In the same way, contact with Sergio Rodrigues’ work paved the way for André Namitala to fall inlove with Brazilian furniture, the Cuiabá print was the entryway for the translation of the architect and designer’s work into the shape of clothing. “I always liked the Cuiabá Mirror and imagined it forming a chessboard. Even before delving into my research, that print was ready in my mind”, reveals André.
The Cuiabá Mirror – which the stylist saw and fell in love with at first sight when visiting the Antique Shopping Mall in Copacabana – is one of the iconic pieces in the furniture line that Sergio Rodrigues developed around 1985 for the Eldorado Cuiabá Hotel, in Mato Grosso, for which he was invited to devise the interior architecture.
One of the project’s premises was that the hotel pieces were to be produced in the region, which, at the time, was still lacking in sophisticated carpentry shops. Transforming this limitation into strength, Sergio developed the set of furniture from lateral frames with rounded sections and corners, in addition to ubiquitous circles, a trademark in his production.
Despite their simplified construction, the pieces in the Cuiabá line – armchair, chair, stool and side table, as well as the mirror, all made from the local freijó tree – retain the characteristics of this great master: aesthetics, comfort, innovation and finish.
These very qualities apply masterfully to Handred’s clothing: André borrows the interplay of circles and rectangles from the Cuiabá Mirror to give shape to pieces with finishes that mimic the mirror’s squares in a varied and bold way, without sacrificing comfort and simplicity, so dear to both creators. From the laser-cut silk velvet, to the recreation of tiny freijó mirrors united in small knots with topstitching, to the Richelieu embroidery technique – of French origin but now typically used in Northeastern Brazil – the parade of tunics, shirts, sleeveless shirts, pants and shorts make up a true tribute to Sergio Rodrigues’ versatility, which gains new life in Handred’s latest collection.
Marina Dias Teixeira
