Fashion, music, and entertainment: Coletivo Versus resumes activities with new objectives and the same purpose.

Anyone who was present in the São Paulo cultural scene around 2015 has likely crossed paths with the Coletivo Versus at some event, show, or action. Currently formed by Jorge Barros, Thiago Berto, Thomas Uwande, and Stephani Maurício, the members met, as they themselves point out, through a perfect coincidence.

It was at a State Technical School that the founding members met, and there, the project and the friendship that would unite them for many years was born. At the time, São Paulo was experiencing a huge boom in the independent cultural scene, and the members, as active participants, began to document everything that was happening to capture that moment that they already felt was something new. And what started with small records soon became something bigger.

From parties to editorials, along with collaborations alongside major names like Nike, Piet, KL Jay, and RZO, Versus became a platform for creating and developing content within the universe of fashion, music, entertainment, and various other branches of art. The goal of the collective is expressed in the name: Versus all standards. Standards of how to dress, how to be, how to express oneself. All of this arises from a sense of collectivity that connects them. "Versus is like a cry of revolt against all the standardization imposed by society on youth," states Thiago Berto, co-founder of the collective.

The return of the collective comes in new formats but maintains the "Versus style" of creating experiences. NOTTHESAMO had a chat with the collective to understand this new moment of VERSUS. Check it out.

[NTS]: How is this return for you during this "kind of post-pandemic" period?

[VERSUS]: We organized ourselves. We weren't active in the sense of having an ongoing project, but we were always together; we are brothers. We used this time to organize our ideas and personal lives. Returning to get things running would create a greater impetus due to the distancing and the proportions that things took during this period. The pandemic gave us a desire to create. So coming back now that things are in the process of restarting makes total sense. Moreover, it can be said that we learned a lot during this time outside our "scene", analyzing with a more consumer-oriented perspective of the movements that continued and emerged during this time here in SP.

[NTS]: What was the main point in your decision to return for 2022?

[VERSUS]: Consequently, Versus never ended. Our projects, individual runs, and lives took our focus. So we believe that the pandemic was a necessary hiatus for the return to official activities. Contrary to the principle of inertia, the world's halt fueled our desire to move effectively with those who genuinely contribute.

[NTS]: What can we expect from VERSUS for this and the coming years? But promise you won't disappear, okay? Kkkkk.

[VERSUS]: Kkkkk We won't... we create things, we have ideas all the time. These ideas converge with the creative universe we are part of, and this has basically been what always kept the flame of VERSUS alive. For this new stage of ours, the focus is to be as comprehensive as possible within the field of entertainment, but of course without neglecting what we call the "VERSUS Experience", which is the mix of the identification that the audience has with us and the taste of "I want more" that we always leave in the subtext of everything we produce. So we believe we will continue to create in various different manifestations, producing.

[NTS]: We remember many moments at VERSUS parties, all very good. Is there any specific one that marked you? Which one?

[VERSUS]: Should each one raise a moment? Kkkkkk?

[NTS]: Absolutely!

[THOMAS]: The performance we did at MIS to celebrate a collab with the
Skull jewelry brand alongside Motorola. An event with international class, yet
still with the chaotic creative spirit predominant in our parties, as it’s not the party
itself, but rather the people who are there.

[STEPHANI]: For me, it was at the bar upstairs on Oscar Freire. It got out of control kkkk. But
it was a very genuine day, the people LIVED that day. Many people were kept outside, architects had to come the next day to check if the structure of the place was okay. It was insane.

[JORGE]: There were many moments, but I think when we did the V$hit at the Favela do Sapo with Tracie and Tasha performing in the lineup, it was an event where various niches mixed; there were the foreign crowd from i-D magazine, local people who already knew the girls, and those who were familiar with our parties, and still everyone identified in a certain way and enjoyed that memorable roll until the end.

[THIAGO]: Many memorable things have happened at VERSUS parties, but I
personally like to remember the funny situations! One of the most
comical and unusual experiences I’ve had was at a party at the now-defunct secret bar
of the Chez group (the same owner of the bar upstairs). During my DJ set around
3:30 AM, out of nowhere came none other than
Érick Jacquin. Yes! The master chef judge showed up in the middle of the dance floor, very tipsy, took photos with everyone, congratulated me on my set but said it needed a little more "flavor". That was one of the most random things I’ve lived through, kkkkkkkkk

[NTS]: VERSUS x NOTTHESAMO this year, suggestions? Kk

[VERSUS]: We like the idea of festivals; in fact, we are working to make
something like that happen. Food, fashion, music, arts, and entrepreneurship along with debate promotion and even workshops. All these "universus" together. For some time, we’ve felt the need to promote something that goes beyond the experience and the nuances that may happen in a party. Parties are to celebrate victories, and we will never set them aside, but it is necessary to nourish culture with something that serves as a foundation for promoting an improvement in the artistic and cultural scene. And we really believe that together we can create this structure. Let’s go for it, NTS?

[NTS]: Let’s go!