Joaquina Branco

Joaquina Batista Branco (born 10 November 1962), more commonly known as Kina, is a Portuguese fashion designer and businesswoman. She was a prominent figure in Portuguese fashion during the 1980s and 1990s, appearing on magazine covers. She is considered one of Portugal's best designers, having designed clothes for Amália Rodrigues and Simone.

Early and personal life

Near-death experiences Branco had two near-death experiences at an early age. At two and a half years old, she had a cardiac arrest caused by a measles outbreak which left her without vital signs for 40 minutes; a death certificate was issued, though she survived the incident. At four years old, she was shot in the head by her brother, who was playing with a loaded gun.

Relationships Branco met her future husband at the age of 14, after moving from Beja to Greater Lisbon. She married him three years later and had a son, Alexandre. According to her, the first marriage ended because "he was very jealous and did not have the economic power to keep me." A second relationship with Henrique resulted in a second son, Mickael, but separated as she claimed Henrique was "very jealous and had the economic power to monitor me without my knowledge," Having opened her first store at 21 years old, Branco had done "everything I wanted in fashion" by 35. She grew fatigued from relentless media coverage, so she decided to leave Portugal to find more time for herself at the age of 39.

Later life Branco initially moved to Madrid, but later settled in Argentina. She returned to Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic in an attempt to save her first husband, Paulo, who was diagnosed with cancer. Part of her liver was compatible for donation, but a complication with the portal vein made transplant impossible. Paulo later died with Branco present.

Branco first engaged with social media during the pandemic, amassing over 100,000 followers on her now-deleted TikTok account. On 30 June 2025, she entered a reality show called Big Brother Verão.