For me, choosing fabrics is where everything begins. It isn’t just aesthetics. It’s history, culture, emotion, and symbol. African textiles, in particular, carry messages. The patterns tell stories. I choose textiles that inspire me, that transport me or make me feel something specific, because I want each piece to tell a story and convey a feeling.

Bringing these patterns into contemporary fashion is a way to celebrate diversity and question traditional beauty standards. It shows that beauty is plural. There are many ways to be beautiful, and African culture has so much to offer. It’s about valuing our roots and bringing them into the present in a modern, relevant way.

When I work with these textiles, I feel like I’m celebrating an authentic beauty, a beauty that comes from within and is reinforced by culture and history. It’s a way to empower the people who wear my pieces, to make them feel connected to something greater. Connected to a movement. I want them to feel confident, beautiful, and to see themselves in the stories the fabrics tell.

My work challenges dominant narratives by bringing forward references and aesthetics that are often marginalized or ignored. By celebrating African culture in a contemporary way, I’m stating that elegance and sophistication don’t belong to just one type of aesthetic or culture. Beauty is diverse. There are many ways to be elegant and sophisticated.

For me, the balance lies in respecting the essence of the fabric and the culture it comes from, while also allowing myself to reinterpret it in an authentic and personal way. As an African woman, I know I have that authority. I don’t want to simply copy or reproduce. I want to create something new and relevant, that makes sense today, but also honors tradition and history.

Fashion has an incredible power to influence and shape perceptions. As a designer, I feel a great responsibility to use that power to promote diversity, inclusion, and awareness. I want to contribute to a world where beauty is more accessible, more diverse, and more inclusive, where people feel represented and valued. That role is what motivates me to keep creating. And I am fully aware that my work has brought very positive changes to the fashion industry in Portugal.

Photos: João Paulo