Cajá brings the female strength in her first runway show at the Casa de Criadores.

Jul 27, 2018

For

In her debut at the Casa de Criadores, the Brazilian Cajá brought female prominence from outside to inside the runway, in an experience of colors, texture, and strength. The entire collection and the show were the result of the collaboration of different women, who are transforming the Fashion scene with it.

Gabriela Cajado, designer of Cajá, explains that the choice of materials was the first step in the creation process. Different textures emerge from cotton, which is the base for tapestries and handmade weavings. The collection also features fabrics such as denim, sweatpants, and knits, which are quite present in the everyday life of urban living. There is a concern for the city's climate and the functionality of the pieces, made in different layers. The choice of colors was essential for the collection as well. "Colors tell stories, have a purpose. In this collection, I talk a lot about orange. Orange was one of the last colors to emerge; everyone was only talking about red and yellow. At the moment, if I could speak one color for Cajá, it would be orange," says Gabriela. Royal blue also brings with it a more urban and social element, ranging from the use of uniforms in different shades of blue to a more fashion pigmentation. Other vibrant tones like pink and red complement the palette of 'Connections'.

The final result presented in the show was a large process of connection and co-creation with various artists and professionals, who helped weave the story told by Cajá on the runway. Gabriela Monteiro, responsible for the styling and artistic direction of the show alongside Marina Lima, explains that she sought to understand the essence of Cajá, as well as its references, to develop the image construction of the show. She also highlights the strength of Cajá's message. "A work developed by women will always have power for me. But more important than building a work only with women is to think about who these women are. For me, transformative is building with a diversity of women in front of the work, such as Black, LGBTQA+, and plus-size women," she says.

Camila Alexandre, who modeled and also developed the concept of the show’s Beauty alongside Mika Safro, expresses her happiness with the result and the female presence in the backstage and on the runway. "I have been working for a long time, and it’s always like this: everything done by men. So it’s really cool to be experiencing this movement only with women. We all have a story; we are friends, and we are all women doing everything, from the clothes to the music. I see that it’s a new moment, and from now on we will take care of everything," she says.

The soundtrack was provided by Feminine Hi-Fi, which is a party and also a musical label run by women. The group was born in 2015 out of discomfort over the fact that women artists were only invited to play at gender parties on March 8th (International Women's Day). By promoting a party made by women, Feminine Hi-Fi breaks down the idea that the sound system is still a predominantly male platform. The group prepared an essentially Brazilian soundtrack, with tropical and Latin American references to compose the Cajá show. Lys, the group's executive producer, shares that while studying the brand and understanding the sonic-sensory message that the show wanted to convey, they were able to find an ideal selection. The soundtrack featured BaianaSystem, Gilberto Gil, Sister Nancy, and Dawn Penn. "We closed with Loba Leão, which is Layla's song that was a release from our label; it goes like this: don't tell me, I know. Everywhere I went, I broke a bunch of patterns. If you don’t get it, go out where I came in."

Different female photographers were also invited to translate their perspective of Cajá's work inside and outside the runway. One of them was Pérola Dutra. Check out the clicks below by the photographer taken in the backstage of the show: