The fashion industry thrives on creativity and innovation and in our latest interview, we highlight a mind that is redefining boundaries with style and substance. We’re excited to offer an exclusive insight into Pre-nudity, a brand that stands out for its revolutionary approach to fashion. This interview promises a wealth of inspiring ideas and reflections for anyone interested in exploring the intersection of art and clothing.

“The garments that are worn before being”: tell us more about it.

It all started with the idea of creating “extended lingerie.” I’ve always believed that my work revolves around the interaction of lingerie elements with the body, pushing the boundaries of lingerie beyond bras and bodysuits into something broader. That’s where the name Pre-nudity came from, a playful term that suggested my clothes were what you wore just before being naked. I thought it was a clever and slightly provocative concept.

Unfortunately, censorship is society’s knee-jerk reaction to anything that approaches nudity. That’s why, some time ago, I was forced to remove “naked” from my bio in order to get my Instagram account reinstated for the umpteenth time. My garments have faced censorship ever since my first university runway show, where I was nearly barred from participating because an exposed breast was deemed inappropriate and I was forced to cover the areas that the fabric didn’t. All of these setbacks have made me question whether I should change. Change what I do, change my name, change the words or terms I use... But, in truth, they’ve only made me embrace this essence more fully and refine it to an even purer form. This was one of the driving principles behind an editorial I created, Pussy. In it, the word was reclaimed and given new meaning, closer to a cry of power than one of weakness.

Can you tell us about your journey into fashion design? What initially drew you to this field?

I can’t pinpoint an exact moment or an initial spark. Fashion has always had a strong presence in my family, and I’d even say there was a constant playfulness surrounding it. My grandmother worked making wedding dresses and tailored feminine suits, so I grew up with handmade outfits crafted by her and impromptu fittings, standing on the table in her living room. Gradually, what began as a game solidified into my greatest passion. On weekends, I’d visit fabric shops to feel and interact with the materials, or go to stores like La Perla, where I could only dream of owning one of their corsets or garments made with whalebone. I was a bit of a fashion nerd, spending all my free time watching documentaries and scrolling through Vestiaire Collective. With all of that, it felt only natural to study textile design.

I studied in a very small town where people didn’t understand either my approach to fashion or my standards, and that’s how the Pre-nudity project came about. You could say it was a response to that repression, a way of condensing and showcasing my ideas while experimenting with fashion on my own terms and at my own pace. Alongside Pre-nudity, I’ve worked for several fashion houses, primarily in textile art and couture. 

In 2023, I decided to take a break from design and started working as a fashion editor for a magazine from NYC. It was a very different and stimulating shift in focus, allowing me to discover skills I had never fully explored, like creative direction. This has since become my main professional activity after founding my own company, Unexpected Solutions. You could say I’ve experienced fashion in a linear way, from thread to the most ethereal aspect, creative direction.

Can you walk us through your design process, from initial concept to final garment?

Every process is different. Even though I try to be as methodical as possible, I believe each project and each piece has its own rhythm. Right now, I’m working with a singer, and she was just telling me how hard she’s finding it to pull all her ideas together for her new project, compared to other times when it feels like things come to you as if by magic. I couldn’t help but laugh and feel totally understood. As I looked at her, I said, “I call that creative serendipity. It’s like penicillin, just a discovery waiting for you to find and develop.” Except in this case, it’s within the creative realm.

For me, there’s often a disconnect between the idea and the search for materials. Sometimes, as in the Volatile Optic collection, the idea comes first, followed by the search for shapes and materials. Other times, it’s simply a connection with the fabrics themselves that leads you to “know what they want to become.” Fabrics can be the ideas if you’re able to understand the references and characteristics a designer has intentionally woven into them.

Another important factor is the individual obsessions of each designer.

In my case, this is closely linked to my use of colour, construction with whalebones, and textile manipulation to create my own fabrics. Although I must admit, lately I’ve been really enjoying other, less refined forms of creation that allow me to embrace the process itself, giving each piece of fabric several lives.

What role does experimentation play in your creative process?

I enjoy swimming in the lake of method, but what truly fascinates me is conquering new seas. And for that, the only real tools are imagination combined with trial and error. For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to escape uniformity, and I believe this is reflected in my ideas and approach to fashion. Experimentation is a key value in my creative process. I recall a class I attended where we explored the boundaries of creativity. One of the principles was to undertake creative exercises while being fully aware that originality might be lacking, as it’s likely that someone else had already ‘originated’ the idea before. Another premise was to create a garment based on a drawing made on an orange. Armed with these parameters and my engineer’s mindset, I aimed to create the most unique piece I could think of, combining maximum functionality. I spent hours making countless prototypes, and in the end, I realised that all that experimentation led me to create something distinctly different from my peers. In essence, this is what avant-garde fashion and haute couture are all about: pushing creation to the next level through experimentation with concepts, pattern-making, and fabric manipulation.

How do you find a balance between artistic expression and the technical challenges of garment construction?

A significant part of a designer’s role is to find that balance. Naturally, depending on one’s personal inclinations, there may be more of one element than the other. However, for me, there’s something very natural and genuine that ties all the elements of a project together. Generally, I thoroughly enjoy deciphering all the technical intricacies that a garment requires to become a vehicle for artistic ideas. Just as with people, the interior of every garment is reflected in its exterior. Construction, pattern-making, and prototypes are crucial for artistic expression. Rather than being at odds with one another, these two factors work together to imbue a garment with your personal artistic language.

How do you feel about the role of fashion in creating statements or provoking thought?

When I was younger, I thought the best function of fashion was to dress with a message or to be as attractive as possible in order to convey a social statement to those drawn to it. Nowadays, much of that social activism has softened, partly due to the discomfort that truth often provokes. Addressing social issues can be tricky for a designer. If you work for a major house, they’re likely to shy away from such topics, and if you work for a smaller brand, there’s often fear about the instability that backlash can cause. Still, I have great respect for collections that leave us with more than just clothing to admire. I remember Barragán’s 2024 collection, which tackled the issue of illegal immigration to the U.S. and borders in a bold and highly successful way. The show took place at an airport in Mexico during PFW, and despite being a powerful collection filled with hard-hitting, explicit messages, it didn’t receive the attention its themes deserved.

In recent years, fashion shows have become full of performance and theatrics to capture attention and deliver messages loud and clear. I think AVAVAV are masters of this: having the audience throw trash at the models, clothing that falls apart on the runway... If that doesn’t make you think, what will? On the other hand, this need for theatrics and thought-provoking statements has to be very well thought out, with a deep understanding of all facets of the topic you’re addressing. Let’s not forget the harsh and viral criticism M-C Hill leveled at Mowalola’s latest collection.

Reflecting on my experience with Pre-nudity, I’ve explored a variety of trivial topics, but I’ve also tried to make statements on issues that concern our society, like the frenzied obsession with idols, the oddities of society during COVID, or the empowerment of sexuality. For my Volatile Optic collection, in a burst of sci-fi inspiration, I drew parallels between eras with relevant issues in both: nuclear war threats, rising HIV infection rates, and rapid technological overdevelopment.

What are your thoughts on the future of fashion? How do you see your work evolving in the coming years?

On my return to Paris in September, I decided to reread the first issue of System magazine during the flight. It felt like a fitting experiment to revisit what Nicolas Ghesquière had to say about the industry in 2012 after his departure from Balenciaga. To my surprise, the deeper I got into the interview, the more I realised the brilliance of his worldview. In just a few pages, he managed to condense and predict nearly all of the industry’s movements up until today - and if I’m being honest, some of his forecasts are still a few years away from coming true.

Now in 2024, twelve years after that article, major fashion houses are experiencing a great deal of uniformity due to the enormous influence of financial concerns within large conglomerates. Fast fashion brands like Zara are now playing at imitating the luxury industry... and there are plenty of other examples I could give. Honestly, if you want to know the future, you need to ask the person with the highest vantage point.

On a personal level, I truly appreciate how platforms like TikTok and other social media have sparked a wave of creativity, enabling many more people to launch their own projects. It’s a social trend that, if well nurtured, I find deeply rewarding. Establishing connections with new brands, artists, and artisans is the greatest reflection of the spirit of today and the coming years.

As for the future, nothing is certain, but I’d like to increase my activity and continue evolving with Pre-nudity, while also working on my role as a creative director for brands and artists. That said, I wouldn’t rule out returning to a Parisian fashion house and focusing on the development of couture.

Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about that you can share with us?

Of course, after this brief hiatus, I’ve started this new chapter with renewed energy. The distance has allowed me to crystallise a new vision that has been taking shape in my mind for some time. At present, I’m crafting a creative roadmap to produce two collections that are slightly larger in scale than those I’ve been working on over the past two years. I adore my Valentine’s capsules, but I believe it’s time to tell a more expansive story. My aim is for these collections to have a common thread that resonates with anyone from my generation, especially those working in creative fields. In a way, they could be seen as a biographical exercise with a touch of autofiction.

As for the garments, I’m outlining the new directions I’d like to move towards in the future, while keeping “extended lingerie” as the central value. Even though I’m giving away this small spoiler, I must caution that things are still in the early stages, and I can’t guarantee that everything will come to light exactly as planned.

When it comes to collaborations, I often create custom pieces for artists.

Almost all of my garments are bespoke. I work with fabrics that are incredibly hard to source, often remnants from specialised silk manufacturers, with limited yardage due to their rarity. I like knowing that almost every piece I create is one-of-a-kind, and when I collaborate with artists, they also appreciate the rarity and uniqueness of the work I do.

If you could collaborate with any artist, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

I must admit that I try to avoid asking myself these kinds of questions, both for fear of dreaming too much and for the risk of projecting something that ultimately isn’t what it seems. I’ve never been the type to engage much in fandom culture, but meeting some of my professional idols and not seeing in them the qualities I once thought they embodied made me quite skeptical of such figures. In my experience, successful collaboration requires a strong sense of chemistry, both in terms of work and personality. For that reason, I believe it’s difficult to even consider collaborating with someone if you don’t know them well enough. That said, I am clear in my hope that my career will be filled with collaborations, ideally with living artists. I greatly value the knowledge that couturiers share with those of us still learning, as well as working with specialists from other disciplines, who offer such different and enriching insights.

Leave us an inspiring song for you.

One of the songs I find most inspiring is Curtains by Eartheater. It’s an incredibly evocative and, I would even say, liminal piece. When I listen to it, I feel as though I’m walking down a hallway, and as I move, I can hear a harp, club music, or both, intertwining. I don’t just connect with that song, though; I connect with Eartheater as an artist. I’m fascinated by the experimental, dreamlike language of her music, combined with the aesthetic of her videos, appearances, collaborations... In my opinion, she’s someone whose connections are rich and complex, which undeniably makes the way she presents herself and engages with the world deeply fulfilling. Who hasn’t seen her performance dressed by Anna Uddenberg? Who hasn’t noticed her DNA in Eusexua? Who hasn’t been blown away by her in Mugler by Casey Cadwallader? Going back to your earlier question, Eartheater could definitely be someone I do manifest to collaborate with in the future.

This exclusive interview unveiled the intricate weaving between creativity and fashion that lies at the heart of the Pre-nudity brand. This exploratory and innovative journey led us to understand the importance of pushing beyond conventional boundaries, with garments acting as intermediaries between identity and reality. Through an authentic and reflective dialogue, we discovered how obstacles have been transformed into creative impulses, refining an already bold vision. The experimental approach to fashion, the fusion of artistic expression and technical precision and the desire to stimulate critical thinking in the audience are all elements that reflect the unique philosophy of this designer.

Looking to the future, it is clear that Pre-nudity's path will be marked by continuous evolution and openness to new collaborations that embrace both art and fashion. We can only follow this creative journey, shaped by personal stories intertwined with bold experiments and profound social reflections, with curiosity about which new horizons will be explored. Ultimately, engagement with fashion goes beyond the garments worn, expanding into the narratives they can evoke.

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