Domestika Creatives: Loo Nascimento

Loo Nascimiento prospects for fabrics and memories, combining ancestral traditions with affection to create her designs

Loo’s mother encouraged both her and her sister to create things out of anything they found around the house: from pieces of fabric to magazine clippings, anything that could be transformed into something else.

Women have always been a strong presence in Loo’s life. The women of Salvador-Bahia (the city full of African history and culture that’s home to her workshop,) have always been her main source of inspiration. Here’s where she creates designs for her clothing brand: Dresscoração, and jewelry brand Illoostre.

In this Creatives video, Loo talks about her creative routine, shows us around her studio, her city and reveals her influences and inspirations. Don’t miss it!

Dresscoração was born out of the idea of finding Brazilian fabrics that share an African aesthetic, and from Loo’s desire to create clothes in which she felt really comfortable, which don’t necessarily follow fashion trends.

She has also focused on developing Iloostre. Her jewellery designs are born out of research into Ganhadeiras, the women ranchers who she affirms “were Brazil’s first female entrepreneurs”. These women had little access to banks or ways to invest the money they earned (for example by trading in boats,) so they invested their money in jewelry. Loo fell in love with the history of Creole jewelry and created her own designs out of reference to her ancestry: negona jewelry.

One of her most iconic designs is the Peruconcha. This does what it says on the tin, it’s a wig (peruca) made of shells (conchas)!

Her work is also influenced by her city’s nature, the sea and her relationship with African deities like Yemoja.

Loo believes she is making an important contribution. Her work aims to create an emotional place for people to identify with, where they can swap stories and share what she does. “It’s lovely because it makes me feel useful. I’m not just delivering a product, I’m also providing a service to my social group. And that’s what makes everything I do make sense.”

English version by @studiogaunt

You may be interested in:
- Domestika Creatives: Shinji Nagabe.
- Domestika Creatives: Marly Gallardo.
- Domestika Creatives: Marina Esmeraldo.