Imagine if you could recreate almost any substance using fermented yeast and sugar cane. Sounds impossible, right? According to Francisco Costa, the former creative director of womenswear at Calvin Klein and now founder of the beauty brand Costa Brazil, not only is it possible, he’s already doing it.
When Costa tells me this over tea in London, I’m inclined to think I must be misunderstanding. After all, Costa Brazil’s unique selling point is its use of natural Amazonian ingredients such as kaya, a skin moisturising superfood extracted from the pods of the sapucaia tree; cacay, a vitamin-E packed nut that contains retinol; and, most significantly, breu, a resin extracted from the almaciga tree that’s used to relieve anxiety and improve the appearance of skin.
Costa was born in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais and lived there until his mother’s untimely death in the mid-1980s, which spurred him to move to New York and study fashion. There, he took language courses at Hunter College during the day and classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology at night. After graduation, he quickly landed a position at Oscar de la Renta before becoming chief womenswear designer at Tom Ford-era Gucci, and then creative director of womenswear at Calvin Klein, where he released collections that honoured the brand’s signature ‘Calvin clean’ minimalism in a manner that was distinctly his own.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Wallpaper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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POLE POSITION
A compact Melbourne house with a small footprint is big on efficiency and experimentation
URBAN OASIS
At an art-filled Mexico City residence, New York designer Giancarlo Valle has put his own spin on the country's traditional craft heritage
WARM FRONT
Designer Clive Lonstein elevates his carefully curated Manhattan home with rich textures and fabrics
BALCONY SCENE
A Brazilian island hotel offers a unique approach to the alfresco experience
ENSEMBLE CAST
How architect Anne Holtrop is leaving his mark on the Middle East
Survival mode
A new show looks at preparing for a post-apocalyptic landscape (and other catastrophes)
FLASK FORCE
A limited-edition perfume collaboration between two Spanish craft masters says it with flowers
BLOOM SERVICE
A flower-shaped brutalist beauty in Geneva gets a refresh
SECOND NATURE
A remodelled museum in Lisbon, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, meshes Japanese and Portuguese influences to create a space that sits in harmony with its surroundings
Guiding light
Designer Joe Armitage follows his grandfather's footsteps in India, reissuing his elegant midcentury lamp and creating a new chandelier for Nilufar Gallery