TCHIBI

My name is Mariana, I’m Brazilian and I discovered fashion during my childhood. I used to watch my mother and grandmother knitting scarves and sweaters in winter, and I always wanted to learn some knitting techniques. But at that time, I never asked myself if I could ever work with fashion in the future. I was sure about designing when I was 15, and I started to attend some drawing and sewing courses. In high school I was immersed in an art environment and it was decisive to my carrier. At 16, I started selling customised T-shirts at the Mercado do Mundo Mix, which was a good experience for me. Some years later I did a fashion course at Senai (which is more focused on the fashion industry itself) and at 18 I won a competition in São Paulo called “L’Oreal Criando Moda”. Thanks to this competition, I received the opportunity to put on a Autumn/Winter fashion show and I worked for a few months at Daslu, the greatest boutique in Brazil. That year I presented another Autumn/Winter collection during Fashion Rio. The show was called “Rio Moda Hype” and was geared towards newcomers. The main point of my current collection is knitwear, free-form crochet and jersey. I tried to make creative and comfortable clothes for a modern girl. Sometimes fashion can be categorised as something too superficial, but I believe fashion can show who you are in the inside. It is very important for me to develop fashion for strong and determined people. A fashion creation can come from anywhere, even a bad feeling or a chaotic situation. I believe it is very important for a fashion designer to be authentic. Right now I am planning my summer collection, and I’m trying to work with different materials and techniques.