Tell us a bit about yourself, Bruna.
I am a Brazilian fashion and textiles designer based in London. My mum comes from a Polish family, hence the surname I decided to display (I actually have three surnames!) I was born and raised in Vitoria, Brazil. Unfortunately, my town did not offer the fashion design education or opportunities I was looking for. At that time, I was actually a bit of a nightmare to my parents, who do not come from an artistic background.
Thankfully, I managed to convince them and get their support so I could come to London and start my journey doing a foundation/portfolio course at Central Saint Martins. Following the end of my foundation course, I was accepted at the University of Westminster for a BA in Fashion Design. In 2019, I graduated from the University of Westminster, where I had the opportunity to show my graduate collection at London Fashion Week AW19.
Since then, I’ve been lucky to be a part of many exciting projects for magazines (The Face, L’Officiel Vietnam, Schön!) as well as smaller publications I admire (FEM zine, Harass Publication). I was also recently a finalist at the FashionClash Festival design competition in Maastricht, where I had the chance to work with and meet many inspiring creatives.
Tell us about your influences and cutesy aesthetic. What draws you to a particular image?
I’m very specific about my visual interests. I am obsessed with ‘unsophisticated’ colour schemes, food and candy-like textures, and pure kitsch — cheap sentimentalism. Pastel colours (mainly pink), hearts, cute baby animals, angels and a female as the main subject are the greatest factors in my instant attraction to an image. As superficial as it sounds (and is, really!) I simply like images and objects that are aesthetically pleasing to me.
I am obsessed with ‘unsophisticated’ colour schemes, food and candy-like textures, and pure kitsch — cheap sentimentalism
They usually lack deep meaning, and I am completely okay with that. I love crafty, authentic, non-pretentious art. This seems increasingly rare to find in the contemporary art world, which is why I love vintage imagery. I enjoy excess, and everything that makes me question my taste level. I love looking at an image and thinking, “It’s so bad, it’s actually really good!”
Does the way you style yourself feed into your work? How so or how not?
Yes! Or, actually, maybe my work feeds into my style? It’s difficult to tell. Starting a project definitely impacts how I dress at that period of time, especially the colour schemes. Within my personal style, I definitely have my go-to unusual colour schemes and prints (you’ll never see me in an all black outfit), 50’s and 60’s housewife vibes, some 70’s influences, and lacey princess-like dresses.
These visuals definitely reflect in my work. There have been several instances of people saying, “Wow, you look just like your project!” or “You’re matching your designs!” and I swear I never plan it! I am tacky, but I do have limits. It happens unconsciously somehow, and I love that.
I am tacky, but I do have limits
What is a typical day like for you?
There is no typical day for me, my work at the moment is really varied! Sometimes I slightly envy people with more stable routines, but at the same time, I could easily become frustrated if that was my situation. At the textiles design studio where I work part time, I focus on textile designs and developments, usually prints and sometimes fabrications.
On other days, I run around London dropping off my designs to stylists and photographers, and usually go to my little studio space in South East London to work on personal projects or commissions. I also frequently visit exhibitions and vintage markets, and search for materials and fabrics in Soho, Shepherd’s Bush or East London to make trials with at the print studio at Westminster (which I thankfully have access to as an alumnus). Likewise, I always try to find time to meet with my friends for a nice dinner or drinks, as they’re beautiful, super supportive, and inspiring people.
What are you up to now?
I’ve found graduating to be difficult and destabilising. The fashion industry can be hard without the privilege of masses of connections or knowing the ‘right’ people. At the moment, alongside my days at the textiles studio, commission-work and freelance machinist work, I am developing a new collection to be released in 2020. Some fresh, frilly kitsch wear is definitely coming soon!
