São Paulo – The Mediterranean Sea, which bathes seven Arab countries, was the main source of inspiration for the upcoming collection of Brazilian beachwear brand Cia. Marítima. The brand is based in the city of São Paulo and has already presented its creations for the next summer at two parades, one in São Paulo, at the São Paulo Fashion Week, and the other in Miami, at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim. In order to develop the “bikinis of the Mediterranean Sea,” the brand took its cue from two countries that are bathed by it: Turkey and Morocco, the latter of which is an Arab country.
“We started by researching a map of the Mediterranean,” says designer Mariana Adans, who alongside Patrizia Simonelli, is in charge of the design area of Cia. Marítima. The Mediterranean is wide and covers more than 20 countries, therefore the brand decided to focus on the beauties of the waters in only two countries. The result was bikinis and swimsuits in royal blue, turquoise and teal – nuances of the colours of the sea – and even items with prints imitating the scales of fish that swim in the Mediterranean.
Cia. Marítima has also included in its collection a few elements of the countries bathed by the Mediterranean Sea that it has chosen to explore. There is, for instance, a print based on Turkish ceramics. “Those painted plates,” explains Mariana. There is also a swimming suit, with long sleeves, whose print is based on the image of a Moroccan door. The designers did not travel to the region, but bought drawings of the images that inspired them in Italy.
The brand also brought the styles of Versace and of designer Madeleine Vionnet into the collection. “Versace used many elements of the Mediterranean, particularly Greece, and he once said that Madeleine was his inspiring muse,” explains Marina. Cia. Marítima has even bought drawings of Gianni Versace made by an artist from Milan that ended up becoming prints on the brand’s beachwear items. As a result of the choice of Versace, much of the collection features the style of the 1980s, of which the designer was an icon.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
