Iris Santos
IRIS SANTOS, A PORTUGUESE DESIGNER LIVING SINCE 2011 IN MOZAMBIQUE, WAS BORN IN LISBON ON 13 JANUARY 1986.
AT THE AGE OF 6 SHE MOVED TO BERLIN, GERMANY, WHERE SHE LIVED UNTIL 1998. IN THAT YEAR SHE MOVED TO BRAZIL. THERE SHE PLUNGED INTO A NEW CULTURE WHICH GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO DEVELOPING HER CREATIVITY. THERE AND THEN HER PASSION FOR TROPICAL COLOURS WAS BORN. ELEVEN YEARS LATER THIS PASSION WOULD BE REVIVED WHEN SHE WAS OFFERED HER FIRST “CAPULANA” FROM MOZAMBIQUE.
IN 2000 SHE WENT BACK TO BERLIN WHERE IN 2005 SHE STARTED STUDYING AT HUMBOLDT UNIVERSITÄT. SHE MAJORED IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY AND NORTH AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY.
IN 2011 SHE MOVED TO MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE, TO WRITE HER DISSERTATION THESIS ON THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY. IT WAS THEN THAT SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH “CAPULANA” DUE TO ITS WARM AND INTENSE COLOURS, AND UNIQUE GEOMETRICAL FORMS. THE “CAPULANA” HAS UNDOUBTEDLY INSPIRED HER AESTHETIC LANGUAGE.
IN 2012 SHE STARTED HER OWN LABEL, IRIS SANTOS DESIGN. IN THAT SAME YEAR IRIS PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST MAVHOKO EXHIBITION IN MAPUTO AND DESIGNED HANDBAGS FOR A MOZAMBICAN COMPANY. SHE ALSO WORKED IN THE PRODUCTION OF A TV PROGRAMME “TXOPELA MOCAMBIQUE” WHICH ALLOWED HER TO BECOME EVEN BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH MOZAMBICAN CULTURE. STILL IN 2012, BLENDING SEVERAL CULTURES WITH HER OWN SIGNATURE, SHE PRESENTED HER FIRST CLOTHING LINE, CALLED AZURA, IN BOTH GERMANY AND MOZAMBIQUE. LATER ON, SHE SHOWED NEWS FORMS OF “CAPULANA” ON SEVERAL TV SHOWS. ON THAT SAME YEAR SHE DESIGNED THE GRADUATION GOWNS OF THE FIRST GRADUATES OF ISARC UNIVERSITY. THESE WERE THE FIRST GOWNS EVER TO HAVE “CAPULANA” APPLIQUÉS SEWN ONTO THEM.
IN 2013 SHE PRESENTED THE BILARA LINE, IN HOTEL POLANA, AND SHE PARTICIPATED IN “FASHION BUSINESS MOZAMBIQUE”.
IN 2014 SHE DRESSED THE SUPPORTING TEAM TO THE IMF HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE “AFRICA RAISING” AND SHE PARTICIPATED IN “FASHION AWARD MOZAMBIQUE”. FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOTEL SPA-POLANA HER COMPANY, IRIS SANTOS DESIGN, WAS ASKED TO DRESS THE STAFF. STILL IN THAT YEAR SHE LAUNCHED HER FIRST LEATHER BAG LINE WITH “CAPULANA” APPLIQUÉS. IN 2016 IRIS SANTOS LAUNCHED HER FIRST OWN DESIGNED “CAPULANA”. FROM THIS UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT SHE LAUNCHED A NEW BESPOKE COLLECTION.
IN 2019 IRIS DESIGNED AN INNOVATIVE COLLECTION FOR THE MOST LUXURIOUS RESTAURANT IN MAPUTO, EL PATRON.
HER WORK HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN SEVERAL MAGAZINES AND TV SHOWS. AMONG HER CLIENTS ARE FAMOUS SINGERS, POLITICIANS AND MOVIE ACTORS.
