Sinful Sanctity

Category: Apparel

My final project deals with my perspective as a Latin American woman and the way society sees expressions of sexual desire nowadays. I grew up in Brazil, in a traditional, Catholic household, in a very machoistic society. As part of Catholic Brazilian costumes, my home was full of icons of saints, flowers, and other decorations used for prayers. In Brazil there’s a contradiction between the perception of sexuality as a weak point and which must be controlled. However, socially, sexuality is considered as powerful. Nudity, sex, eroticism, and desire holds an integral part in Brazilian culture. Growing up in a conflicted environment, made me ask a lot of questions about my adult life, and mostly how does it affect me today. The collection combines women and mens clothing, which examine the complexity of the relationship between Latin American tradition and sexual celebration and how this contrast is reflected in society today. The collection is based on elements identified with Brazilian culture, such as flowers, and a rich variety of textures, and combines oversized patterns and tailoring taken from the male wardrobe, and elements of feminine underwear. Embroidery works, and printing, leather work, and diverse textile materials.