Born in a small town called Monte Carmelo and living there until she was 16, Valéria Costa, went to university to study arts and design. “Years later I decided to work in the area of psychology; I did college, a masters and a doctorate in psychology and pedagogy. However, about ten years ago I returned to the desire of working with fashion, so I left the psychology and went to study in the European Fashion Center in Sao Paulo. After this, I continued to improve my skills with several courses,” she explained. Her mother always sewed and made all her clothes while her father had a fabric store. “I always lived in the middle of fashion,” she added. “My earliest memory was when I was four, playing with fabrics in my father's shop, wrapping them in my body and thinking they were dresses. When I was 12, I made my first dress; my mother taught me."
Now Costa always sketches before making a garment, but the part that she likes the most is to make. “Every item that I create starts with the Moulage technique alone and then I have the help of dressmakers to sew and finish.” She believes fair trading, sustainable, traditional tailoring, the design, the details and the quality of the materials are all critical to her. Costa is the sole designer but has a big team working alongside, with one assistant to help with dresses and clothes and another one for shoes and purses. She also has many seamstresses and embroiderers in her team.
“My brand started about ten years ago with a great willingness to get me back to work in the fashion business,” Costa said. She is looking to expand her brand to the Canadian market and across the globe. “I have a store in Rio de Janeiro, and I sell in other retail stores in Brazil.” Social media has helped a lot for the brand's publicity and has allowed them to have direct contact with the public. Brought to Vancouver Fashion Week by her friend Lorena Jang, she is very happy and confident for her first time at the event.
