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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

: The main concept is using traits of Celtic and Brazilian cultures to make unisex clothes. But beyond that, it's all about freedom of thought and showing all people that they should have no limitations when it comes to what they wish to wear or how they wish to express themselves. People should be allowed to be whoever they want to be, no matter what their gender, their age, their race, their sexual orientation or their social status is.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

: Apart from creating something really eye-catching, I wanted to make an impact as a designer, especially regarding the message that I could communicate through the shapes and colors of my clothes. I feel happy with what I've accomplished. I believe Kilt Cult does, most of all, scream "freedom".

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

: This design has been selected as one of the finalists of the Mittelmoda Fashion Award, so it will be in the award's fashion show in Milan in June. After that, I intend to start the online sales of my clothes.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

: That's difficult to say. I had the first idea in 2014 and developed it through the following months and years. To be frank, it's still constantly being developed as I'm always adding more details into the concept.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

: It was pursued as an inspiration. I created it initially as a final project in my fashion design graduation course but then decided to expand it.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

: I intend to produce my work myself.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

: This is all I've been meaning to do in a while. It's my first collection, so I guess I just poured my heart out!

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

: I can't think of anyone who specifically inspired this particular work, but all artists (designers or not) who inspire me personally obviously have influence!

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

: Everyone. Or rather, anyone who feels comfortable with wearing clothes with remarkable colors and prints. The very meaning of Kilt Cult is allow anyone to wear it regardless of gender, age, race, etc.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

: It's very urban. It's meant to be worn on a day to day basis as a way for people to express who they are. Anyone can wear it to walk around the street and be noticed.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

: The name refers to one of the garments, the Kilt, which is an iconic garment of Celtic history, and the word "cult", which in Brazil has gained the meaning of "cool" and "alternative" over the years.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

: I used the internet a lot for researching and CorelDraw for vectoring my sketches (hand drawn).

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

: The entirely design was made to be unique in every aspect, but I believe its color chart and its vibrant prints jump to the eye at first sight.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

: I designed it entirely on my own, but I had the help of a seamstress to fabricate the clothes.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

: It has an important but indirect role. As technology evolved, especially the internet, certain social movements which fight for a world with less prejudice have become more active. This is precisely what my collection talks about. Obviously technology also matters when it comes to the techniques used when handling fabrics and printing.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

: Yes, it is. Actually, the idea for Kilt Cult emerged after some research I conducted during my fashion design course. I conducted several interviews with consumers in fashion shops about their shopping habits and discovered that it's becoming increasingly common for men and women to look for clothes in the opposite gender section of shops. I was so curious about this that I decided to transform this social behaviour into my first collection.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

: I believe the greatest challenge was creating a modeling that worked well for both women and men. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of prejudice surrounding what each gender is "allowed" to wear. Hopefully, as society evolves, this won't really be a problem!

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

: I felt that international audiences would have an even better grasp of the design's meaning than Brazilian audiences did. From the very beginning, Kilt Cult was aimed at the international market.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

: A lot! I'm not even sure if I can measure that adequately. This design also helped me enter a famous acceleration program for new Brazilian brands called BtoBe, which taught be a lot about understanding my audience's needs and being an entrepreneur.

DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

: Considering Kilt Cult started as a final project in my graduation course, I can say that I was very thorough in my research for creating this collection. So if there should be any other questions about this design, I remain entirely at your service to answer them!