Boy Genius

What were you up to when you were 12? Brazilian designer Pedro Lourenço was already making the clothes that would eventually evolve into the bold and directional collections that  put him in the forefront of next-gen womenswear designers. Not too shabby! PAPERMAG recently had the pleasure of sitting down with the 19-year-old design prodigy as he began work on his Spring 2011 collection, born from disparate inspirations ranging from 18th century Empress Josephine de Beauharnais to baseball.Find out about his eclectic choice in design themes in our interview below.

Your show got such a great response at Paris Fashion Week. Now it's back to work on your Spring 2011 line.

Yes, I'm slaving away at the atelier. My international orders arrived quite slowly, being a new designer and such, so on top of producing the Spring 2011 show I have to manufacture all my orders. It's a slow and arduous process considering everything is manufactured internally by our small team here in São Paulo.

So everything is entirely produced in your atelier in Brazil?

We produce everything in our atelier by machine and hand. My hand touches every single
garment and I am very much involved in every aspect of the production process.

How did you learn the business side of the industry? It seems like that would be hard to do with you intense role on the creative side.

I had no choice. I still have a lot to learn about the "business side" of the fashion industry.
It's really a trial and error process. I think by now I have the basics down, I have to -- my parents don't want any more work then they already have.

What's your first distinct fashion memory?

The first thing that comes to mind is Paris. Ever since I was a child, I traveled quite often
with my parents. I think the first time I went to Paris I must have been six months old or so.
Parisian fashion, the culture and the city itself have always been an inspiration to me.

You grew up in this world. Your parents, Gloria Coelho and Reinaldo Lourenço, are respected fashion designers in Brazil.  When did you know this was something you wanted to pursue as well?

I've always loved to sketch and as a child I would play with the textiles at my parents
ateliers creating costumes and playing dress-up. At six, I would beg my parents to let me play with the sewing machine. It was a natural process and my parents always gave me a lot of support and fueled my creative confidence. I never really noticed that I was learning a trade, but rather it was the way I liked to play -  it was a very organic process.

Being the son of two renowned designers, did you spend a lot of your "family time" in
their ateliers?

That was definitely our natural habitat.  I observed them grow and develop creatively, and saw the business expand too. In the beginning it was quite small and I got to see it become what it is today. The structure began to grow, they started to show and be published - it was great to be a part of it. I had access to every aspect of the business at a very young age. From the creative to the beurocratic aspects of our industry.

When you were a child what things did you like do to? Did you have any hobbies, other than sewing, or any particular movies that you were obsessed with?

I was fascinated by Tommy, directed by Ken Russell. My mom says she had me watch it for the first time when I was three. It was a big reference to me. I think I'm obsessed with the 1970s because of that movie.

You were 12 when you started designing. Tell me about that.

Well, I designed my first pieces for Carlota Joakina, a sub-line of my mother's fashion label. I was always curious about working with my mother. I always admired her style and
designs. At the time the head designer left the company and there was no one to replace her. So I produced a few pieces with some of our in-house seamstresses without my mother's knowledge. I wanted, to surprise her.

Were your parents opposed to you going into the fashion business?

They certainly wanted me to go into a different field. Anything else. I think my mother's
biggest dream was to have a scientist for a son.

To a certain extent you're a bit of a scientist, creating original fabrics and exploring new
ways of garment construction.

You're right. In a way I do feel like I'm in a laboratory studying new techniques to defy
gravity, stitch different fabrics or stain certain materials.

So let's go back to your first designs - you were creating this collection without your mother's knowledge. Were you nervous to show it to her?

I was pretty certain she would like what I had created. I've always understood very well
my parent's distinct aesthetics. The pieces I produced were quite simple, creative and
commercially appealing.

Was it difficult to share your art with critics? Fashion is a bit different then other art mediums, since it's intentionally produced to be seen and worn.

I don't really see fashion as an art form. I see it as a form of expression, but mostly as a business at the end of the day. Its purpose is to dress, to shelter - it has a different objective then art. It's more a means of expression with similar processes to art, but the final objective is entirely opposing.

You're always called a prodigy by the national press. How do you feel about
this label?

Well, I don't view it negatively but don't think much of it either. Think about a young
ballerina. She loves to dance, to rehearse -- it's all she wants to do and all she knows. That does not make her a prodigy. That makes her passionate and dedicated.

In 2005, after seven collections, you decided to take a break from the industry. Why did
you make that decision?

I felt like I needed to broaden my references, experience a different side of life and meet
new people that where different from me.

Did your references change as a result?

I think so. Soon after I had made the decision to take a break, I met with a director at Saint Martins and he told me that fashion would become redundant for me unless I migrated into
different areas. I needed to study different things to allow myself to develop and grow. After that meeting, I really opened my eyes and became incredibly interested in other professions and academia/ I think that is really reflected in my work today.

What type of profession and academia are we talking about?

Quantum physics, biology -- these aren't topics that are expressed aesthetically, or are even
evident visually but it's just another form of creativity. It's a different part of your brain, if you will.

You lived in Paris for a while, during your soul-searching period...

I go to Paris very often. I still have my apartment there and I really identify with that city. I
also love London.

How do you think the Parisian and British aesthetic affect your work directly?

I think the British, is the wild-child portion of it: the creative freedom, the freak, the eccentric, if you will. While the French is the classic academic side, the balanced, perhaps a bit more mature.

Who is the most influential designer in your career?

Vionnet. Even though aesthetically we are completely incongruous, conceptually we are
really on the same plain. I always think of her and the fact that to her the art of decoration was
only acceptable if it serves a purpose, functionality. The decoration needs to be an element of the architectural component of a garment. This concept is something I take deeply to heart.

For your A/W 2010 collection you juxtaposed two very different references: Diana the
Huntress and the modernism of Oscar Niemeyer. Can you discuss these influences?

The huntress element was really the mood of the collection and not a direct reference or
inspiration on the garment construction. I wanted to evoke the French hunting tradition. The colors were very earthy and I paid a lot of homage to Jeanine Janette who used to design all the windows displays at Hermès in 1970s and '80s. I juxtaposed all this with Oscar Niemeyer's work and modernism. I wanted to give the clothes a certain structural feel -- like a modern skyscraper. I try to present different shapes and angles in a single garment but always respecting the female body. To me the natural curves of the woman are the natural foundation of any of my creations.

Some of the things that really struck me about the collection were the very distinct necklines and shoulders. Where did this silhouette come from?

When you are producing the clothes and fitting them on a mannequin, you start to
discover new harmonies of proportion that perhaps are more suitable than those you drew
transforming the silhouette into something new and different. I think I arrived at that neckline when we started to do the fittings.

So your designs are always evolving, even if you've drawn them a different way?

Always. In fact that's the difficulty I'm having right now with my Spring '11 collection. It's a
workshop till the end! The garments take their life and like a sculpture or a painting develop into sometimes completely different things than originally planned.

So what is your Spring '11 like? What should we expect? What are you references?

The collection is a mix between Empress Josephine and baseball. I love sports. I love their aesthetics and the functionality of the uniforms created for each sport. I love baseball uniforms and how they provide protection and structure without being rigid. Functionality and comfort is incredibly important to me. This new collection has a definite connection to my last. It's an ever-evolving narrative, but the materials and techniqes remain the same.