembled, but if it does not feel like the person wearing it, something is missing.
That distinction is particularly relevant in a fashion culture where trends often dominate the conversation. Cátia believes there is room for Portugal's fashion scene to develop a deeper understanding of what fashion can represent. She feels that fashion is still too often associated with trends or dismissed as something superficial. More opportunities for conversation about its importance, she believes, could help shift that perception.
Fashion is not only about what is being worn. It can be a form of communication, a reflection of identity and a way of navigating the world. The clothes we choose can influence how we feel, how we carry ourselves and how we interact with others. Image consulting, at its best, creates space to explore that relationship.
It is also this curiosity about people and their different perspectives that initially brought Catia to Brava. She joined hoping to connect with more people working in fashion, but what made her stay was something broader than professional networking.
What she values most is the sense of community that has developed between members, and the genuine willingness to help one another. The connections, she explains, extend well beyond shared interests in fashion. For someone building a business, that support can be especially meaningful.
"Because a business can feel lonely sometimes," she says. "Having the support of a community makes all the difference in the world."
It is a sentiment that captures something important about both Catia's work and the way she approaches her professional life. Whether helping someone understand their personal style or finding connection with other people building something of their own, the starting point is always human.
And perhaps that is the most interesting thing about image consulting: the clothes are only ever part of the story.